Lady Gaga. Al Pacino. Jared Leto. Jeremy Irons. Salma Hayek. Adam Driver. All decked out in archival Gucci in a drama about a murder that made international news. No, you are not dreaming. This is happening and it is happening right now. House of Gucci was theatrically released last month in the United States and other countries around the world. And the buzz surrounding it could not be louder.
Here is everything you need to know about the movie before you rush to the theater in a week.
A Plot Inspired By Real Events
The Story Of A Family
House of Gucci is based on a book by the same name that was published in the year 2000. The book itself recounts the events spanning from the foundation of Gucci in 1921 to the turn of the century. It mainly focuses on the character of Maurizio Gucci, who was murdered in 1995. Here is an account of what went down.
Guccio Gucci—yes, that was his real name—founded the company and then passed it on to his sons. Aldo (Al Pacino in the movie) and Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons) later had children of their own. Paolo (Jared Leto) and Maurizio (Adam Driver), respectively. Though Maurizio was initially not interested in the family business, that changed radically when Patrizia Reggiani came into the scene.
Patrizia And The House Of Gucci
The year was 1970. Patrizia (Lady Gaga) was a woman of very humble beginnings. But her financial situation took a turn when her mother married a wealthy entrepreneur. So she made a name for herself as a Milanese socialite. And, stricken by luck, she randomly met Maurizio Gucci at a party. Two years later, in 1972, they married.
They had two daughters and Patrizia held a tight grip on Maurizio’s professional life. She convinced him to seek control of the House of Gucci, and her efforts came to fruition for a while. But no story is a story without an affair: Maurizio got himself a mistress, Paola Franchi. So the marriage began to wane, and in 1984, Maurizio left Patrizia for good.
Patrizia did not take this very well. She continued to refer to Maurizio as her husband and churned out death threats in the form of telephone calls. She recorded miles and miles of cassette tapes taking out her anger. Her rage only increased when she heard that Maurizio sold his shares of Gucci to an investment group. This, which took place in 1993, seems to have been what pushed her over the edge.
On March 25th, 1995, Maurizio received four gunshots when going into his office in Milan. He passed away on the spot. All eyes turned to Patrizia, and she was found guilty of premeditated murder in 1998. She didn’t do it herself, but seems to have paid a random man to pull the trigger. Her friend/psychic Pina Auriemma (Salma Hayek in the movie) testified against her, and Patrizia stayed in prison until 2016.
Patrizia Gucci currently works for a custom jewelry company and is known for her love for exotic pets, like parrots and ferrets.
Lady Gaga and Her Method Acting
The story of House of Gucci is undeniably insane, especially considering that it literally took place in reality. Yet Lady Gaga did not shy away from putting her own personal touch of craziness into it.
In her interview with British Vogue, Gaga confessed that she lived as Patrizia Reggiani for a year and a half. The singer-turned-actress transformed preparing for the role into a fully immersive experience. She researched and researched, read articles upon articles, listened to interviews upon interviews, tapes upon tapes. Even though, Gaga avoided encountering any biased opinions. She refused to read the book the movie is based on and even circumvented meeting Patrizia herself.
Furthermore, the star spoke in an Italian accent for the nine-month-long filming process. Heath Ledger-like, she did not break character at all and was psychologically affected by the end of the filming process.
While this might contribute to the myth of Gaga as an artist, the singer’s ways revealed something a little darker. She went through a depressive episode in 2020, leading her to birth her album “Chromatica.” So, as she questioned if she wanted to continue being Lady Gaga, a chance to embody someone else sprung up. The actress jumped at the opportunity that House of Gucci represented, and the rest is history.
But the star did not let her full immersion blind her. She was adamant about avoiding the “sexy killer” stereotype that women are often boxed in. She wanted to portray Patrizia as what she was. A woman in a man’s world, brought to a breaking point by her own powerlessness in being disposed of. To Gaga, this is not pretty and should not be portrayed as such. So she allowed Patrizia to be ugly on-screen, something almost revolutionary in terms of women’s representation on screen.
An Unmatched Experience For Fashion Lovers
Yet it isn’t all so serious. As its name would suggest, House of Gucci has brought some serious eye candy along with it. Suffice to say Gucci gave the production unlimited access to the brand’s archives. It would seem that we are in for some fabulous vintage moments. And if the trailer is any indication, a special focus on the 80s will give us some delightful maximalism.
Moreover, Lady Gaga’s iconic fashion has come out to shine in the film’s press tour. The night of the premiere, Gaga dazzled in an electrically ethereal purple dress—Gucci, of course. Look after look, the star has pushed herself to dizzying heights on her famously sky-high platform heels. She has been spotted in another all-Gucci outfit featuring an embellished cape, and in a bright red Atelier Versace dress. Animal print and black tulle have also made appearances, and Gaga’s fashion game is better than ever.
All and all, it seems that House of Gucci has some really nice surprises in store for us. All we need is to sit tight and wait.
Like this article? Check out Kamala Harris’ fashion diplomacy.
