GUERLAIN'S LEGEND OF SHALIMAR

Could Guerlain’s spot directed by Bruno Aveillan be the most decadent yet?

Image: Bruno Aveillan

After Bruno Aveillan and Parisian production studio Quad created Cartier’s opulent “L’Oddyssée” spot, it was only fitting that the two were tapped by Guerlain for their long-form spot based on the historic story, “The Legend of Shalimar”.

“It's a legendary love story that has captured the world's imagination for centuries. So it's only fitting the tale surrounding the Taj Mahal inspired Jack Guerlain in the 1920s to create a perfume for the woman to whom the palace is dedicated, the emperor Shah Jahan's wife Mumtaz Mahal who lived in a palace surrounded by Shalimar gardens,” says production studio, Quad.

Quad helmed a crew of more than 100 people throughout India, who travelled to Jaipur for the Jaigarh Fort and Mawtaw Lake, to Upaipur for Badi Lake and its mountains with white marble dust that conjure the illusion of snow, to the Himalayas, and of course, to the Taj Mahal in Agra. 

“The Phantom camera used by Bruno Aveillan enabled him to capture spectacularly precise and stunning images. The film was shot exclusively in 35mm and in anamorphic for its beauty, transparency and special grain,” says Quad.

“These techniques allowed Bruno to fully express his keen aesthetic sensibility and blend seamlessly with the visual effects by Digital District. This mix of techniques is seen on full display in the breath-taking final scene of the Taj Mahal, which was filmed in Agra and then integrated with images from a lake in Rajasthan.” 

Post production was carried out by Digital District, France.

The film stars Natalia Vodianova, the face of Guarlain’s Shalimar fragrance since 2008, and features Hans Zimmer's "Chevalier de Sangreal" - taken from his score for the film adaptation of the Da Vinci Code.

It also features the young Beijing-born costume designer Yiqing Yin, who has previously collaborated with Aveillan for her AW12/13 collection.

 
The film premiered in Paris and will be shown throughout the country on TV and in cinemas.