There are two upcoming biopics on designer Yves Saint Laurent, but this one, Yves Saint Laurent by director Jalil Lesper has received considerable hype since it released in Europe in mid-March. (If you intend to watch only one, don’t get this biopic confused with Saint Laurent by director Bertrand Bonello.)
The film chronicles the life of one of the most famous French couturiers and begins in 1957 as Yves Saint Laurent, played by Pierre Niney, is appointed Dior’s chief designer, after the untimely death of Christian Dior while in Italy. He had been hired as a design assistant by Dior in 1955. It is an in-depth look at the late designer’s life, career and relationship with his business partner Pierre Bergé. It should go without saying, the movie shows Saint Lauren’s messy, messy personal life; that means, needy, neurotic, depressed and on drugs. As a young man he was an introvert, and within his rise at Dior and later his own label, he became a celebrity and socialized with peers like Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger.
A very important detail to mention is that this film was made with the approval of Bergé, who was Saint Laurent’s life partner until the designer passed away in 2008. In addition, the Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent, which owns approximately 5,000 clothing pieces and 35,000 sketches by Saint Laurent, also cooperated in the biopic, and gave Lesper access to its archive. Many of the costumes seen in the movie are original YSL pieces. They had to be handled with white gloves and were not altered.
The film hits the U.S. screens on June 25. Visit the movie’s Facebook.com page for more information.
