High & Low: John Galliano – REVIEW
Image: HIGH & LOW: JOHN GALLIANO film still
John Galliano changed the fashion world when he emerged into the haute couture world in the mid-1980s. In this interview style documentary by Kevin McDonald, we get some insight into Galliano’s work and psyche through his own words, those of people close to him, and from a vast collection of footage — including incriminating phone video.
At the height of his glory, Galliano was arguably the most unique, dynamic and influential fashion designer on the scene. His shows were extraordinary productions filled with pageantry, theatrics, and operatic level emotional charge.
He worked feverishly and incessantly, often collapsing from exhaustion at the end of a show. That demented pace was sustained by drugs and alcohol which gave him military level discipline while he was working, but fuelled his chaotic abandon once he was allowed to relax.
McDonald manages to get the notoriously erratic Galliano to sit for an extended, informal, seemingly candid interview in which the designer tells all: from his childhood love of drawing, to coming out, to becoming a fashion doyen, to his dramatic fall from grace.
This interview is interspersed with comments from the likes of Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Penelope Cruz, Charlize Theron, Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, among many others. Also cut in are segments from fashion shows, behind-the-scenes, personal moments, and the scandalous incidents captured on video that led to his downfall.
High & Low: John Galliano is definitely a film for fans of high fashion, but also for those fascinated by the human mechanics of a creative genius.
There is a lot of footage here, perhaps more than it needed, and the film feels just a bit too long in the end, but overall, it is intriguing and entertaining.
