The Last Days of Disco

Amazon.com

Completing the loosely connected trilogy that also includes Metropolitan and Barcelona, writer-director Whit Stillman brings his signature style to this casually structured but acerbically witty ode to... well, to the last days of disco. Set in New York during 1980-81, the film follows its half-dozen central characters onto the strobe-lit dance floor of The Club--the anonymous name Stillman gave to the central setting, knowing at the time that his film would be released in close proximity to 54, the bigger-budget movie about the legendary and infamous nightclub Studio 54. In fact, Stillman's film captures the same period with greater accuracy, and draws us into the waning disco craze with more incisive wit and deft handling of a first-rate cast.

The film's casual plot revolves around six recent college graduates, and Stillman charts their clashes and intimacies with a keen sense of human foibles and frailties, pausing throughout for such characteristic touches as a hilarious conversation about the sexual politics of Disney's Lady and the Tramp or the homoerotic subtext in an episode of Wild Kingdom. Sharp dialogue is in rich abundance here, and through it all Stillman captures the fading glory of disco as his characters make the transition toward adult responsibilities. It's here that we see how this film is subtly intertwined with Stillman's earlier work, and where we gain a fuller and more satisfying appreciation of a filmmaker who has carved a singular niche for himself in the world of independent movies. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant...cries out for a new DVD release!.......2007-09-11

I love this movie...it is my era and my peer-time in history. I first saw it in a theater in the 15 minutes it was in release. I broke my own "never buy a VHS tape again!" rule to get a second hand copy. The DVD is hard to find and very expensive. Other than the fact that the VHS copy is full screen, I'm happy to at least own a copy.

I think all the performances are stunning, the dialogue whip smart and the direction lovely. Sevigny made me love her in this film. I also think Kate Beckinsale does a ton of heavy lifting with some mighty rapid chatter. It isn't a sympathetic part yet she makes it warm.

I'd buy a new DVD in a heartbeat. In my dreams, The Criterion Collection puts out a triptych of the Stillman films. Do see this film if you can. It is an intelligent and marvelous piece of work.

I lived through disco; it wasn't like this.......2007-04-25

This film is apparently the finale of a trilogy by the director, meaning he put together three of the talkiest 20-something flicks in history! I'm pretty sure no one in real life talks the way people do in this flick -- going on for paragraphs while walking down the sidewalk in groupls extolling of the virtue of the answer to the question, "Why is there air?"

Having been born in 1950 and lived through the disco era as an age-appropriate partner to the people in this film, I can tell you the disco era was far from what is portrayed herein. I saw this flick twice and am at a loss trying to understand its point. Is it that discos were -- in the eye of this director -- full of pretentious intellectuals? One of these used the phrase YUPPIE to describe himself. Get a clue brother -- yuppies weren't invented until the 1980s.

Perhaps I am being a tad difficult with the incongruously fatuous history going on in this movie, but it struck me as the daydream of someone that came to adulthood in the 1990s and appears to be their fantasy of what life was like in the 1970s. Even the venereal disease that's spread in this flick wasn't commonplace in 1979!

Maybe it's better to watch the other members of the trilogy talkfest before taking on this one. Maybe 1990s characters actually carry on their lengthy collective babble in their own time in "Metropolitan".

Moves slowly at first... ok ...but not quite as good as the sexy cover shot!.......2007-04-08

The best part about the movie is the cover. Kate Beckinsale looks grrrreat! Chloe can act as well. I first reviewed this film and trashed it after watching the first 1/2-3/4 but then went back and finished it and surprisingly enjoyed the rest of it. Ok but worth $150 because it's out of print? No way.

ZERO STARS - AWFUL.......2007-03-18

This was just painful to watch. Completely inauthentic. I hate when they do period pieces and then they can't get it right. Forced "disco songs" wardrobe was terrible. Characters were not compelling and boring. If you want disco, get the American classic, Saturday Night Fever. It had nothing to do with Disco, so the title was not appropriate. Putting the average top 20 overplayed disco songs in a movie doesn't make it disco. This movie did NOT capture the disco era at all. Don't waste your time.

disco will never die.......2007-01-30

Kate Beckinsale shines as a know it all, smart and sometimes evil roomate from hell. Chloe Sevigny also shines as the mousy, sensitive but very smart friend/roomate/co-worker. This dvd has a great soundtrack and I can't wait for it to be re-issued so that the dvd can come out with tons of special features, like the making of etc. Besides the smart dialogue, and disco tunes on the background, the characters in this movie come alive and makes one feel as we were actually there during this unforgetable disco era.

The Last Days of Disco [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - France ]

Average customer rating:

The Last Days of Disco [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - France ]
Director: Whit Stillman
Manufacturer: Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Children of Men (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000PSZ0FM

Product Description

France released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), French (Dolby Digital 2.0), French (Subtitles), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SYNOPSIS: As another installment of Whit Stillman's trilogy, The Last Days of Disco fits chronologically between Metropolitan (1990) and Barcelona (1994), with several cameos overlapping and linking the films. During 'the very early 1980s,' friends gather at a popular Manhattan disco club reminiscent of Studio 54, where getting past the velvet ropes and inside was the first step. Edgy ad-exec Jimmy (Mackenzie Astin) can sometimes get his clients in with the help of the club's womanizing assistant manager, his pal Des (Chris Eigeman), who lets them enter via the rear door. Beautiful brunette Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale) and her former college classmate Alice (Chloe Sevigny) move about the club during the 24-minute opening club sequence. Attorney Tom (Robert Sean Leonard) takes an interest in calm, reserved Alice. Both Alice and the opinionated, assertive Charlotte hold day jobs as entry-level editorial associates at a small book publisher. With Holly (Tara Subkoff) as a third roommate, the trio rents a railroad flat in the Manhattan's Yorkville neighborhood. Charlotte throws dinner parties in an effort to solidify a social circle as an alternative to 'the ferocious pairing off' around her. SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu,

Charlie Rose with Marcel Marceau; Whit Stillman; Edward Wessex; Peter Westbrook (September 27, 2000)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Marcel Marceau; Whit Stillman; Edward Wessex; Peter Westbrook (September 27, 2000)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

Description

Filmed in Paris, French mime Marcel Marceau discusses his unusual career and why he chose it. Then, also in Paris, screenwriter and director Whit Stillman, known for such films as Metropolitan and Barcelona, talks about living in Paris and about his new novel, The Last Days of Disco with Cocktails at Petrossian Afterwards, which takes the point of view of one of the characters in his last film. Later, back in New York, Charlie interviews television producer Prince Edward of England, about his latest project, Crown and Country, a PBS series that explores famous British sites and recants tales of the monarchy throughout history and for which he serves as writer and host. Finally, retired Olympian fencer Peter Westbrook talks about his life and his sport as three of his inner-city students compete in the Sydney Olympics, mirroring his own journey out of poverty.

Charlie Rose with Peter Gomes; Whit Stillman; Cornel West & Sylvia Ann Hewlett; Burl Cain (June 8, 1998)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Peter Gomes; Whit Stillman; Cornel West & Sylvia Ann Hewlett; Burl Cain (June 8, 1998)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

First, Peter Gomes, the eighth official preacher of Harvard University, discusses his new book Sermons, in which he compiles his favorite sermons and discusses the art of creating a perfect sermon. Then, Whit Stillman discusses his new acclaimed movie The Last Days of Disco and the pros and cons of independent film-making. Then, Cornel West of Harvard and author of The War Against Parents and economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett, president of the National Parenting Association, discuss the plight of parents in modern society. Finally, Burl Cain, the warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, the largest prison in the United States and the subject of the documentary, The Farm, discusses the sorrows he has witnessed over the years and his ideal of prison reform.

DVD:

DVD

DVD