The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld review: it’s all very frivolous, but great fun
BBC documentary offers an entertaining look at the enigmatic fashion designer
When the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld died in 2019, he “was eulogised as the last of the old guard”, said Rebecca Nicholson in The Guardian. This feature-length BBC documentary aims to “demystify the man behind those famous sunglasses” – and it does so with panache.
Directed by Michael Waldman, the film gives a “rounded picture” of an individual who could be exceedingly generous to those who were “in”, and ruthless to those who were “out”. Many of Lagerfeld’s inner circle talk about him here publicly for the first time, and there is also archive footage of Lagerfeld reflecting on his own life, from taking over at Chanel (Coco was “a mean bitch; I have nothing against mean bitches”), to his reinvention of himself as a celebrity. The film is “gossipy and serious, thorough and frothy, and the 90 minutes breeze by”.
It helps that Lagerfeld himself was a scream, said Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph. There are also some wonderful interviewees. For instance, Carine Roitfeld, the former editor-in-chief of French Vogue, informs us that Lagerfeld’s cat once deliberately destroyed a scarf that she’d given him for Christmas: “Choupette is not a nice girl.” It’s all very frivolous, but great fun.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It’s “zippy” all right, said Carol Midgley in The Times, but there are things I would have liked to have heard more about, such as Lagerfeld’s “visceral hatred of fatness”. He was notorious for having said that Adele was too fat; but he even judged the supermodel Heidi Klum to be “simply too heavy”.
Where to watch: BBC iPlayer
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Rupert Murdoch's behind-closed-doors succession court battle
The Explainer Media mogul's legal dispute with three of his children over control of his influential empire begins today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Ruska: experience Finland's magnificent autumn foliage
The Week Recommends The 'fleeting' season lasts just three weeks
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Trump assassination attempt: do former presidents need more protection?
Today's Big Question Secret Service director says 'paradigm shift' needed after second Trump attack sparks calls for more resources
By The Week UK Published
-
Discover Ravenna's glittering treasures
The Week Recommends The 'magical' town is home to magnificent churches and excellent restaurants
By The Week UK Published
-
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: pure 'nostalgia bait'
Talking Point Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder return for sequel to the 1988 cult classic
By The Week UK Published
-
Sam Leith picks his favourite children's books
The Week Recommends The author and journalist chooses works from Nicholas Fisk, Richard Adams and more
By The Week UK Published
-
The Real Thing: Stoppard revival is 'witty' and 'wise'
The Week Recommends James McArdle is 'sensational' in Max Webster's production at the Old Vic
By The Week UK Published
-
Firebrand: Jude Law is 'gloriously disgusting' in Tudor drama
The Week Recommends 'Vividly constructed' film looks at the life of Henry VIII's sixth wife, Katherine Parr
By The Week UK Published
-
A Voyage Around the Queen: 'gloriously bizarre' royal biography
The Week Recommends Craig Brown's book paints a 'vivid and remarkably telling' picture of the late monarch
By The Week UK Published
-
The Perfect Couple: glossy Netflix murder-mystery starring Nicole Kidman
The Week Recommends However hard you try to resist it, 'you will want to know the who, what, where and why-dunit'
By The Week UK Published
-
Chicken with Steph's spice
The Week Recommends This Caribbean-inspired recipe is mouthwateringly delicious
By The Week UK Published