High & Low - John Galliano (2023) User Reviews

A heavy, well-made film...

[insightflow-20603 · 7/10 · 8 November 2023]

...which does the necessary to depict the complexity of theme and character, although it does a little too much about extolling talent. Without being even slightly knowledgeable or concerned with fashion, Galliano's seemed farcical to me, as did his character. We also learn he still has the support of the heavyweights in the fashion world such as Anna Wintour. "He was just ill", fair enough, but there are many people with childhood as horrible as his and even worse, who do however take accountability. Galliano is still in denial, perpetrating his narcissistic persona/mask, and hasn't apologised to the "small" people he insulted, although he claims he "thinks" he did, because there was "eye contact in the court". He apologised to those who meant something in the fashion business.

His final (2022) show depicted is still escapist, sad testimony of his grandiose delusion.

Sadly, Galliano's behaviour is symptomatic and couldn't be more relevant today. Not knowing the first thing about jews, and without any relationship to them whatsoever, the first thing arising in his drunken, self-loathing mind, is antisemitism.

High & Low - John Galliano

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 28 December 2023]

I think Kevin Macdonald has tread a fine line quite carefully here as he uses a candid interview with John Galliano as the bedrock for a retrospective on the career of this enigmatic and undoubtedly flawed individual. From his graduation from St. Martin's College in London through to his ill-fated custodianship of Haute Couture at Dior, we follow this man on a warts and all documentary that is substantially supported by some seriously good archive research and some equally frank contributions from friends and foes alike. As someone put it in the narrative, some of his fashions did beg the questions "who for?" and "where?" and that is part of what makes this interesting. The association behind the more obscure of his high end fashion (especially his Egyptian-inspired designs that even Elizabeth Taylor might struggle with) through to the more scantily clad and ambiguous creations with that worn by the ordinary person shopping on the high street is always a curiously, obliquely, tangential one! The film tells us about the man, certainly, but also about the vagaries of an industry that pushes, drives, rewards and punishes in equal measure. What is clear from early on here is that Galliano became addicted to almost everything - from the varied contents of a bottle, or to a pencil and a pair of scissors, or just to the lucrative adulation that created a "Hyde" at times from his original "Jekyll". The fact that he clearly has little actual memory of the incident in the Café de la Perle that brought about his downfall is testament to his complete lack of self awareness and control by this point in his career. Burning the candle at both ends and in the middle would, I suspect, turn most of us into mush. Macdonald doesn't attempt to coax us in any given direction regarding our reaction to this incident, and to the fall out. Galliano has his opponents and his proponents. We are presented with as much fact as there is, plenty of prognostication - and left to conclude just how evil (or not) he is/was/may still be. It also gives us a chance to look in the mirror and ask ourselves where forgiveness may lie... It's entertaining at times, and the pictorial documentation of his career and that of many of his contemporaries is a must watch for anyone interested in the development of, and fascination in, this industry.

MUY INTERESANTE

[esduinmerino · 10/10 · 14 April 2024]

I have a lot of mixed feelings about 'Immaculate'. It did some stuff I really liked, but then let itself down in other areas. It kept the jump-scares to a minimum, but the ones it did have were pretty easy to spot and ineffectual. It had a lot of gory and hard to watch scenes which were pretty effective and probably when the film was at its strongest. It also contained a fake-out dream sequence which is my most hated horror trope. For everything this film did well it seemed to do something else to offset it.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about 'Immaculate'. It did some stuff I really liked, but then let itself down in other areas. It kept the jump-scares to a minimum, but the ones it did have were pretty easy to spot and ineffectual. It had a lot of gory and hard to watch scenes which were pretty effective and probably when the film was at its strongest. It also contained a fake-out dream sequence which is my most hated horror trope. For everything this film did well it seemed to do something else to offset it.

Half of it is just apologies. (-5 Boring Bit.) Rest is good +5

[gkhfmvhgkh · 5/10 · 9 March 2024]

Was great first half, then the endless and I really mean endless begging for forgiveness from one group just goes to show just how much a grip on media they have. Wish it was just going through the work he did and is doing re the brands.

It was sad to see him in bits and glad he has found a way back into fashion.

I wonder how much pressure these billionaires have put on other designers yo make their billions.

It was exhausting to hear how much work they did and then people saying completely opposite things if what happened? Like that was unclear and not investigated. Failed short on not going in and looking at the documents and cases.