The Blogs: Lady Macbetta

“Fie, my Lord, fie! A soldier and afeard” (Macbeth, Art 5, Scene 1).

The fall of the Macbeths from courtiers to regicidists is mirrored in Ridley’s Scott’s new two hour, 38 minute film “House of Gucci”

For some reason, critics have given the film a shellacking, focusing on the lead, Lady Gaga’s attempt at an Italian accent,

That needs to be addressed ab initio.

The entire film is in English. Every major actor speaks with an Italian accent. For the most part, they succeed. Lady Gaga is spot on, never falling out of character. If anyone has a dialect lapse, it is Al Pacino who plays Aldo Gucci. Once in a while, you hear a little Bronx. Jeremy Irons doesn’t even attempt an Italian accent. He speaks in his usual Bristol Old Vic Theatre tones. Why the critics have zeroed in on Lady Gaga is a mystery.

“The House of Gucci” is a story of dynastic succession.

It is an identifiable moral fable. Many people have family businesses or work for a family business. Descendants of the founders often fail to increase its value or even preserve it for future generations. They often destroy the enterprise and themselves within one to two generations.

Gucci was founded by a Florentine luggage maker. It became manufacturers of the finest leather goods in Italy, a nation renown for it leather products. The name “Gucci” was, as they say, synonymous with luxury.

Enter Patrizia Reggiani.

She encounters Maurizio Gucci at a party.

His surname stops her in her tracks.

You can hear the gears shifting.

Maurizio is a somewhat shy, tall and lanky law student. He wears large, black-framed instantly recognizable ’70s glasses (Bruce Lee had a pair). Patrizia is a pint-sized dynamo who in Maurizio’s mind, bears a resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor.

Their tale starts off like a Cinderella story.

It ends with his bullet ridden body body crumbled on the steps of Gucci’s Milan headquarters.

Today not a single Gucci has an ownership interest in Gucci unless have they purchased some of the publicly traded shares

“House of Gucci” is classic filmmaking. Its themes, narrative, dialogue, set, costumes are all pitch perfect.

Most memorable of all, Lady Gaga.

Her face reflects a kaleidoscope of emotions ranging from childlike delight to homicidal rage. Her body has a character of its own and looks like a tightly sheathed version of Praxiteles classic sculpture “The Aphrodite of Knidos”.

Lady Macbeth descended into madness to escape her guilt.

Patrizia sits at the defendant’s table at the end of “House of Gucci”. The vermillion lipstick, the gold and glitter are gone. She is stone-faced and colorless.