Original subtitles

...well, for the dress for Chris. And you've got this bag, this design...

This. Marvelous finish.

Oh, that's nice.

- Bethann, you look beautiful. - Thank you.

Gorgeous. You feel comfortable?

- And fashionable. - And fashionable.

Love that.

Let's see this.

It's beautiful. You know you're my favorite.

Okay. And go.

Pat. What do you think?

Ladies. Well, what do you think?

Those ladies just dropped a ton of their husbands' money.

What did they want the most?

The fucking necklace.

I want this.

Whatever you want, darling.

It's perfect.

- You don't understand. - It's beautiful, Halston.

It really is beautiful.

But I can't manufacture it.

Look, the stopper, it doesn't go straight in.

Yes, I can see that. I'm not blind, David. That's what I like about it.

It means we can't make this in large numbers.

Look, Halston, they have factories, and they automate repetitive action,

and they have these nozzles that insert into the bottle straight down.

And the liquid squirts straight in... It...

- They can't do it sideways. - Because it doesn't go straight down.

- Yes. - Yes.

The pedantry of this conversation... Look, this bottle says me.

This bottle says Halston.

It doesn't say Halston.

I mean, which is a whole other thing, because your name isn't on the bottle.

Because it's a work of art, David.

I didn't want to mar the art. Look, this is what I want!

Perfume is all about the eroticism of the bottle.

- And the stopper. - And the stopper.

Which usually has a glass wand that comes out of it and is sensual.

It's... Forgive me. It's, uh, you know...

Like a cock.

I was gonna say phallic, but, yeah, okay, it's a cock.

A woman dips the stopper in...

It's an intimate act.

It's penetrative.

She pulls it out. It's dripping with fragrance.

She drags it across her wrist or her neck...

With that bottle, you're stuck with a stubby little stopper,

and it's at an angle.

I don't know what kind of penetration you get with that.

This bottle is what I want.

This bottle is what we're doing.

You say it can't be done, which is absolutely absurd.

What you're really saying is it's too expensive. So, tell me,

how expensive is it?

It's around $50,000 probably.

They've got to manufacture adapters that go on the end of the nozzles.

Right, how about this? I'll pay for it.

Halston, put that away. I will not let the talent pay.

You businesspeople always say the talent can't pay,

and yet we do, constantly,

in ways you can never and will never understand.

Now, is this conversation over,

or do you want to talk some more about how I don't know how to fuck?

So, Halston, how are you feeling?

I feel good.

I mean, the money aside, I feel protected.

I feel I'm allowed to be creative, which is what we talked about.

So, I feel like you kept your promise, and I'm so appreciative.

Good. Because that's my job.

Now, the clothing line,

that's going like gangbusters, obviously.

And it should hold for a while.

But if you want me to keep giving you

that space you need to feel creative and protected,

I need you to give me one thing.

Perfume.

Well, let me think about it over the holidays.

No, Halston, we need this now.

Norton Simon owns the Max Factor brand.

I called them. They really want to do it.

A Halston fragrance could be huge.

You'd become a household name.

Well, if I'm gonna give you perfume, David, there's something that I want.

You name it.

An atelier.

A new one. A fancy one.

I've outgrown my studio.

I've seen a place in Olympic Tower I think I could be creative in.

Felt like I was floating in the clouds.

Well, you knock this one out of the park,

I'll give you anything you want.

- Let's go out. I want to party. - No, Victor, it's a school night.

Ay, come on. Don't give me that shit. Since when has that bothered you?

No, I'm serious.

I'm trying to be a responsible adult here.

We can't just go out all night, any night of the week.

I got two collections to finish tomorrow.

Don't think I don't know what's going on.

What are you talking about, Victor? I just want to stay in tonight.

Alone is what you're saying. You like to stay in alone.

Well, I didn't even say that.

Ay, fuck off, Mr. Big Time famous fucking Halston.

- I see right through you, asshole. - What are you talking about?

I'm just a rent boy. That's all you want from me.

Fuck's sake. All I'm saying, Victor, is I don't want to go out tonight.

Look, that's bullshit, okay?

I fuck you with this big dick, and you love that.

Then you send me out into the night, then go back to your perfect life,

you put nice silken sheets on the bed.

I'm not interested in that shit, okay?

- Oh Christ... - You don't want to be seen with me.

You don't care. I'm just a dick to you. You want nothing more from me.

Fine. Fine.

I'll fucking go out, then.

Thank you.

But

I'm gonna be home by 1:00 a.m., in my own bed.

And, yes, I will sleep alone tonight. Do you understand?

Mm-hmm.

- I will have one drink and no coke. - Hmm.

No coke. Of course.

Mmm...

Gentlemen, I'm gonna be blunt.

I know that Max Factor used to be something

back in the day when the earth was still cooling.

And it will be again.

But it's not now, right?

I mean, I don't want to be a prick, but Max Factor, it's tacky, it's common.

You buy it at Woolworth's.

That's sort of the point, Halston.

And the upside, profit-wise, is just through the roof.

Max Factor, accessible to everybody...

But that's what I'm saying, David.

If everybody can have something, what's the point in having it?

You can't walk into a dime store and buy Halston,

and neither should you be able to.

It would destroy its mystique.

And I'm sorry if it sounds snobby...

It does, for the record, sound snobby.

Halston, aren't you from Indiana?

Was.

Max Factor, everything it represents,

its cheap, cellophane-wrapped chintz, is everything I was running away from.

Fair enough.

But what Max Factor also is, is scale.

The scale on which Max Factor can produce the Halston signature fragrance

simply cannot be matched anywhere in the marketplace.

Mike, you're a lovely man, I'm sure, but you're simply not hearing me.

Let's go for a little walk.

- Bring your coats. Gentlemen, come on. - Let's take a little walk.

Hmm.

Halston... Oh, thank you.

This is my new home, just finished this week.

If I'm to do a fragrance,

it must match or exceed this level of sophistication and taste.

And if it doesn't, I'm not doing it.

End of conversation.

Wow.

It's a marvel.

I see what you're saying now.

Motherfucker.

It's not funny, Victor.

You hate it.

You think it's cold. Uh, I just think it's the future. It's...

- Halston. - You...

I love it, okay?

You have the best taste of anyone I've ever known.

I will move in if you would have me.

Well, I'll have you.

You can use your Oscar as a doorstop in the bathroom.

Oh. Mmm.

This is so fantastic.

Real food again, after months in that Mexican hell.

I was beginning to smell like a shrimp's asshole.

- Liza... - I'm serious.

All they fed us was shrimp.

And half the movie takes place on this boat, right?

And the boat smelled so bad. Ugh.

Gene Hackman refused to go below deck.

Burt and I went down there just to see what the fucking smell was.

Bilge, they call it.

It's like this rotten brown slop.

Honestly, I thought about vomiting just to improve the odor.

Sweetheart, you gotta stop. I'm trying to eat.

Sorry.

Mmm. Who cooked this? Was it you?

21.

What?

Oh, well, honey, you are full-time fancy now.

I am. I just call them up, and I tell them who I am,

and, lo and behold, ten minutes later, a three-course meal arrives.

The chef himself wheels it across the street in a cart.

- The plates, the silverware, everything. - No.

Mmm.

Okay, so if I'm gonna move in...

...what are we gonna do about Ed?

- Oh, objection. Leading the witness. - Mm-hmm.

No, Ed's fine. He's doing the windows now. Ed's Ed.

And what about Victor? Where's he?

I couldn't handle Victor tonight.

It's like welcoming a really intense,

really localized weather pattern into one's home.

No, honestly, tonight I just wanted to relax

and enjoy a... a Michelin-starred meal in my new home with the woman I love.

- Mmm - Hmm.

Halston...

I'm getting married.

To whom?

To Jack. Who do you think?

Oh, of course, sweetheart.

That's wonderful.

Yeah?

So, you're not moving in.

Honey, what is wrong?

Oh, I just got scared.

You're gonna get married, and I'm never gonna see you again.

That's never gonna happen.

Okay? I promise.

Good.

Halston, where'd you go?

No, I'm here.

I'm just thinking about the wedding dress I'm gonna make you.

Really?

Honey, you're the best. Oh!

So, Dorothy's daughter is marrying the Tin Man's son?

It's like a gay wet dream had a wet dream.

Mmm, why don't we put Liza in yellow?

Like she's the fucking yellow brick road.

But I didn't say that.

No way.

- Here, we give her a long train... - Oh... Yeah, a long train.

- And some ruby slippers. Oh please. - No.

Elsa, can you get me some silk?

Yellow silk? The crĂŞpe de chine, I think.

Thank you, my love.

Oh, I'm... I'm loving that.

You don't think it's too on the nose?

With a little dog in a basket?

What about a suit?

I mean, a gown... She already done that.

But a double-breasted jacket in yellow? She could pull it off.

- Elsa, my love. - Elsa, you're a genius.

Elsa, my love, go get us some more vodka.

Excuse me, I'm not your fucking maid.

Victor, get some money out of my jacket, and go out and buy whatever you need.

You think I don't have my own money?

I'm not saying you don't.

We're working. You're being an asshole.

- Look. Here, I think with a tuxedo lapel... - Hmm.

- Hmm. - Hmm?

Hello, everyone. My name is Halston.

I am very full of myself.

I am always working.

I am very important,

and I like to make fun of Victor and call him an asshole...

...when clearly...

...I'm the fucking asshole!

Victor...

Victor!

Victor...

Fuck you.

- What is the matter with you? - Nothing.

Victor...

I wanna go to the wedding with you.

We're all going to the wedding. Elsa, Joe, you, all the girls...

Listen to me, Halston.

I want to go to the wedding with you.

- On your arm. - Victor, you're blacked out.

You know what else? From now on,

when I fuck you, it's on me.

I'm not gonna charge you anymore.

Oh, but that's what's fun about it, Victor.

I love that you're rough trade. It's what gets me hard.

Well, guess what.

I'm not just some fucking prostitute, okay?

I'm more than that. I'm an artist. I'm an amazing artist, baby.

And I should be more than that to you.

So, from now on, I'm your man.

- Do you understand that? - Yeah.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

Okay.

So, how about you let your man

take you home and fuck the shit out of you?

Hey, Elsa, my love, it's Halston.

I am going home now to let Victor, my man, fuck me.

Fuck...

- May I take your coat? - Yes. Thank you.

So, I suppose you must be my nose.

You'll have to explain to me your fascination with orchids.

They hardly require an explanation. They're beautiful.

And they have no smell.

Very telling.

- Halston. - Adèle.

And who do you work for, Adèle?

A company called International Flavor and Fragrances.

- But Max Factor has just asked me... - You work for me.

If we're to design a fragrance together, then you work for Halston, not Max Factor.

Before we begin, I'm gonna ask you to put out your cigarette.

Oh, you can ask, darling, but that's not gonna happen.

All fragrances are a mixture of three notes.

The base, the heart, and the top.

The top, uh, I like to think of it as the present.

It's ephemeral. It's here, and then it's gone.

The heart.

Uh, the heart is the core of the fragrance.

It's the soul of the perfume.

It's what holds it all together.

But I like to start with the bottom note. The base note.

The base note is the most important.

It is about the past.

So, as we develop our language together,

I'm going to be asking you to recall things from your life.

Smells, yes, but also, uh, feelings, memories.

Well, that smells like cow manure.

That's interesting.

Uh, that is an oud.

It's a heavy, musky scent.

It's, uh, ancient.

It's from the agar tree. It's not cow manure,

but it's interesting that's what it conjured for you.

There are no wrong answers, Halston. It's just a process.

Well, that's all the process I can give you for one day.

Can't have Halston ladies walking around smelling like cows, now, can we?

Let's put another meeting on the books. Mohammed?

When we do meet again, I'd like for you to have thought about a few things.

Oh, I get homework?

Nothing difficult.

Just three words from your past.

Yes, all right.

Tell me I'm doing the right thing.

Repeat after me. I am gonna marry the man of my year...

- Halston... - Say it.

I am gonna marry the man of my year.

And I am gonna celebrate it.

And I am gonna celebrate it.

Mwah.

And you are so mean!

- Come on. - Come on.

I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Whoo!

- Brava! - Liza!

Whoo!

Oh, you're beautiful! You're gorgeous.

Ah, don't worry.

I could take care of you.

I'll be your new Liza.

No, no, no, no. Don't count on it, darling. That's my job.

What's your next word?

Grass.

Hmm.

Cut grass?

Like a freshly mowed lawn?

No.

No, spring grass,

peeking up through the mud after the first thaw.

Daffodils.

And what does the smell of daffodil make you feel?

Innocence.

Comfort.

Oh, I like that.

- It's very lovely. - Mmm.

Citrusy. Very light.

But it needs a bottom note.

What is that?

Leather.

What would you add to it?

Soap.

- Hmm. - Or...

a shaving cream.

You did a good job.

What do those smells make you feel?

Closeness.

What the hell are these?

Acceptance.

Hallie Mae, you can't mother him, or he's gonna end up like a sissy boy.

You want him to end up a sissy boy?

Stop!

I know this is difficult,

but we are doing good work here.

Come back later in the week.

Halston.

Next time, you will bring some scents to me.

Yes?

Lucy, I'm home!

What's going on?

I'm cooking for you. Huh?

Arepas venezolanas.

I'm not tricking you. Come.

Come.

I wish you weren't afraid of me, darling.

Hmm?

Everybody around you, you want loyalty.

Huh? But you want them to do exactly what you say.

And I'm not like that.

I say no to you because I'm...

I'm not loyal like I'm blind.

I am loyal.

But I am myself.

Do you understand?

Like this.

Huh? Like this?

No, no, no, no. In my eyes.

Feel it.

One team.

You and me.

Why do you do that? Why do you push me away like that?

I'm not pushing you away. I'm exhausted. I had a very... a very difficult day.

This is your problem. You think you're the only one who's exhausted.

You know what's exhausting? Being this. Being an artist and nobody knows.

We could be a team, Halston. You and me.

But, no, you treat me like I'm your dirty piece of ass.

I can't do it. I can't deal with you. Get out.

So, I make dinner for you, and you kick me out. Huh?

Call Ed over. Have a nice fucking dinner with him.

Jesus Christ! I don't give a fuck about Ed!

I love you, Halston. Tell me you love me.

- Just get the fuck out of the house. - Fuck you, Halston. I love you.

Tell me...

Tell me you love me.

I can't.

Okay. Okay.

Victor.

Don't leave me.

Victor, don't leave me. Please.

Please.

Please! Please! Please!

Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have pushed you like that.

I'm sorry. I'm right here. I'm here.

I'm right here.

The Halston Woman.

Confident. Beautiful.

Twenty-eight to 45,

average household income $38,000, enjoys the finer things.

Loves a night out but adores a night at home.

On her nightstand, Chanel No. 5.

And Charlie, the fragrance to beat.

How will we do it?

No.

All right. Uh, no to what? The bottle?

Okay, sure.

We have lots of options. Hold on.

No.

Okay.

No.

Halston, you didn't even look at that one.

You gotta play ball here, Halston.

No. No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

Halston, can I have a word?

No.

The necklace, yes, what about it?

- Can you make it in glass? - Sure.

But, Halston, darling,

I give you your bottle, and what?

What do I get?

Well, I spoke with Walter Hoving today at Tiffany,

and he's interested in hiring you as his in-house designer.

That's it?

Didn't you hear what I said?

Okay, I give you your perfume bottle, and you give me an interview someplace?

What the fuck is wrong with you?

But I also bought you

a very expensive fur coat.

It's arctic fox. Wait till you see it.

It's beautiful.

Wow! Incredible, Halston.

A coat? Why, you're a saint.

All right, stop.

Okay, I'm giving you my apartment.

I'll pay the rent.

You can stay here for free.

Tell me the truth.

This is you being kind,

or you keeping me close so you can control me?

I'm keeping you close so I can control you.

Va bene.

Fine.

We have a deal.

Good.

It's very common,

what happened last time.

Smell is a sense that, in humans, is most tied to memory.

Intimacy, both previous and current.

So you had some strong feelings,

which means you are doing the work.

And for that, I thank you.

Well, I should thank you, really. I don't need to see my analyst anymore.

I can just come here and smell one of your little blotters,

and I can break down any time I like.

Good for me, really.

I think I have some... emotional blocks that need to be worked on.

- You had some homework. - Yes.

You were wrong when you said the orchid has no fragrance.

This one's called Lady of the Night.

That's reminiscent of, uh, freesia, or lily of the valley.

And it's rare.

Rarified is good.

Mmm.

Also,

we have tobacco.

I've smelled this in a lot of men's colognes,

but never in a woman's fragrance.

It's sweet.

They process the tobacco with sugar.

I find it so comforting.

It's...

...like a loaf of bread baking in an oven.

Oh, that's fascinating. I love that, Halston. I love that.

- And I have one more. - That's lovely.

Is it a jockstrap?

Yes.

It's not mine.

It belongs to my lover, Victor.

Now, perhaps you don't want to smell this one.

Give it to me.

Halston...

you are a born parfumier.

Halston Perfume.

Sensuous.

Extravagant.

Captivating.

Pure Halston perfume.

Now available to you at finer department stores.

We're sold out.

We sold out before noon.

A lot of people are buying it just for the bottle.

Well, thank you.

- What do you think about you and me? - What do you mean?

I think you know what I mean.

No, honestly, I don't.

Oh, darling.

I love you, Halston.

I love you too.

It's... It's just not how I am.

You know that.

I know. I know.

I just had to give it a try.

You're the only man who ever understood me.

Who ever even tried.

I'm Halston.

I'm excited to tell you about my new line

of luxurious Ultrasuede luggage by Hartmann.

At last, Halston's got himself a new set of luggage.

Hello, I'm Halston.

If there's one thing I love putting my feet on

at the end of a day, it's a Karastan carpet.

Look at the quality.

Halston carpets for today and tomorrow.

Hello, I'm Halston.

And I'm pleased to announce a new line of high fashion.

Now, when you fly with Braniff Airlines,

everything from the seats to the uniforms to the slippers on your feet

will be designed by yours truly.

Hello, I'm Halston. The future is bright and very now.

So your new Halston sunglasses will always meet the moment.

See the modern world clearly.

Halston for your today.

Halston for your every day.

Halston for your world.

I guess a mea culpa is in order.

Here is the $50,000 you gave us, with interest.

Thank you.

David, Michael, thank you. It's very big of you.

Halston, there's not much to say.

Halston fragrance is the biggest worldwide success

in the history of worldwide success.

It exceeded all expectations. Thank you.

Thank you.

I'll walk you out.

By the way, I do intend to create a fragrance for men.

I'm seeing the final prototype for the bottle at the end of the month.

But I must warn you,

it's rather a challenging bottle.

It's a large male penis.

Kidding.

Jesus Christ.

I mean, honestly, if Halston made it, it would probably sell.

And, David, you did say if my fragrance was a success,

I could have anything I wanted.

Halston, hand to God, anything you want.

Good.

- Good morning. - Morning.

Sorry, we need an answer today on the sock line.

Men's or women's?

Either.

Both.

- Good morning, everybody. - Good morning, Halston.

Ah, Victor.

Away with you.

We're going out tonight. Go home, take a disco nap.

I just got here. What's a disco nap?

I've been telling you about it all week. It's opening night, baby. Studio 54.

Andy's gonna be there, Bianca, Liza.

Papi, Victor Hugo's gonna be there.

Well, I can't. I've got too much on my plate.

Boring. Ay, why don't you come sit in your rocking chair, Grandma?

I'm gonna get your blanket and your kitty cat.

Oh, stop.

Maybe I'll see you there.

It's like you're trying to make me happy.

Hmm. Maybe us happy?

I like that.

- Halston? - Sorry, Ed.

- Don't. - Ed, I don't have time.

- You're going to make the time. - You can't just barge in here.

Yeah, that's what everyone tells me. Your secretary, everyone.

- I'm not ever allowed to see you. - That's not true.

Bullshit, Halston!

Every passing day, every new product you put out,

it just gets harder and harder to get to you.

Barrier after barrier.

Well, that's what it means to be a success, Ed.

I'm not even a person anymore. I'm a brand.

And that brand needs me to find time to be creative, to think.

Halston's in building mode.

What more is there to build?

Socks.

Evidently.

We need to talk about Victor.

I do your window displays, Halston. That's my job.

Now Victor seems to think it's his.

It's a crime scene.

Victor turned my display into a violent crime scene.

What exactly are you asking me, Ed?

I'm asking you to choose.

Victor

or me.

I choose Victor.

- Halston? - Yes.

Sorry, they're here with the bottle for the men's fragrance.

Send them in. Thank you, Sassy.

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Ooh, something's coming over me ♪

♪ Ooh, I think it's got a hold on me ♪

♪ You got me, you got me ♪

♪ Ooh, just the man I hoped you'd be ♪

♪ Ooh, just the man to set me free ♪

♪ You got me ♪

♪ You got me ♪

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Spring affair And we've got something new ♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Spring affair And we've got something new ♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ Me and you, oh, baby... ♪

Halston! Halston!

♪ Ooh, guess I'm falling much too fast ♪

♪ Ooh, I hope this love is gonna last ♪

♪ I've fallen ♪

♪ Ooh, the feeling's getting Really strong ♪

♪ Ooh, you give me strength to carry on ♪

♪ I've fallen ♪

♪ I've fallen ♪

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Spring affair, and I'm hung up on you ♪

♪ It's a spring affair ♪

♪ It's a spring affair ♪

♪ Ooh, you're the sunshine in my life ♪

♪ Ooh, how you come on shining bright ♪

- ♪ You got me ♪ - ♪ You got me ♪

♪ Ooh, feeling's gonna grow and grow ♪

♪ Ooh, let your loving river flow ♪

- ♪ You got me ♪ - ♪ You got me ♪

♪ You got all of me ♪

♪ You got me ♪

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Spring affair And we've got something new ♪

♪ Oh yeah ♪

♪ With you ♪

♪ Oh, baby ♪

♪ Ooh, guess I'm falling much too fast ♪

♪ Ooh, I hope this love is gonna last ♪

♪ I've fallen ♪

♪ Ooh, the feeling's getting Really strong ♪

♪ Ooh, you give me strength to carry on ♪

♪ I've fallen ♪

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Spring affair, and I'm hung up on you ♪

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Spring affair ♪

♪ Whoa, spring affair ♪

♪ And we've got something new ♪