I found this documentary, written and directed by Matthew Miele, became more and more pretentious and self-congratulatory as it progressed. It's a glimpse into the world of people who live in an alternate reality from 99.9% of the rest of us. It reminded me somewhat of the documentary "The Queen of Versailles" where the main characters had seemingly no clue, or didn't want to know how the rest of the world lives.
The subject here is the iconic department store and building, taking up the entire block at 57th Street and 5th Avenue, in Manhattan, of Bergdorf Goodman. It's purported to be, in the film, the classiest retail clothier around, showcasing the world's best designers for the world's wealthiest clients.
Without trying to get too moralistic, when you look at the desperation of the people of the Phillipines, due to Typhoon Haiyan, and knowing the struggles of so many here in the States financially, it's hard to really enjoy a film that highlights the snooty world of the obscenely rich and famous and their clothing purchases.
Also, I certainly got the impression that there were strict controls on what was being filmed and what the final product would be. It became, in my opinion, more and more of an infomercial for Bergdorf Goodman.
On the positive side, I thought it was interesting to see the history of the company itself and how their famous building was designed and built. However, you don't learn till the very end of the film that the owner Andrew Goodman, who is highly praised in the film, sold out in 1972, and the company is now a subsidiary of Neiman Marcus.
Also, I thought the preparations of the Holiday windows at Bergdorf's was quite fascinating and the final results were amazing. So maybe I'll see you all gawking at the Christmas displays in the Bergdorf Goodman windows, because we're probably not going to go in and buy a $6,000 pair of shoes!
The subject here is the iconic department store and building, taking up the entire block at 57th Street and 5th Avenue, in Manhattan, of Bergdorf Goodman. It's purported to be, in the film, the classiest retail clothier around, showcasing the world's best designers for the world's wealthiest clients.
Without trying to get too moralistic, when you look at the desperation of the people of the Phillipines, due to Typhoon Haiyan, and knowing the struggles of so many here in the States financially, it's hard to really enjoy a film that highlights the snooty world of the obscenely rich and famous and their clothing purchases.
Also, I certainly got the impression that there were strict controls on what was being filmed and what the final product would be. It became, in my opinion, more and more of an infomercial for Bergdorf Goodman.
On the positive side, I thought it was interesting to see the history of the company itself and how their famous building was designed and built. However, you don't learn till the very end of the film that the owner Andrew Goodman, who is highly praised in the film, sold out in 1972, and the company is now a subsidiary of Neiman Marcus.
Also, I thought the preparations of the Holiday windows at Bergdorf's was quite fascinating and the final results were amazing. So maybe I'll see you all gawking at the Christmas displays in the Bergdorf Goodman windows, because we're probably not going to go in and buy a $6,000 pair of shoes!