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Last Days of Disco, the | 
| Director: Whit Stillman
Actors: Chloë Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Eigeman, Mackenzie Astin, Matt Keeslar
Studio: Obsolete
Category: Video
List Price: CDN$ 126.95
Buy Used: CDN$ 39.95
You Save: CDN$ 87.00 (69%)
Used (3) from CDN$ 39.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  65 reviews
Sales Rank: 1243
Format: Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: VHS Tape
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 6305128960
UPC: 044005826739
EAN: 9786305128960
ASIN: 6305128960
Theatrical Release Date: May 29, 1998
Release Date: October 6, 1998
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Condition: Used Good!
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| Editorial Reviews:
From 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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 60 more reviews...
 Burn Yuppie Burn December 14, 2003
Stillman's obvious artistic kinsmen are Woody Allen and Eric Rohmer. Yet, Stillman doesn't wallow in self-pity like the former and doesn't constrict his stories within 'moral' discourse of the latter. Stillman, at his best, manages the right balance between lively chatter and somber reflection. His writing, rather like Allen's, sometimes has the annoying characteristic of rehearsed monologues interrupted by token protestation by others merely for the sake of furthering the monologue. Sometimes, no matter how clever or engaging, the exchanges are about trivial matters though contextualized within the general theme. Stillman also isn't quite a director of actors; the performances are adequate, even charming, but never tour-de-force. This restraint may seem somewhat odd in a movie about wild and crazy disco, but it isn't really about disco. Disco is simply used as a backdrop, as a phase in musical culture as well as in life, which defines these lives. This movie could just as well have been set in the hippie 60s or charleston 20s. Stillman is, foremost, concerned with certain timeless lessons revolving around friendship and love. There's something about chivalry and honor in all of his movies, values that are old-fashioned but refreshing in today's movie values of cynicism and violence. Also, interesting is Stillman's nostalgia for disco which is paradoxically colored by his conservative instincts. We usually associate disco--as with most other forms of pop cultural movements--with novelty, faddishness, and disposability, yet Stillman conjures up a vision of a city on a hill, of camelot, with its knights, princesses, and jesters. Stillman understands new become old. What was revolutionary becomes conservative; in a way, it's a statement about youth; how youth is identified with new ideas and values yet as we grow older it becomes a time and place to cherish and mythify, to remember and behold. In this harking back to a special period to which we can't return but has defined the mood and mode of our lives, Stillman has found the core of conservative instincts--if not ideology--in all of us. Ultimately, Stillman's films are not about passion but about dignity, not about Truth but honor. Stillman's instincts, being conservative, do not lean toward utopian visions, all-encompassing truths, or mad passions. He believes most people can, at their best, find some kind of moral compass in life and direct their actions with a modicum of moral consideration. Stillman believes people can think and can change. Hardly original but rare in movies today with their stock characterizations and simplistic, determinist dynamics. Perhaps, Stillman doesn't have the gusto of PT Anderson, the bravura inventiveness of Tarantino, or the morbid gravedigging obsessiveness of Solondz, but his grasping for sanity in an ever-changing, deceptive world is much needed and welcome. Thank god not every director is a Stillman but we need him just as any other, just as the New Wave needed Truffaut as much as it needed Godard, Rohmer as much as Chabrol.
 WONDERFUL PICTURE November 17, 2003
This is the BEST film i've seen about the disco era and an all round great motion picture, hands down, its not even an issue, BUT why on earth is the dvd sooo expensive? Were there limited copies to beginwith or something? All i know is i'm not going to shell out a $100 bucks for any single dvd title, i don't care what movie/film is on it, and its a shame because this is really a fantastic film.
Stillman has still got it baby November 5, 2003
I loved this movie with a flame. Im a huge Whit Stillman fan, man, Barcelona and Metropolitan, god those where so awesome, and if you havent seen his other works then check them out or this one out. Chole Sevingy and Kate Beckinsale are simply amazing. Robert Sean Leonard has never been more cooler and grand. Matt Kesslar is good as well. doesnt let go for a minute and then movie rocks.
A Very Good Adaptation Of The NYC Yuppie Scene March 31, 2003
Don't let the title fool you. The Last Days of Disco is at least not primarilly about the Disco movement. Its main purpose is to show how many recent college graduates struggle to find their identities as well as love in New York City. The story mainly flow around the relationship between Charlotte and Alice. Sometimes it is good. Other times a bit stormy. Charlotte envies ability to succede professionally and attract more desireable guys. However Alice has deep rooted insecurities about confronting those who offend and or control her. Other parts of this story focus around insecurities of the male actors: Des, Jimmy, Josh, Van, and even the prima donna nightclub owner, Bernie. Des seems to have a running line how he confesses to women that he is gay to get their sympathy and a hopeful sexual escapade. Jimmy is oh so worreid about making impressions upon his boss and potential clients at his advertising agency job by trying to get them into the trendy night club where Van is all to happy to keep out such elements. All these characters are intertwined in various scenes where one can certainly reminisce about those first few years after college and all the good times and heartaches that one endured. The varying insecurities can be a bit trying sometimes. However, the general adaptation with the disco music as a backdrop certainly paints a scene which many people certainly have faced. It succedes in many dramatic ways.
Fabulous film - if only I were allowed to see the DVD March 10, 2003
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The atmosphere and sheer style were great. The sense of one age coming to an end and another, somehow harder, one beginning was so clear.If only we lesser, Region 2, mortals were allowed to watch. Where were the anti-trust lawyers when region coding was invented by the industry?
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