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Books Read In January 2022
Month: January 2022
House of Gucci
I was thrilled to find this book on the shelves when I visited the library last week. A friend based in Berlin had watched the movie based on this book last November and raved about it and I had no idea when the movie would be played in Singapore even though the book is 497 pages in difficult-to-read font and took me three days to devour.
The book is meticulously researched and well written. The bulk of it is about the business side of the Gucci empire, with plenty of details about corporate takeovers, stocks, shares, investors and so on. Still, it kept me wanting to turn the pages for the interesting parts that reveal the family drama. I can’t wait to see the movie to find out how it’s played out by big-name Hollywood stars, though each time I read a book is like watching a movie in my mind.
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Barely 14 hours after i finished reading the book, I went to watch the movie
I suppose I can only say that both the movie and the book are very good in their own way. Director Ridley Scott and his stunning ensemble (cast and crew) have done a wonderful job in bringing the book to life (though some parts are a bit different from what my mind conjured up during the reading). I’m especially impressed by the make-up department who transformed Jared Leto into a completely unrecognisable Paulo Gucci.
I’m just a tad disappointed that Allegra (younger daughter of Maurizio and Patrizia) and Charley (son of Paola Franchi whose entanglement with Maurizio was not given as much weight as in the book) have both been entirely omitted in the movie. Also, Eleanore De Sole deserves to be portrayed more than just a soprano at a fashion show.
I also noticed a couple of inconsistencies in the movie: the phone number that Patrizia writes in lipstick on Maurizio’s windshield is different between shots; in the scene when Patrizia and Pina meet with the hitmen, Patrizia snatches her packet of cigarettes as she leaves but the following shot when Pina gets up to leave, the packet is still on the table.
One big plus point about the movie is the use of classical music! I counted eight (but it could have been nine) and love especially three of them: Libiamo Ne’lie ti Calici (from Traviata, sung by Luciano Pavarotti et al), Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, and the Humming Chorus from Puccini’s Madam Butterfly. These enhance the dramatic moments in the movie: from the excitement and throbs in the swelling crescendos to the passion and intensity in the musical notes.
I must say it has been worth my while squinting over the fine print for three days and paying 12.5% more for the movie ticket. (I was told at the counter that the price increase came into effect about two months ago.)
Goldenager 