High & Low: John Galliano – Film Review
Kevin Macdonald‘s documentary is titled High & Low because John Galliano liked to mix high and low fashion pieces. But the title also describes exactly what you’re going to get – a depiction of the meteoric rise and dramatic downfall in the fashion designer’s career.
The documentary covers all you need to know about Galliano, from his childhood, his success at Central Saint Martins design school and his stints as creative director at the luxury fashion houses Givenchy, Dior and Maison Margiela. The biggest low in his professional life was, of course, his antisemitism scandal, which lost him his job at Dior and ruined his reputation in 2011.
Interviews with Galliano are peppered throughout the documentary as it tells his story using archival footage. It is astounding how much he changes from being a happy carefree young designer to an egotistical, scowling creative director who struts the runway at the end of his shows. The film explores the reasons behind this transformation – alcoholism, vanity and burnout, to name a few.
The highlight was footage of his catwalk shows and his increasingly OTT creations that nobody could possibly wear in real life. They were beautiful and innovative but a bit too fantastical. I also enjoyed the contributions from industry titans such as Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Anna Wintour and celebrities like Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz.
Galliano confronts his antisemitic rants more head-on than I expected but I didn’t feel fully satisfied with how he explained his actions. I wanted more but he didn’t have more to give. However, I appreciated that a lot of time was dedicated to it and it wasn’t glossed over. That section even includes an interview with one of the victims as well as Campbell and Wintour’s takes on their friend’s scandalous behaviour.
High & Low offers a candid and comprehensive look at Galliano’s life, a reckoning of his controversial comments and an illustration of the changed man he is today. A must-see for fashion fans.
In cinemas now