Armani celebrates cinema at the Venice Film Festival
Venice is easily one of the most iconic cities in film history, and particularly so relative to its size: only 50,000 people live on the island proper, yet as a setting it rivals Paris, New York, London or LA. From cult classics like Don’t Look Now and Death in Venice to blockbuster franchises like James Bond, Indiana Jones, Spider-Man and Ocean’s 11, filmmakers have been drawn to the city time and time again. It’s not hard to see why: Venice is a fantastical, dream-like place, so implausible and abundant in its beauty that, even when you’re there, it doesn‘t quite register as real. The most famous sights may be crowded, but walk just five minutes, and you’ll find yourself in the same solemn, almost silent piazzas and canalside paths that inspired Daphne du Maurier or Thomas Mann. Despite becoming a symbol of mass tourism, there is something eternal and enduring about Venice.
It’s also the setting of the Venice Film Festival, the world’s oldest and rivalled only by Cannes as the most prestigious. For the ninth consecutive year, Armani beauty has returned as the festival’s official beauty sponsor, which is a fitting partnership: Armani has its own long and rich history with the world of cinema, having contributed costume design and bringing its timeless elegance to over 100 films, including Richard Gere’s legendary suit in American Gigolo; The Untouchables and The Dark Knight. With the Venice Film Festival kicking off last week, Armani beauty took the opportunity to gather its global ambassadors, stage a series of events and launch I WILL Eau de Parfum, its new men’s fragrance, with a private screening of the I WILL campaign film starring Jonathan Bailey. Here’s what went down over the week.
On the opening night of the festival, we took a vaporetto over the lagoon to the Hotel Excelsior, a grand old building perched above Lido beach, to attend the opening night, where Armani was providing official make-up services to guests. I was supposed to walk the red carpet myself but got separated from my group and, due to the extraordinarily strict timings of these events, ended up getting bundled to the side by security. I wasn’t at all unhappy about this, particularly when my friend who did make the walk told me that no one took her picture, and she just had to stand there making sultry poses while hundreds of cameras fell silent. Still, though, it was a fascinating experience to see behind the scenes of such a glamorous event – being a celebrity seems to involve a lot of waiting around, although in this case it was a particularly gorgeous setting.
The festival kicked off with the premiere of Ink, a 1970-set period drama chronicling the early days of the Sun newspaper, as new owner Rupert Murdoch (Guy Pierce) and editor Larry Lamb (Jack O’Connell) resort to increasingly extreme tactics to boost sales and dethrone the Daily Mirror as Britain’s top-selling paper. Halfway through, it also turns into a gripping hostage thriller, recounting the abduction of the wife of one of Murdoch’s business associates – a story so wild it would seem implausible were it not based on fact.
It was interesting to watch a film almost totally blind, with no Metacritic score, Letterboxd reviews or ambient sense of how it had been received, and having to rely solely on my own critical faculties. It’s a fascinating bit of social history and O‘Connell, Pierce and Claire Foy all give powerhouse performances – O‘Connell, in particular, has matured into a compelling leading man. But on the other hand, Danny Boyle is a little too reliant on his tried-and-tested bells and whistles: flashing text, crazy angles, montages soundtracked by thumping rock music. I’d still give it four stars, but the highlight of my night came a little earlier…
Unbeknownst to me, the premiere kicked off with a Lifetime Achievement Award being handed to George Clooney, who was as handsome and charismatic in person as you’d expect (it was funny to see so many otherwise poised attendees lose their cool when he walked into the room, gawping in his direction and taking photos with the flash on.) But while Clooney made me feel a little star-struck, I was gagged when Laura Dern strolled on stage to deliver a speech in his honour, drawing from their 30-plus year friendship and reading out messages from Alexander Payne and Brad Pitt, among others. The speeches have always been my favourite section of any wedding, and it felt a lot like that: she was funny and polished, but mostly earnest. My good friend Laura Dern absolutely killed it – I’m so proud of you, diva!
The following night, in the lush gardens of the Royal Gardens, Armani gathered its global ambassadors to stage a family portrait: the cast included huge names from worlds of film, music and fashion, including Jonathan Bailey, Kendall Jenner, Vittoria Ceretti, Nicholas Galitzine, Sydney Sweeney, Madisin Rian, Carlos Sainz, J. Balvin, Blanca Suárez, and Luca Argentero. There was also a diverse array of guests from the entertainment industry, among them Owen Thiele, Mary Beth Marone, Paige DeSorbo and Chaise Sui Wonders. Afterwards, we all sat down at the same long table to enjoy a meal, so technically I can say I had dinner with Kendall Jenner, just as I’m sure she’s bragging to everyone in LA about having had dinner with me.
