Tom Ford ‘laughed out loud’ during House of Gucci screening

Fashion designer Tom Ford has said he “laughed out loud” during a screening of House of Gucci.

While he praised Lady Gaga’s performance as Patrizia Reggiani, Ford, who was the creative director of Gucci between 1994 and 2004, was scathing in his critique of the film.

The Ridley Scott-directed starrer, which has been repeatedly criticised by the Gucci family, tells the story of Reggiani’s doomed marriage to Maurizio Gucci. Reggiani was convicted of ordering his murder after hiring a hitman to kill him.

After watching the film, Ford said that he was “deeply sad for several days” and that it was hard for him to “see the humour and camp” in something that was so bloody. “In real life, none of it was camp,” he said in the digital magazine Air Mail. “I suspect [it] will be a hit,” he wrote. “Splash the Gucci name across things and they usually sell.” Indeed, online searches for Gucci clothes have increased by 73% since the release of the film.

Ford, who launched his own company in 2005 after leaving Gucci as well as later directing the films A Single Man and Nocturnal Animals, went on to praise some aspects of the film. He applauded “Gaga’s and [Adam] Driver’s strong performances, powerful over-the-top portrayals by the entire cast, impeccable costumes, stunning sets and beautiful cinematography”.

Today, the Gucci family released a statement, calling the film: “an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today.” They say that they observed the release of House of Gucci with “some bewilderment.”

“Despite the claim that the work seeks to tell the ‘true story’ of the family, the fears aroused by the trailer and interviews released thus far are confirmed: the film conveys a narrative that is anything but accurate,” reads the statement. It adds that the family reserves: “the right to take any action necessary to protect the name, image and dignity of themselves and their loved ones.”

Addressing the factual accuracy behind the film, director Ridley Scott told Total Film last month: “I tried to be as respectful as possible by being as factual as possible, and as factual as we can possibly imagine.” Scott added: “the story, in a funny kind of way, it’s a satire. And therefore, satire is really a posh way of saying it’s a comedy. And I think a lot of it is comedic. Certainly for the first two acts.”