‘Saint Laurent’ Focuses on Designer’s Work Hard, Play Hard Lifestyle

Sandra Miska

The story of fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent, founder of the brand of the same name, is told in the French film “Saint Laurent,” starring Gaspard Ulliel in the title role. This biopic, which is not to be confused with “Yves Saint Laurent,” focuses on the years 1967-1976, covering a somewhat small timeline for a biopic.There are flashbacks and flash-forwards interwoven throughout the film, but most of the story takes place during the height of Saint Laurent’s fame.

“Saint Laurent” clocks in at 150 minutes, which to some may sound like a long time to sit through a (mostly) foreign language film, but it never seems to drag, despite many scenes with little or no dialogue.  One is too entranced by the hypnotic images and acting of Ulliel to notice the passing of time.

In “Saint Laurent,” the designer is shown to have been a pen pal of American artist Andy Warhol, with the two men exchanging letters filled with admiration for each other.  Saint Laurent is presented as Warhol’s French counterpart.  Although one created pop art while the other made fashion, both men were incredibly successful and influential counterculture artists during a time when both the U.S. and France were experiencing radical change.  This is best illustrated in “Saint Laurent” with shots of women modeling YSL clothes shown in a split screen alongside newsreel footage of events of the day, including riots in Paris and the resignation of President Charles de Gaulle

Many scenes in “Saint Laurent” show the designer hard at work, intensely focused, but for all his workaholic tendencies, he was a man who knew how to have fun.  This is best shown in steamy scenes with Saint Laurent’s two very different lovers: his responsible business partner Pierre Bergé, (Jérémie Renier) and freewheeling professional muse Jacques de Bascher (Louis Garrel).  The most memorable ones involve Pierre locking Yves in a closet and Jacques hosting an all-male sex party at the house to which a whole fire department shows up.

Saint Laurent also had meaningful friendships and working relationships with plenty of women, including his close friend and muse Loulou de la Falaise, the daughter of a count who has a penchant for shooting up drugs.  Underrated actress Léa Seydoux is fabulous, as is real-life Aymeline Valade, who plays confident model Betty Catroux, whom Yves decides he must have wear his clothes after he sees her dancing alone at a club.

The scene that best illustrates Saint Laurent’s way with the ladies involves a middle-aged woman who comes into his studio to try on a pantsuit.  She is unsure about donning what had been traditionally been a masculine look, but Yves puts her at ease by making a few minor suggestions.  She praises him, telling him he’s the only one who could make her feel so comfortable.

“There’s no competition,” is his reply.  “That’s my misfortune.”

Saint Laurent, of course, experienced plenty of lows, many of which are shown in the film.  One of those powerful and minimal dialogue scenes involves Yves, Jacques, a whole bunch of spilled pills and Yves’ beloved French bulldog.  Saint Laurent’s heavy drinking and dependency on pills take their toll on him, culminating in his hospitalization in 1976 and false reports of his death.  Saint Laurent’s actual death from brain cancer in 2008 is not depicted in the film, which ends on a high note.

“Saint Laurent” opens May 8.