The Last Days of Disco

''The Last Days of Disco'' is a 1998 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Whit Stillman, and loosely based on his travels and experiences in various nightclubs in Manhattan, including Studio 54. Starring Chloë Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale, the film follows a group of Ivy League and Hampshire College graduates falling in and out of love in the disco scene of New York City in the early 1980s.

''The Last Days of Disco'' is the third film (following '' Metropolitan'' and ''Barcelona'') in what Stillman calls his "Doomed-Bourgeois-in-Love series". The three films are independent of each other except for cameo appearances of some common characters. According to Stillman, the idea for ''Disco'' was originally conceived after the shooting of ''Barcelona'' disco scenes. In 2000, Stillman published a novelization of the film.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on June 12, 1998; its DVD and video releases followed in 1999. The DVD releases eventually went out of print, and the film was widely unavailable for home video purchase until it was picked up by The Criterion Collection and released in a director-approved special edition on August 25, 2009. Along with ''Metropolitan'' and ''Barcelona'', a print of ''The Last Days of Disco'' resides in the permanent film library of the Museum of Modern Art.

Plot

In the "very early 1980s", Alice Kinnon and Charlotte Pingress, recent Hampshire College graduates, work as poorly paid readers for a New York City publisher. After work one night, they enter an exclusive disco nightclub where Alice hopes to socialize with Jimmy Steinway, who uses the club to entertain his advertising clients. Barred from bringing clients, Jimmy is eventually kicked out by his friend Des McGrath, a manager at the club whose job is in jeopardy for allowing in Jimmy and his clients. After Jimmy leaves, Alice takes Charlotte's advice to go home with her second choice, Tom Platt. At work the next morning, Alice and Charlotte ask other editors how to fast-track their careers. Unable to afford rent on their own, they move in together with a third girl, Holly; despite Alice's reluctance, they settle on a railroad apartment.

Returning to the club, Alice is upset to learn Charlotte has designs on Jimmy, and that Tom was separated from a long-term girlfriend when he slept with Alice, but their one-night stand convinced him to return to her. Des begins to pursue Alice.

At work, Alice pursues the publication of a book on Buddhism, written by the Dalai Lama's brother, that Charlotte had previously recommended rejecting, and gains the editors' respect. Though it is discovered that the author is not the Dalai Lama's brother, Alice maintains the book is one of the best she has ever read. Charlotte, now dating Jimmy, is openly insecure about his and Alice's apparent friendliness.

Charlotte loudly announces to various friends at the club that Alice has gonorrhea, deducing it when Alice refuses to drink. She immediately apologizes, but tells Alice it will make men view her as more accessible. Des does become more interested in being with Alice, and they start dating casually.

Alice has dinner with Tom and confronts him about giving her gonorrhea, which he initially denies, but Alice reveals he was her first sexual partner. He admits he also gave her herpes.

Josh Neff, a district attorney and friend of Jimmy's who frequently attends the club, asks Alice to lunch to pitch a book. He confesses he is actually interested in Alice, and they go on a real date, where he tells her he is on medication for manic depression. Returning home, Alice discovers Charlotte being taken away in an ambulance, and is told by Jimmy that he is moving to Barcelona. At the hospital, Charlotte asks Alice if Jimmy ever expressed interest in being with her; when Alice admits that he did, Charlotte reacts with tears and tells her she will be moving out.

Police raid the club for tax fraud, and Des tries to run away despite Josh's promise to protect him, believing Josh's interest in Alice will cause him to act unfairly. They later discover that disco records were no longer selling and attendance was already down.

Alice and Charlotte learn their employer has merged with a larger publishing house and layoffs are expected. Some time later, Charlotte, Josh, and Des are seen leaving the unemployment office. Josh announces he is going to Lutèce for lunch, treated by Alice, who is celebrating her promotion; her book was published after she switched it from nonfiction to self-help. Des and Charlotte discuss how their big personalities are too much for normal personalities like Alice, Josh, and Jimmy. Des says that pairing off monogamously detracts from their glamorous lifestyle, and Charlotte agrees.

Taking the subway to Lutèce, Alice and Josh discuss their future prospects and then dance to "Love Train", joined by the rest of the passengers on the train and at the subway station.

Cast

* Chloë Sevigny as Alice Kinnon: One of two main characters, a quiet, passive but intelligent young woman working as a book editor in Manhattan. She and Charlotte, frequent companions, work for the same publisher and attended a prestigious college together.
* Kate Beckinsale as Charlotte Pingress: The other main character, a rather narcissistic and shallow person. She constantly offers "advice" to Alice and criticizes her lack of sociability. She is outgoing but dominating of those around her.
* Chris Eigeman as Des McGrath: A manager at the disco Alice and Charlotte frequent, casually dating Alice at one point. He provides comic relief in many sequences and provides much insight in conversations. He is intelligent but somewhat conniving, and hooks up with many women, with a routine of pretending to come out as homosexual when he has lost interest in them.
* Mackenzie Astin as Jimmy Steinway: An ambitious friend of Des who works in advertising. Jimmy has to sneak his way into the disco in costume because the house owner doesn't want "those kind of people" in the club. He dates Charlotte.
* Matt Keeslar as Josh Neff: An assistant district attorney who takes an interest in Alice. Upon his introduction to Alice at the disco, he is rudely interrupted by Charlotte, who pushes him away. Alice eventually begins a relationship with him, and comes to learn that he suffers from manic depressive disorder.
* Robert Sean Leonard as Tom Platt: A charming, wealthy environmental lawyer with whom Alice has a one-night stand. He gained interest in Alice after meeting her at the disco but proved to not be relationship material. In her sexual encounter with him, Alice contracts both gonorrhea and herpes.
* Jennifer Beals as Nina Moritz: One of Des's conquests, who falls for his "coming out" act and later discovers he was lying to rid himself of her.
* Matthew Ross as Dan Powers: A Harvard graduate and co-worker of Alice and Charlotte. He often criticizes them; they call him "Departmental Dan."
* Tara Subkoff as Holly: A quiet woman whose intelligence and relationship choices are questioned by Charlotte and Alice. She becomes their roommate when they decide to move in together.
* Burr Steers as Van: A worker at the disco and sort of henchman of Bernie's.
* David Thornton as Bernie Rafferty: The owner of the disco and Des's boss.
* Mark McKinney as Rex: The owner of Rex's bar.
* George Plimpton and Anthony Haden-Guest as clubgoers.
* Carolyn Farina appears in a brief cameo as Audrey Rouget from '' Metropolitan'', as do her ''Metropolitan'' co-stars Bryan Leder (Fred Neff) and Dylan Hundley (Sally Fowler).
* Taylor Nichols also appears in a cameo as both Charlie Black from ''Metropolitan'' and Ted Boynton from ''Barcelona'', along with his then-girlfriend Betty (Debbon Ayer), who inspires an unemployed Jimmy to look for work at an international firm in Barcelona.

Production

Development and casting

The idea for the film reportedly came to Stillman after filming the disco scenes in his previous film, ''Barcelona''. Stillman, who had frequented the New York discos in the 1970s and 1980s, announced the project soon thereafter, and interest from a handful of film distributors and actors sprouted before the film had been written. According to Stillman in the 2009 audio commentary for the film, various actors (many of them reportedly "big names") were interested in the project from its original conception; Ben Affleck was originally looking into playing the role of Des, but Stillman, who had worked with Chris Eigeman before, gave him the role instead. Beckinsale, who was living in England at the time, mailed an audition tape to Stillman; he was immediately mesmerized and cast her in the role of Charlotte. The leading role of Alice Kinnon took the longest to cast—it originally was going to go to an unnamed European actress, but according to Stillman, she resembled Beckinsale too much and also had a non-American accent that caused complications. Winona Ryder was subsequently offered the role through her agent. The call was placed by studio executives on a Monday. The film's editor, Chris Tellefsen, who had previously worked as the editor of ''Kids'', recommended Chloë Sevigny after seeing her performance in that film. Two days after the phone call was placed to Ryder's agent, Sevigny, who had been given the script through her agent, auditioned for the role and won it. By the time Ryder's agent returned the call, Sevigny had already been cast.

Filming

Principal photography began on August 12, 1997, and ended on October 27, 1997. Filming took place in various New York City locations, and the structure used for the disco was Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey

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