Valentino needs a soul.

Valentino (2008)

The biggest question that arises after seeing this documentary based on Valentino, is why he never kisses his boyfriend during the entire movie. He buys him a Christmas present, thanks him during an important French award ceremony, but not once does he kiss him, hug him, or in any other way show him affection. That’s what I’m left with, is Valentino so exacting that he can’t show any weakness in the form of physical intimacy?
Yes, the movie does show Valentino and the fashion world in a way most of us will never ever see. The movie not only captures Valentino during the design process but it also captures the cut throat business of high end fashion but at the end of the movie I still didn’t feel like I knew Valentino, and that may say more about the man than the filmmakers. Unlike most documentaries, Valentino never sat for an interview and I’m sure that isn’t for lack of trying on the filmmakers’ part. Thank god for DVD extras.
The DVD extras is where the show really is. One follows his executive servant (a term not nearly adequate to describe this man’s duties) as he goes from different Valentino homes on different continents and prepares them for Valentino’s arrival (No small feat. Valentino is the last of the classy rich.) Another one follows him after the film takes place as he puts on his last show before he retires. They both offer different glimpses of the man who has dominated fashion for 40 years---the butler segment by showing the high standards Valentino expects every part of his life to live up to, and the fashion show segment by revealing more of his personality than the movie does, including moments of anger and friendship.
The movie is fine but the DVD extras is where the soul resides.