Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci drama has been criticized by the heirs of the Gucci fashion company, who have hinted at probable legal action.
The heirs of former Gucci chairman Aldo Gucci said in a statement released on Monday by ANSA, the Italian wire agency, that “The Gucci family reserve the right to take every initiative (necessary) to protect their name and image and those of their loved ones,”.
The Gucci family alleges Scott and the producers of House of Gucci “did not bother to consult the heirs” of the fashion dynasty before depicting their family members as “thugs, stupid, and oblivious to the world around them,” according to a statement widely circulated in Italian media.
<h3>True Crime Drama</h3>
The true-crime drama of the difficult years leading up to the murder of Maurizio Gucci, the head of the namesake Milan fashion brand, stars Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, and Al Pacino. Gaga portrays Patrizia Reggiani, an Italian socialite who served 18 years in prison after being convicted of hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband Maurizio Gucci.
The Gucci family was particularly offended by Ridley Scott’s portrayal of Reggiani in House of Gucci as a “victim,” which they allege was bolstered by comments made by Lady Gaga and other cast members during the film’s promotion.
<h3>70 Years In The Making</h3>
It was “mystifying,” according to the family statement, that a lady convicted of provoking her ex-murder husband’s would be depicted as “a victim trying to survive in a male corporate culture.” The Guccis claimed that during the 70 years that the fashion house was a family-owned business, it was “an inclusive company,” noting that several of the label’s top executives, including the president of Gucci America, the Head of Global PR & Communication, and a member of the board of directors of Gucci America” were women in the 1980s, the period depicted in the film.
The Gucci family has already retaliated against the House of Gucci drama film. Patrizia Gucci, the daughter of Aldo Gucci (played by Al Pacino in the film), criticized Ridley Scott for “stealing the identity of a family to make a profit to increase the income of the Hollywood system” a few months ago.
Speaking to BBC Radio on Nov. 22, Scott dismissed the criticism. “I don’t engage with that. You have to remember that one Gucci was murdered and another went to jail for tax evasion so you can’t be talking to me about making a profit. As soon as you do that you become part of the public domain.”