MOVIE NEWS – The actual family has sharply criticised The House of Gucci, but director Ridley Scott has not let this go unanswered.

Ridley Scott’s latest film is the crime drama The House of Gucci, based on Sara Gay Forden’s The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed, telling the story of the iconic real-life fashion family, it was always expected to provoke a reaction from the Gucci family, and even earned the scorn of Patrizia Reggiani, played by Lady Gaga in the film. But when it comes to such criticism, Scott doesn’t seem too bothered.

The House of Gucci tells the story of how Reggiani was integrated into the Gucci family after her marriage to Maurizio Gucci. Reggiani’s greatest desire is to influence the fashion brand, so she seeks to cause unrest in the family, but she finds himself excluded by the family in his quest for glory. She then turns to violence to regain his place in the dynasty. Scott had initially wanted to adapt the novel at least fifteen years ago, but it wasn’t until 2019 that he succeeded in casting Lady Gaga in the lead role.

The film was first criticised by Reggiani, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for hiring an assassin to murder her husband. The film’s leading lady believed that Gaga should have sought him out and met him before attempting to portray him on screen, but Gaga said at the time that she did not want any outside influence or opinion to influence her performance, even from the person she played in the film. The most recent comments came from his cousin Maurizio Gucci, who claimed that Scott was simply trying to make a profit off the family name.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ridley Scott showed no particular interest in the new allegations: he made his feelings on such comments explicit in a very sharp and succinct manner:

“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. As soon as you do that you become part of the public domain.”

While viewers will decide for themselves whether Scott’s film is simply an attempt to profit from the Gucci name or more, given what we know of the story, it is unlikely that family members will go into the cinema expecting a flattering portrayal of their lives. With that in mind, such criticisms raised by the family before the film even hit theatres will only generate more interest than the reviews alone would garner. The director might even be happy with the free publicity…

Source: ScreenRant