The Gucci Family Still Doesn't Like 'House Of Gucci'

While some of us can safely be described as reluctant fans of Ridley Scott’s new salacious drama House of Gucci, it’s recently become clear that the same sentiment is not shared by members of the Gucci family. Less than a week after the film opened in theaters, some of the direct descendants of Aldo Gucci (the president of Gucci for 30 years, played by Al Pacino in the film) have stepped up to say, “The film carries a narrative that is far from accurate.”

In a statement originally shared by Italian news publication ANSA, the family decried the box office-breaking sensation, claiming it left them “a bit disconcerted.” Noting that “the production of the film did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci and the members of the Gucci family as thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them,” Aldo’s relatives denounced House of Gucci’s decision to portray these real-life figures using “a tone and an attitude...that never belonged to them.” All in all, House of Gucci was “extremely painful from a human point of view and an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today.”

The family stated numerous gripes, but seemed most upset about things concerning Patrizia Reggiani, the woman who arranged the hit on their relative, Maurizio Gucci, and was memorably brought to life on screen by Oscar-winning superstar Lady Gaga. Members of the Gucci family believe that Reggiani “is portrayed not just in the film, but also in statements from cast members, as a victim trying to survive in a male and male chauvinist corporate culture.”

Discussing her portrayal, they wrote, “This couldn’t be further from the truth.” According to them, Gucci has always been an “inclusive company” where women had power. Some even “held top positions.” They were sure to point out that, during the 1980s — the same period during which most of House of Gucci takes place — Gucci America’s president and its head of Global PR and Communications were both women. Ditto for a member of its Board of Directors.

As they go on to explain, “Gucci is a family that lives honoring the work of its ancestors, whose memory does not deserve to be disturbed to stage a spectacle that is untrue and which does not do justice to its protagonists.” They signed off by noting that they all “reserve the right to take action to protect the name, image, and dignity of themselves and their loved ones.”

The full statement can be found below, via Variety.

The Gucci family takes note of the release of the film “House of Gucci” and is a bit disconcerted because, although the work claims to want to tell the “true story” of the family, the fears raised by the trailers and interviews released so far, are confirmed: the film carries a narrative that is far from accurate.

The production of the film did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci – president of the company for 30 years – and the members of the Gucci family as thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them, attributing to the protagonists, events, a tone and an attitude that never belonged to them. This is extremely painful from a human point of view and an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today.

Even more objectionable is the reconstruction that becomes mystifying almost to the point of paradox when gets to the point of suggesting an indulgent tone towards a woman who, definitively convicted of having been the instigator of the murder of Maurizio Gucci, is painted not only in the film, but also in the statements made by cast members, as a victim who was trying to survive in a masculine and macho corporate culture.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Moreover, over the course of it 70-year history during which it was a family business, Gucci was an inclusive company. Indeed, precisely in the 1980s – the historical context in which the film is set – women were in several top positions: whether they were members of the family or extraneous to it, these included the president of Gucci America, the Head of Global PR & Communication, and a member of the board of directors of Gucci America.

Gucci is a family that lives honoring the work of its ancestors, whose memory does not deserve to be disturbed to stage a film that is not true and that does not do justice to its protagonists.

The members of the Gucci family reserves every right to protect the name, image and the dignity of their loved ones.