Hollywood is known for its glitz and glamour. From the jewelry, the outfits, and down to the shoes – every bit of the Hollywood image is tailored and made for the person wearing it. But a lot of the iconic outfits, are custom made for ever instance, making the images not only flawless but unobtainable. It takes craftsman, and teams to make the looks that audiences see so seamlessly on the screen.
Part of the magic of these looks came from Salvatore Ferragamo, a shoe maker who came from Italy, and brought with him custom designs and knowledge that mass produced shoe manufacturers didn’t have. His designs were iconic in the early days of Hollywood, and continue to be today. But while his shoes brought him fame, his story wasn’t always as glamourous as working with iconic stars through the years.
Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams tells Ferragamo’s life story, from his humble beginnings, and apprenticeship as a boy to the fame he had later in his life creating a fashion dynasty. With interviews from people who knew him, including his children, to images of his iconic work and the science he used behind his designs. The documentary shows that it takes more than just luck to create a dream for himself but for the stars he worked with later in his career.
It is an inside look into his life just as much as it is an a look at the fashion industry. It highlights the difference in fast fashion and custom pieces, and how shoes should work with the body instead of against it. The documentary is an interesting look at what the beginning of Hollywood and fashion as much as it about Ferragamo himself.
With the majority of the movie in English, there are large sections of the movie in Italian with subtitles as well. The movie flows between the interviews and snapshots from Ferragamo past easily, and keeps the audiences attention. Most viewers will come out of seeing the movie wishing they had that kind of detail and care given to their shoes and outfits, but probably more an understanding of why those off the rack and fast fashion items may not work as well for them as they hoped.
Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams in in theaters everywhere this weekend.
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About SALVATORE: SHOEMAKER OF DREAMS:
Growing up poor in Bonito, Italy, Salvatore Ferragamo began his career as a shoemaker before he was barely a teenager. Immigrating to America in 1915 at the age of 16, his work would soon help invent the glamour of Hollywood’s silent era as he created shoes for iconic films including The Thief of Bagdad and The Ten Commandments and for stars including Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, many of whom became his friends. Overcoming a Depression-era setback, Ferragamo rebounded and would define mid-century elegance for performers including Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Rita Hayworth, and Ingrid Bergman — all while embarking on a love story and warm family life with his wife, Wanda, and their six children. In SALVATORE: SHOEMAKER OF DREAMS, Academy Award©-nominated and BAFTA nominated filmmaker LUCA GUADAGNINO (Call Me by Your Name, A Bigger Splash, Bertolucci on Bertolucci) tracks Ferragamo’s life from humble beginnings to California and to a storied studio in Florence, Italy. With Emmy©-nominated actor MICHAEL STUHLBARG (Call Me by Your Name, The Shape of Water) narrating Ferragamo’s 1955 memoir; a trove of 100-year-old archival footage; an extraordinary “shoe ballet” created by stop-motion artist PES; and incisive commentary by MARTIN SCORSESE, MANOLO BLAHNIK, CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, Vogue Creative Director GRACE CODDINGTON, Variety Film Critic TODD MCCARTHY, WANDA FERRAGAMO and Wanda and Salvatore’s children and grandchildren, SALVATORE: SHOEMAKER OF DREAMS is a portrait of a man whose vision, passion, and craftsmanship made him “shoemaker to the stars,” an architect of Hollywood magic, and an enduring cultural, fashion, and artistic influence.
