Warning: This article contains significant spoilers “House of Gucci.”
If the catchphrase “go gig or go home”It would be a film. “House of Gucci.” Ridley Scott’s dramatization of a story that feels almost too dramatic to be true is a star-studded affair dressed in head-to-toe designer.
Based on Sara Gay Forden’s book, the movie depicts the rise of fashion heir Maurizio Guicci (Adam Driver), as well as social climber Patrizia Regigiani (Lady Gaga). Shortly after their divorce was finalized, Reggiani had her ex-husband killed in one of Italy’s most shocking scandals of the 1990s. “House of Gucci” also surveys the family feuds that threatened to implode the Italian luxury brand in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Like much of the film, the climax plows through the events surrounding Gucci’s murder and subsequent trial at a breakneck speed. Let’s break down the murder plot, sort out fact from fiction and fill in some of the gaps in the final sequence.
You’ve Been Served
The beginning of the end traces back to the first major crack in Patrizia and Maurizio’s marriage. Over the course of their love story, Patrizia transforms from a wide-eyed ingenue from a humble background into the glamorous grifter that Maurizio’s father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons) always thought her to be.
First, Patrizia convinces her spouse to reconcile with Rodolfo right before he passes away to ensure his inheritance. Next, she convinces Aldo (Al Pacino), her Uncle, to bring Maurizio into the family business. Aldo and Paolo, her son who is a dunce, start to get in her path. She plans to get rid of them.
But Patrizia’s ruthless ambition starts to grate on her husband, who may have gone along with her string-pulling at first but hasn’t lost sight of the fact that he, not she, bears the Gucci name.
Federal operatives investigating the suspicious circumstances under which Maurizio came to possess his father’s inheritance raid their estate. Maurizio, leaving behind his wife and young child to deal with the mess on his own, decamps to a Swiss chalet riding a motorcycle.
They finally join him for an extended vacation. There, their relationship turns cold like the winter air. Maurizio humiliates Patrizia before his friends, including Paola Franchi (Camille Cotton), who instantly becomes jealous. Maurizio presents Patrizia a Bloomingdale gift certificate at Christmas and orders her to stop working in the family business.
Patrizia is hopeful that their marriage will survive despite the fact that they have returned to Milan by themselves. But Domenico De Sole (Jack Huston), the family’s longtime lawyer, turns up at their daughter’s soccer game to serve her the divorce papers. Patrizia is furious that Maurizio didn’t have the guts to approach her himself and tells De Sole to get lost.
Planning begins to form
While Maurizio and Paola’s relationship heats up, Patrizia travels the world with her friend and low-budget psychic, Pina (Salma Hayek). During a spa treatment, Patrizia’s hints about taking out her ex-husband grow more urgent and direct. Pina attempts to dissuade her, promising to keep an eye on him after they return from Caymans.
Before she continues with her plan, Patrizia attempts to win Maurizio’s back. She shows up one night at his former Milan home, where he now lives alongside Paola. She’s been leaving dozens of messages on their voicemail machine that alternate between pleading and threatening.
Outside the door, she tries to appeal to his sentimental side by talking about how much their daughter misses him; when that doesn’t work, she presents him with an album of family photos. Maurizio is not moved.
“I had no idea I married a monster,”She spits at him. “You didn’t,”He speaks truthfully. “You married a Gucci.”
Take care of your business
The Gucci business is undergoing major changes. Thanks to Patrizia’s maneuvering, Aldo is behind bars for tax evasion and Paolo Gucci has given up his shares in the company. With the others out of the picture, Maurizio seeks to freshen up Gucci’s stale reputation by hiring up-and-coming designer Tom Ford (Reeve Carney). He also partners with a Bahrain-based investment firm, Investcorp, who eventually buys Aldo and Paolo’s shares.
Ford’s Gucci debut is a big success, but it doesn’t produce immediate returns for the company, which is steeped in debt thanks to slow sales and Maurizio’s penchant for luxury real estate, art and travel. Investcorp’s leaders and De Sole, who intends to take over as CEO, present him with a term sheet. Maurizio hurls a plate at De Sole, who storms out of his room.
Ciao, Maurizio
Pina organizes a meeting between Patrizia (Vincenzo Tanassi), and Benetto Ceraulo, (Andrea Piedimonte Bodini). Patrizia gives them a briefcase with cash and a direction: “Don’t miss.”
Patrizia writes an account of the day that the murder is due to take place “paradeisos”(The Greek word is for “paradise”) in her diary and takes a bath. Back in Milan, Maurizio sips espresso at a café. He is seen bicycling back to his office by the hitmen who confirm that he is their target. They have a photo of Patrizia which they have supplied.
Ceraulo fires several shots at Maurizio as he walks up the steps. A man runs out of the building to see what’s wrong, and Ceraulo shoots him too.
Later, Patrizia and her child arrive at their home. Patrizia embraces a stunned Paola and then asks an attendant for help. “Show Ms. Franchi out of my house.”She walks into a room and closes it behind her.
The Black Widow Behind Bars
Patrizia, a nickname that was given to her in the 1980s, is now known as “The Black Widow”The Italian press reported that Pina, Benetto Ceraulo, and Ivano Savini were found guilty of the murders of Maurizio. Ceraulo gets a life sentence and Patrizia 29 years.
What Happened To the Gucci Family Members?
The film ends with text appearing on the screen that announces that Aldo Gucci has died from prostate cancer, and Paolo Gucci has died alone and poor in London. The film concludes by announcing that the Gucci brand is no more owned by the Gucci family.
How Did Patrizia and Her Accomplices Get Caught?
“House of Gucci” never goes into detail about how police came to charge Patrizia, Pina and the hitmen with the murder; the film simply cuts from the immediate aftermath of Maurizio’s death to the sentencing.
The crime was actually unsolved for almost two years until 1997 when a tip-off led to police finding Ivano Savini, a hotel porter, who had murdered Giuseppina. “Pina”Auriemma in touch with Ceraulo, a getaway driver and Orazio Ciicala.
They were all sentenced, Reggiani included.