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Masters of Beauty: Cartier cover image

Masters of Beauty: Cartier 1999

Recommended

Distributed by Chip Taylor Communications, 2 East View Drive, Derry, NH 03038; 800-876-CHIP
Produced by Carran Mutimedia Productions
A film by Johan op de Beeck & Monica Moritz
VHS, color, 30 min.



Jr. High - Adult
Art, Popular Culture

Date Entered: 11/09/2018

Reviewed by Kim Davies, Milne Library, SUNY College at Geneseo

For many of us, a quick look into Cartier's jewelry empire is about as close as we will ever get to a world of luxury, wealth, and extreme sophistication. With shots of dazzling jewels and precious metals glimmering in Parisian store windows and majestic music playing dynamically in the background, it is not difficult to be swept away by the beauty of Cartier's works of art. Masters of Beauty: Cartier leads us into such decadence and sends us back in time for a glimpse of how the jeweler came to be.

From its first owner, Louis François Cartier, to its current Belgian and South African proprietors, we learn that the Cartier house has changed hands numerous times, but has always retained its outstanding reputation for high standards and creative genius. Even after the business' decline in 1942, with the death of Louis Cartier, the last of the family's owners, a revival in the 1970's brought more affordable luxury items that carried the same high quality as more expensive and exclusive Cartier jewelry. With strict rules of secrecy, creativity, and hard work, Cartier remains one of the top jewelers in the world.

Scenes of various celebrities and royalty, such as Elton John, Prince Charles, and Queen Elizabeth, along with translated interviews from French to English of key players in the Cartier empire, give us a sense of the untouchable dream of wealth and luxurious whimsy associated with the reputable jeweler. This video from the Masters of Beauty series can be enjoyed and studied by all who are interested in ultimate beauty, artistry, and perfection. Cartier remains, in the words of King Edward VII, the King of the Jewelers, Jeweler of the Kings.