I finally saw it too and I'm happy that I did. The scene where he visits the Dior archive really moved me and only emphasized what an enormous impact the death of Steven Robinson continues to have on him - I thought that was quite tragic to see actually. All the archival footage was amazing to see of course...I don't think we've ever seen that much footage from his inspirational trips or from his toille fittings, such a treat. All that looked very joyous and showed the love for storytelling and beauty...there was a small montage of him doing his famous hot air balloon flight over Egypt and then showing the birth of one of the looks from sketch to runway...loved seeing stuff like that. It's all the things I fell for all those years ago.
But then it's contrasted with him being absolutely hammered backstage during post-show interviews and it all gets painful. The bit around the Fall 2003 couture show which happened a few days after burrying his father was incredibly sad to see and hear. Especially from a personal pov, because that's the show that pulled me into fashion and will forever be my favorite show in history for that fact. Really painful to see.
For me, this documentary is not about establishing once and for all wether or not he's a racist or antisemite. Or wether or not he deserves forgiveness. It's a real rise and fall story set against a backdrop of an ever-changing, ever-demanding industry and culture and the toll it can have on those living in that world. The performative aspect of John's character was definitely fully on display as mentioned here before, and that too was sometimes hard to watch. Ultimately, the question of wether one can support (and long for) his rehabilitation while continuing to condemn what he said and did at the same time is an interesting moral dilemma posed to the viewer...and to the industry as a whole. The industry seems to have made up its mind. The jury might still be out on what the public thinks, though, and it's hard to gauge how this doc will steer that.
But then it's contrasted with him being absolutely hammered backstage during post-show interviews and it all gets painful. The bit around the Fall 2003 couture show which happened a few days after burrying his father was incredibly sad to see and hear. Especially from a personal pov, because that's the show that pulled me into fashion and will forever be my favorite show in history for that fact. Really painful to see.
For me, this documentary is not about establishing once and for all wether or not he's a racist or antisemite. Or wether or not he deserves forgiveness. It's a real rise and fall story set against a backdrop of an ever-changing, ever-demanding industry and culture and the toll it can have on those living in that world. The performative aspect of John's character was definitely fully on display as mentioned here before, and that too was sometimes hard to watch. Ultimately, the question of wether one can support (and long for) his rehabilitation while continuing to condemn what he said and did at the same time is an interesting moral dilemma posed to the viewer...and to the industry as a whole. The industry seems to have made up its mind. The jury might still be out on what the public thinks, though, and it's hard to gauge how this doc will steer that.
