Pierre Berge On Yves Saint Laurent: 'He Was A Manic-Depressive, Absolutely' (VIDEO)

Pierre Berge On Yves Saint Laurent: 'He Was A Manic-Depressive, Absolutely' (VIDEO)

Yves Saint Laurent's business partner and lover Pierre Bergé sat down with the New York Times to discuss the recently-debuted movie "L'amour fou," which chronicles not only their relationship, but the massive auction of the designer's affairs in 2009.

Part of the synopsis from the Tribeca Film Festival's website:

The art collection is impressive, but it represents more than just two collectors--they're the puzzle pieces that form a picture of a unique, half-century partnership. Carefully crafting a loving and well-deserved tribute, director Pierre Thoretton stunningly blends Bergé's interviews, rare archival footage, and incredible access to their homes to make what amounts to more than a biography. He captures a love story--a so-called crazy love--of art, fashion, and the two men who loved both and one another.

It wasn't an easy relationship, as you might have heard. Bergé told the Times, "He was a manic-depressive, absolutely. He was manic-depressive, exactly what the word means, manic and depressive. This means periods when he did every sort of thing crazy with happiness, and then the next day, it was blackness. It was depression that drove him towards alcoholism, and afterwards a little towards drugs. Voilà."

He added:

"Even with a wonderful collection, he was a very, very unhappy, unhappy guy. More than that. More than unhappy. Really. I just tried to help him from time to time. I never complained. Never. It's an illness, nothing else. It is just an illness."

WATCH the trailer for "L'amour fou":

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