The Last Days of Disco
The longer a writer’s block lasts, the more difficult it is to get out of it. Just looking at that huge backlog of films is daunting! But somehow, a writer always come back to writing, huh? This is ironic since I just recently changed up the format of my writing in the hopes of being able to write more, and more deeply too. Today’s postings are another step to get rid of this
What better film there is for it than “The Last Days of Disco”? I purchased the Blu-ray for it on a whim and even though it was “only” 20 dollars, I still chose it over other favorites like “Paris, Texas” even though my incredible love for “Metropolitan” is the only indication that I may like this film as well. I saw “Metropolitan” 1 1/2 years ago and it has always had a special place in my heart. This is probably because it’s the biggest random Netflix discovery I have ever had. Of course it’s a film in the Criterion collection but many, many films are in the Criterion collection and not all of them are great (I am looking at you, Charade). Ever since “Metropolitan”, I was also convinced that I am absolutely in love with everything this director does, and I was surprised that nobody else in our illustrous little film group liked him or has even seen his stuff. Maybe this is because he didn’t make many movies (none of you guys are into Jean Vigo either, right?) but hey we all watch Sofia Coppola or Inarritu films so that’s probably not it.
The discovery of a director by myself is so immensely joyful. The same thing happened again about a month later with Seijun Suzuki’s “Branded to Kill”, and it’s another film I purchased on blu-ray. Maybe it’s because I enjoy the element of surprise which can only come without a recommendation and the expectation of greatness. It is even more wonderful when I see that not only the film is amazing, but the directing and the scriptwriting is too. In that case I know that I have another bunch of films by the same person to look forward to, and that’s the best feeling ever.
In this case, my expectations were perfectly fulfilled. “The Last Days of Disco” is about just as wonderful as “Metropolitan”, but it features Hollywood’s prettiest face Kate Beckinsale and Hollywood’s most gorgeous actress Chloe Sevigny. (At least in my book, that’s what they are.) I admit that “Metropolitan” is a little more subtle and “Disco” actually hits one of my pet peeves – the abominable situation in which all male characters are into the same woman when another gorgeous lady is just as available too – but my goodness it’s a Whit Stillman movie: It’s wittier than two-thirds of what Woody Allen has ever made and just so immensely well-written. I get the feeling that Whit Stillman made the film just so he can indulge in his favorite 80s songs, that is how much love he poured into the portrayal of this society he is ultimately mocking in his film. I wished somebody would make a movie about our society like that.
Unfortunately, it seems to be unlikely. Our generation is not so good at Selbstironie and takes things way too seriously. You could never imagine a scene in which a bunch of friends gather at the unemployment office and muse about their future as if they weren’t really that worried about it. We are precisely the opposite of that. We may not have gonorrhea and herpes (thank goodness for that though), but we are barely alive ever since Facebook replaced our social lives.
Actually the first part of “The Last Days of Disco” was a little difficult to catch, but in the end we actually only have the main love triangle, the one night stand, the other girl, the other girl’s boyfriend, the roommate and the roomate’s boyfriend. It’s really not as bad as, I quote from my review of “Metropolitan”: “Charlie likes Audrey who likes Tom who likes Serena who broke up with Rick who sleeps Cynthia who slept with Nick who probably offended Jane with that”. For those of you who counted and ended up with the same number – “Metropolitan” has two more characters besides those mentioned. But in “Disco” this also means that the relationship between the characters is worked out in more detail, and the film has significantly more plot with the ongoing crime investigation. I am not sure how much I like the fact that every male character is virtually exclusively attracted to the likable lead female, but at least these people come off as very plausible. This is a film in which you just have to see the interaction and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
I suspect that Stillman’s lack of popularity comes from the fact that Europe has not yet discovered him as a gem of wittiness in perfect Lubitschian tradition. At least I totally want to rewatch “Metropolitan” now.
This is a film that necessitates a long, long hail of bullets… one day.