"...the main purpose of criticism...is not to make its readers agree, nice as that is, but to make them, by whatever orthodox or unorthodox method, think." - John Simon

"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity." - George Orwell

Friday, August 21, 2009

DVD of the Week: The Last Days of Disco: Criterion Collection

With The Last Days of Disco (1998), Whit Stillman completed his loose-knit trilogy of films about doomed Preppies in love. Much like vintage Woody Allen, the characters in Stillman’s films exist in a hermetically-sealed world on the Upper East Side of New York City. His characters are affluent and well-educated but with messy relationships. Last Days of Disco sets all of this against the backdrop of the decline of the disco era and the end of blatant hedonism and decadence for the “Greed is Good” capitalism of the 1980s. It is a testament to Stillman’s skill as a filmmaker that he does this all with a fantastic sense of humor and a real affection for his characters, even the ones that aren’t all that likable.

Alice (Chloe Sevigny) and Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale) are junior editors looking for their big break at a publishing house during the day and making the scene and being seen at a high-profile Studio 54-esque nightclub at night. Alice remains loyal to her publishing job, patiently biding her time until she can advance up the ladder while Charlotte is more interested in working in television. The film follows their various romantic entanglements and how they are intertwined with the fate of the nightclub they love to frequent.

Charlotte is superficial and condescending towards Alice, criticizing her dating habits under the auspices of giving her advice. She’s self-centered and Kate Beckinsale does a good job (almost too good) of portraying her shallow character. In contrast, Alice is much more reserved and nice, even if she is socially awkward, like the way she clumsily tries to seduce Tom (“Scrooge McDuck is sexy.”). Fresh from her breakout role in Kids (1995), Chloe Sevigny creates a layered character that we are meant to empathize with because she has more substance than Charlotte. Stillman regular Chris Eigeman turns up in a memorable supporting role as Des, the superficial manager of the nightclub, who is not above telling a woman that he’s gay in order to break-up with her. In other words, he’s a perfect match for Charlotte.

Part of the charm of The Last Days of Disco is the rarefied social strata that Stillman presents and populates with fascinating characters that have easily recognizable and relatable traits and experiences. The film is also a lament for the demise of disco, most notably in the form of Josh (Keeslar), and one gets the feeling that he is Stillman’s mouthpiece in regards to his feelings about disco. He confides in his friend Tom (Robert Sean Leonard) that he’s a “loyal adherent to the disco movement” despite frequenting very few nightclubs, but nonetheless feels very passionate about the music – shades of Tom from Stillman’s first film, Metropolitan (1990), who doesn’t read fiction but instead prefers good, literary criticism.

Josh also verbalizes his feelings about the fate of disco rather eloquently at the film’s conclusion. The speech is a bit long-winded but delivered convincingly by Matt Keeslar which ends the film on a somewhat melancholic note, tempered by the jubilant end credits sequence which features a subway car full of people dancing to “Love Train” by the O’Jays. In retrospect, we know that the end of disco ushered in New Wave and hair metal music which dominated popular music until the late ‘80s with the rise of alternative music. I was never a fan of disco music but the way Stillman uses it in The Last Days of Disco, and his obvious love for it, makes me appreciate it a bit more. I don’t know if I’d listen to this music outside of the film but within its confines, the music works incredibly well. Thanks to Stillman’s film, I have come to respect this much-maligned genre.

Special Features:

For quite some time there had been rumors that the folks at the Criterion Collection were planning a special edition of this film. Stillman had even talked it up in interviews. The previous DVD came and went rather quickly before going out-of-print, fetching steep prices on eBay, so for fans of this film it nice to have Last Days of Disco finally readily available.

There is an audio commentary by director Whit Stillman and actors Chloe Sevigny and Chris Eigeman. Stillman wastes no time diving into the origins of his film and how Winona Ryder was almost cast as Alice but her agent was slow in responding and Sevigny got the role. The actress has a charming, self-deprecating wit and points out her awkward dancing style. Eigeman says that he almost didn’t do the film because the studio felt that he wasn’t famous enough. He was also worried that he’d be typecast; playing a character similar to the ones he did in Stillman’s two previous films. The director speaks eloquently about his interest in disco on this chatty, engaging track.

Also included are four deleted scenes with optional commentary by Stillman, Sevigny and Eigeman. There is a subplot with Jimmy (Astin) that fleshes out his feelings for Alice and Charlotte. There is also more footage of Des outside of the club. It develops his character more and is nice to see, particularly if you’re a fan of Eigeman. Stillman puts the footage in context and explains why it was cut.

Stillman reads from his 2000 book, The Last Days of Disco, with Cocktails at Petrossian Afterwards, which is a novelization of the film from the point-of-view of Jimmy Steinway and also picks up after the events in the film.

A nice inclusion is a vintage featurette from the time of the film’s release. This promotional material features behind-the-scenes footage and soundbites from Stillman and his cast.

“Stills Gallery” features a collection of photographs from the film with captions written by Stillman that consist of personal recollections of making the film.

Finally, there is an original theatrical trailer.

8 comments:

  1. Good pictures and narration, Excellent blog, nice post. I love this and so proud to vote for this beautiful blog. I VOTED FOR YOU, I recommend your blog to other friends also. They too Voting for this blog. I hope you will grace me with your precious Vote. Just copy this link to your browser
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  2. This sounds like a nice movie, Chloe and Kate both look so young and nice. Alas, I have never heard of this movie ever. Oh well. It seems interesting, in a good way.

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  3. Great post. I love this film. I've only seen it once. It's been since it first came out. I'll have to watch it again soon if I can. Hope you've been enjoying your weekend. Cheers!

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  4. Reeta:

    Thanks for the vote and the kind words. I voted for your blogs as well.


    Encore Entertainment:

    If you have the chance, you should really check out this film. It's a lot of fun.


    Keith:

    Hey Keith! Thanks for stopping by. I saw when it first came out in theaters and have been a big fan of it (and Stillman's other films) ever since.

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  5. Was at a great sold-out screening of the film at the Walter Reade in NY last week, followed by an after party with period-appropriate tunes spun by djs who specialize in the genre.

    Whit Stillman was there along with Chris Eigeman, co-star Tara Subkoff, and the film's composer. Film and filmmakers were very warmly received. People really want to see more from Stillman...I hope he's able to get financing for his next project.

    Look forward to picking up the DVD along with METROPOLITAN. Stillman hopes that Criterion is able to put together a deal with Warner Bros. so that BARCELONA can also be released via the Collection.

    Oh, and I am a big fan of disco and the scene that went along with it in NY. It's clear that Stillman is something of a connoisseur because the music that is included, while by no means obscure, are not the usual chestnuts heard these days on oldies stations (read: BeeGees, Gloria Gaynor, etc). Chic's music was great then and still sounds great today, no doubt due, in part, to the enormous influence it's had on the hip-hop, New Wave, dance music, and rock that's followed. There's a lot of other great music from this era that lives on in groups and artists not immediately associated with disco. But, I digress as I'm going off-topic.

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  6. Ned Merrill:

    That's so cool that you were able to go to that screening and see Stillman and co. I'm quite jealous! I really love this film and as I briefly mentioned in my review it has gotten me to appreciate disco a little more. Stillman's genuine love of the music certainly comes through loud and clear. The Criterion edition of METROPOLITAN is quite good and I sure hope they get the rights to BARCELONA, the Stillman film I've seen the least.

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  7. Yes, I did see that bit in your review. Very cool. Stillman says that the project he's really trying to get off the ground is set in early '60s Jamaica and dealing with the rock-steady movement. Apparently, LAST DAYS OF DISCO composer Mark Suozzo introduced Stillman to the music on the LAST DAYS set. Sounds very intriguing to say the least.

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  8. Yeah, I've read a few recent interviews where Stillman has mentioned this next project and I believe he talks it up on in the DISCO DVD commentary as well. Could be interesting but I don't think he'll get studio funding. Prolly have to go the indie route.

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