True Stories 56: 20s—The House of Gucci

One of the more interesting things about The House of Gucci [2021] by Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna, is how much people hated it. From critics to viewers, everyone seemed to find it lacking. The director was criticized, the length of the film [over 2 ½ hours], the sometimes over-the-top performances, the script… all were vilified by one critic or another.

Was it that bad?

Take a look at the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGNnpVKxV6s

Interestingly, the Guccis in this script are secondary to the interloper—the one who marries into the family, Patrizia.

Patrizia is from a working-class family—though her father owns a big trucking company, so they’re well off and she’s not at all poor. But when she meets law student Maurizio Gucci at a party, she realizes that she’s meeting a bit of Italian royalty—he’s a Gucci! And that name is synonymous with the best in Italian fashion—one of the most respected fashion houses in the world. So Patrizia pursues him, finding excuses to meet him at a bookstore [even though she’s not a reader] and at a café.

One of the most interesting things about the film is how provocative her character is to his. He’s portrayed as a wide-eyed innocent who is easily taken in by this conniving young woman and she’s portrayed as a grasping caricature of a social climber.

Hey, maybe that’s what they both were. But, as presented in the film, both characters come off as “types” and not as real people. But they WERE real people. And it’s those real people I’d have liked to have seen in the film.

Another thing that bothered me about the film was the treatment of Patrizia’s character. Yes, in real life she was convicted of hiring men to murder her estranged husband, but was she driven to this in some way? Obviously, murder wasn’t the answer, but in her mind it was payback for what had been done to her. Twisted logic, of course. BUT… Patrizia was right about so much of the running of Gucci and what needed to be done—yet she was dismissed as a meddling spouse. But she was right! So I would have done more with that. Rather than just make her the stereotyped woman scorned who resorts to violence, why not focus more on the fact that she obviously had a good sense for business and the men wouldn’t listen to her. Because what she predicted would happen to the company did, indeed, happen. And had they listened to her there might have been a different outcome for Gucci.

It's always hard to know what to write about in a true story. Where do you keep your focus? What part of the story is the most important? What is the essence of the main character?

As you work on your own true story, ask yourself those three questions and that might help you get closer to a script you’ll be proud of.

Next week, we take on an icon: Elvis.

Copyright © Diane Lake

09Jul23

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com