Film Review: Yves Saint Laurent

The film Yves Saint Laurent looks at the life of the fashion designer Saint Laurent (did the title give it away?!) when his career first began in Paris in 1958 after becoming the successor to the recently deceased Christian Dior.

The film is entirely in French which means you have to pay extra attention to the subtitles so you don't loose track. Some people hate watching foreign subtitled films, I personally don't mind it and it made the film much more authentic than an 'Americanized' version would have done.

The film documents the biography of Saint Laurent and paints the portrait of  a somewhat sad character who faces battles with manic depression, homosexuality, alcoholism and drugs. The focus of the film is on the designer's relationship with Pierre Bergé, his long time lover and business associate; together they create the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house, whose outgoing designs revolutionised and shocked the world of couture fashion.

The film was very enjoyable, but more of a documentary than action filled film, worth a view nonetheless, especially if you have any interest in fashion as it is filled with catwalk scenes featuring some of YSL's most iconic pieces.