Early in this century, the documentary director Olivier Meyrou , at the invitation of Pierre Bergé , spent two and a half years filming the couturier Yves Saint Laurent and his employees and associates. Bergé, of course, was one of them: Saint Laurent’s longtime business manager, hard-nosed where Saint Laurent was dreamy, is a central figure in “Celebration,” which chronicles the creation of what would be Saint Laurent’s final collection.

After a version of the film screened at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival , Bergé took action to block its release. His move could be understood as protective. Saint Laurent, never the most robust of individuals, looks alarmingly frail in most of the footage.