Valention: The Last Emperor

The other night I watched Valentino: The Last Emperor on Netflix and I learned many things. I learned that a Countess may bring her own vodka to an elegant post-couture show party and a major domo may slice open windows in the plastic tents so that the guests at the same party might not sweat. I learned that there's nothing more disgusting than an evening gown that shows a woman's ankles and sometimes, a person might become exactly what he might have once wished most to be. The movie is as much about Valention's longtime life and business partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, and their incredible relationship. Early in the film there's a scene backstage at a couture show when an Italian journalist asks Giametti what it is to live one's life in the shadow of a great man. Giametti smiles smoothly, pulls a hand across his perfectly cut blazer, and says (in Italian) "Happiness." With the kids asleep and my husband at a basketball game, the movie was the same for me.