NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The new documentary 鈥淗igh & Low 鈥� John Galliano鈥� covers all the complexities of one of the most celebrated and controversial figures in
The film, directed by Kevin Macdonald, features candid interviews with Galliano and fashion icons Anna Wintour, Naomi Campbell, Penelope Cruz, Kate Moss and Charlize Theron.
Galliano鈥檚 star shone brightly when Givenchy hired him as a young head designer in 1995, before Christian Dior brought him on as creative director in 1996. For nearly 15 years, he worked tirelessly on multiple seasonal collections at Dior and also started his own label. His told stories with elaborate sets and makeup.
The film suggests that Galliano was overworked and abusing alcohol and drugs when in 2010 and 2011. After the video of him saying 鈥淚 love Hitler,鈥� went viral, outrage was swift. Dior dropped him, he was convicted in an antisemitism trial in France, and he disappeared from the fashion world for several years. During that time, he made public and private efforts to rehabilitate and get sober, and educate himself on Jewish history and culture.
In 2014, Galliano was and debuted his first show in years. His most recent show The Associated Press talked to Macdonald about Galliano鈥檚 rise and fall and why many friends and fans stayed loyal to him. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: How did this film come about?
MACDONALD: I went to Paris, I met (Galliano), we had lunch, and it was obvious that he wanted to make a film. It was in his mind I think for a number of reasons, maybe partly because he thought, 鈥淎lexander McQueen has a great film. I should have one about me.鈥� 鈥� But I think also because he said to me, 鈥淟ook, I don鈥檛 expect people to forgive me. Those who are not going to forgive me are not going to forgive me, but I would like people to understand a bit more what happened.鈥� And I thought that was a good motivation for making a film.
AP: What do you want people to know about him after watching?
MACDONALD: I wanted to make a film that was a film for debate 鈥� that didn鈥檛 close things down in a black and white way. Because there is no answer to a lot of the questions that are raised by this film. When has somebody paid their dues? When should they be forgiven? How do we really know why someone said something? Why somebody did something wrong? He was blind drunk, blacked out. He doesn鈥檛 even remember why he did it. So I want people to come away with a feeling of, gosh, it鈥檚 complicated.
AP: Many fashion icons stuck by him despite his troubles, why?
MACDONALD: People can criticize and say, well, you know, you鈥檙e putting your loyalty above integrity. But you can also see it, as you know, loyalty is a really great quality. And I think it鈥檚 amazing to me, the number of celebrities who agreed to appear 鈥� at some reputational risk. I would say that because they felt loyalty to him, because they like him, and they wanted to put forward their experiences with him.
AP: Do you think Galliano feels remorse about his past comments and behavior?
MACDONALD: I don鈥檛 think that he was in any way deliberately setting out to hurt people. As far as how sorry he feels, I think he feels very sorry about what happened, but I think there鈥檚 also a side to him 鈥� he鈥檚 a bit narcissistic, and he feels like, you know, 鈥淚鈥檝e done enough.鈥� But of course, then he鈥檒l turn around and say, 鈥淲ell, I know that I鈥檓 never going to be forgiven. And I know that there鈥檚 certain people who would never buy my clothes.鈥�
AP: Do you think his success at Maison Margiela will continue?
MACDONALD: This latest show has been greeted with this attention and people absolutely loved it. It鈥檚 become a kind of internet phenomenon. And people are saying it鈥檚 now no longer Margiela. It鈥檚 back to being Galliano. I don鈥檛 know whether the experience of making the documentary was somehow cathartic and it鈥檚 kind of released him to do that, but I think there might be a little bit of that going on. ... It feels like, 鈥淥K, I鈥檝e got that off my chest now, now I can ... do what I鈥檓 really, really good at and express myself more personally again.鈥�
Brooke Lefferts, The Associated Press
