Even the fashion world fans who think they know everything about the life and work of celebrated stylist Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008) are surprised. An unprecedented documentary has just hit theaters.
We are talking about Celebration, Olivier Meyrou‘s production that is now opening in Paris, which was suppressed to the public a few years ago by Pierre Bergé, YSL’s co-founder and romantic partner.
On Celebration we can watch monsieur Saint Laurent as a figure far from the fashion glamour, with a little melancholy and sometimes too obsessive and workaholic until his retirement in 2002, at 65. From 1998 and 2001, the filmmaker Olivier Meyrou had full access from Berger to follow the work and the designer’s private.
According to Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, a principal of Playtime (the film’s distribution company) was when a disagreement between Bergé and the producer prevented its release. It was shown just, in 2007, during the Berlin International Film Festival.
According to Playtime, Monsieur Bergé did not like the way the documentary portrayed him and the details of his relationship with Saint Laurent. In fact, his arrogance and authoritarianism, as well as the parent-child way the two interacted were too much aired.
Now, as Mr. Bergé died last year, Celebration can be released with no image authorization issues, and no way softer than the original version.
