“Her hair is Harlow gold/Her lips sweet surprise.” The choice of “Bette Davis Eyes” for the opening sequence of “Valentino: The Last Emperor” was like the rest of Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary: innately emotive, but never gratuitously.

Whether documenting Valentino’s pre-show meltdown or a tête-à-tête with Karl Lagerfeld (during which Lagerfeld confirms that he considers contemporary designs “rags”), the film succeeds where many fashion documentaries have failed; it provides a genuinely intimate view of Valentino the man, not just the designer.

Taking the audience on a tour of Valentino’s world—from Paris, where he captures the couple’s quarrels and reconciliations, to Rome, the location of Valentino and partner Giancarlo Giammetti’s first meeting —Tyrnauer documents the end of a fashion era with the depth of a well-trained journalist who has a rare knack for aesthetic impact.

“It’s not the film they would have made themselves,” said the director of Valentino and Giammetti during the Film Forum’s Q&A with Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley. He also revealed that Valentino’s face drained from its renowned orange to white after the first viewing. “People have to see that you’re human or everyone’s going to hate you,” explained Tyrnauer to the designer. But no one hated him. In fact, after the film’s Italian premier, he received a standing ovation, which Tyrnauer recalled, “he received like Mussolini and then burst into tears.”

As evidenced by the diverse audience’s unanimous approval of the film and its current ranking as the number one documentary of 2009, “The Last Emperor” transcends the categorization of a fashion documentary. It is, as the charmingly humble director noted, “a movie about fashion and about a lot of other things.”

…including the impetus behind Valentino’s inimitable smirk.