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Updated: September 13, 2009, 9:50 am	Share    Print    Email

"Valentino: The Last Emperor," to be shown worldwide. Image courtesy of Lorenzo Aguis/Contour Images

New York City - "Valentino: The Last Emperor," to be released on DVD on Sept. 8, and a special promotion for the film includes a give-away of a red Valentino couture gown. Directed by Matt Tyrnauer, this is a feature-length movie that takes the viewer inside the singular world of one of Italy's most famous designers, Valentino Garavani. The film documents the colorful and dramatic closing act of Valentino's celebrated career, tells the story of his extraordinary life, and explores the larger themes affecting the fashion business today.

"We were let into the inner circle, but we had to stick it out for a long time, practically move in, to capture the truly great moments," says Tyrnauer. "Valentino is surrounded by a tight-knit family of friends and employees, but, eventually, their guard came down and they forgot there was a camera crew in the room.

"Valentino: The Last Emperor" looks at a majestic life from the inside, but the movie is not a simple story of shallow glamour. It is the saga of a family - though not a traditional one - and a meditation on the creative process. It's also the story of a soon-to-forgotten lifestyle at the twilight of haute couture. It is also, in the words of Valentino's longtime business partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, "not a story of money or fashion; it is a story of love."

To know Valentino is also to know Giancarlo Giammetti, widely considered to be one of the most brilliant businessmen of his generation in Italy, and certainly one of the great business icons in the history of fashion.