The Gucci family has threatened the producers of ‘House of Gucci’ with legal action over their portrayal in Ridley Scott’s new film.
The heirs of Aldo Gucci (played by Al Pacino in the film) alleged that production of the film did not “bother to consult” them before describing the President of the company for 30 years and “members of the Gucci family as thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them”.
“This is extremely painful from a human point of view and an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today”, a statement from the heirs of Gucci read.
The murder drama stars Lady Gaga as Italian socialite, Patrizia Reggiani, who spent 16 years in prison for plotting the murder of her ex-husband and one-time head of the fashion company, Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). Released on 26th November 2021, the film also stars Jared Leto and Salma Hayek.
The heirs who ran Gucci for 33 years until the mid-80s, took particular offence to Reggiani’s portrayal as a victim, despite the fact that the Italian socialite was “definitively convicted of having been the instigator of the murder of Maurizio Gucci”. She was dubbed the “Black Widow” by the national news media.
The statement from the heirs of Gucci mentioned that depicting Reggiani as “a victim who was trying to survive in a masculine and macho corporate culture” is even more “objectionable”.
The Gucci heirs also noted that “Not just in the film, this sympathetic portrayal of ‘Reggiani’ extends to statements made by the film cast members, that has been widely cited by Italian media since it was released”.
Meanwhile, in a recent interview with British Vogue, Lady Gaga emphasized that she did not wish “to glorify somebody that would commit murder”, through her depiction of Reggiani, but that she did want to “pay respect to women throughout history who became experts at survival” and the “unfortunate consequences of hurt”.
The family rejected the Ridley Scott film’s claim that the company wasn’t inclusive towards women.
According to the statement “women were in several top positions” such as “the President of Gucci America, the Head of Global PR & Communication, and a member of the board of directors of Gucci America” during the 1980s.
Noting these inaccuracies, the statement continued, “The Gucci family reserve the right to take every initiative (necessary) to protect their name and image and those of their loved ones”.
Earlier this week, Ridley Scott responded to Patrizia Gucci’s critical statement that the film “is stealing the identity of a family to make a profit to increase the income of the Hollywood system”.
‘The Last Duel’ director responded to the claims and said: “I don’t engage with that. You have to remember that one Gucci was murdered and another went to jail for tax evasion, so you can’t be talking to me about making a profit”.
The movie itself has been criticized by several people. Earlier this week, designer, Tom Ford criticized Leto’s “crazed” performance in House of Gucci.
Ford, who worked for Gucci between 1990 and 2004, condemned Leto’s take on the late fashion designer. According to the ace designer, Paolo, whom he met on several occasions, was indeed eccentric and did some “wacky things”, but his overall demeanor was certainly not like the crazed and seemingly mentally challenged character of Leto’s performance.
Read also: The Vexed Issues For Which There Was A Stalemate, Was The Matter Of E-levy- Minority
