Lucien Pages: “This film shaped my world and elevated my taste”

The powerhouse fashion publicist on Almodóvar’s queer masterpiece High Heels, Chanel in full colour, and the pistol heel that changed everything.

Jun 20, 2025

Lucien Pages is the founder of his namesake communications agency, one of the world’s leading fashion PR companies, with outposts in New York, Paris and London. The agency has over 100 fashion, beauty and lifestyle clients – from Schiaparelli to Sacai – and recently became part of The Independents, a leading global brand and strategy group. His strategic insight, creative instinct and admiration for design keep him true to his values of excellence, kindness and cultural curiosity.

A mother-daughter melodrama in the tradition of Hollywood’s finest examples of the genre. Rebeca (Victoria Abril) and her mother Becky (Marisa Paredes) reunite after 15 years apart; old wounds are reopened and their relationships – to one another and a shared lover – reveal deep-hidden truths about the complex lives.

“Piensa en mí is the emotional song; like Rebeca in the movie, I cry every time I hear it.” Lucien Pages

WHY I LOVE IT

“It was a revelation to me when I was a teenager, aesthetically and emotionally. I love the totally crazy story and the interactions between the different characters: the love and the hate; the drama and the comedy – the sense of lives being lived. Then there’s the sophistication of the set, costumes and music. It’s kitsch but chic, and I think it’s Almodóvar’s masterpiece. His cinematic world, with all its fantasy and constant surprises, evolved with this movie, which turned him into one of the great dramatic directors, up there with Gerge Cukor and Joseph L Mankiewicz.”

FIRST TIME I SAW IT

“I saw it three times in the first two weeks it was out, in 1992. I was living In Nîmes in the south of France and there was an independent cinéclub called le Sémaphore. I went there three or four times a week, watching the best movies of that time. Their selection was so good. Then I watched it on VHS many times and later bought the DVD. This movie nailed my love for fashion, cinema and music. It’s intelligent, sensual and it elevated my taste.”

LAST TIME I WATCHED IT

“It was during the confinement of Covid, when I decided to rewatch my pantheon of movies, the ones that built my taste. Stuck in my apartment in Paris, I rewatched this and also Working Girl (dir. Mike Nichols, 1988), The Silence of the Lambs (dir. Jonathan Demme, 1991), Fatal Attraction (dir. Adrian Lyne, 1987) and others. But talking about it now makes me want to watch it again.

HOW DEEP MY LOVE GOES

“I used to have a big poster on my wall, when I lived in Nîmes and also in Paris. I absolutely love the image - a high heel with a pistol as the heel. I also have The Pedro Almodòvar Archives, published by Taschen.”

Lucien’s book, *The Pedro Almodòvar Archives,* in his Paris apartment

MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER

“I love the three main characters equally, but it’s an amazing role for Victoria Abril (below, left), who plays Rebeca, the daughter.”

THE BEST OUTFIT

“Rebeca is head to toe in Chanel the whole movie – the best period of Chanel as well, colourful and joyful, huge bag and jewelry. [Karl Lagerfeld is credited with Rebeca’s costumes]. The costume choices add a lot to the character. The mother [Becky, played by Marisa Paredes] is in Armani, and the duality between them is underlined by the choice of looks.”

THE BEST BIT

“The end, when they are in an apartment, the mum is dying and we learn why the movie is called tacones lejanos (High Heels).”

MY FAVOURITE LINE

“‘You don't kill a daughter's husband two days before your theatrical debut!’”

PINPOINT NEEDLE DROP

“There are two songs on the soundtrack, Piensa en mí [Think Of Me] and Un año de amor [A Year of Love], both performed by [Spanish pop-rock singer] Luz Casual that, to me, are sublime. Becky, the mother, sings them on stage [dubbed by Luz Casual]; her character is a grand, popular singer. Piensa en mí is the emotional one; like Rebeca in the movie, I cry every time I hear it. It’s about yearning and love… and is intense as only the Spanish can be. Un año de amor is more about sensuality and glamour. These songs are a part of the story, they belong to the characters.”

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