A Whit Stillman Trilogy: Metropolitan, Barcelona, The Last Days of Disco
Details by Film
Metropolitan
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The Last Days of Disco
Barcelona
Barcelona
Whit Stillman followed his delightful indie breakthrough Metropolitan with another clever and garrulous comedy of manners, this one with a darker edge. A pair of preppy yet constitutionally mismatched American cousins—a salesman and a navy officer—argue about romance and politics while working in the beautiful Spanish city of the film’s title. Set during the eighties, Barcelona explores topics both heady (American exceptionalism, Cold War foreign policy) and hilarious (the ins and outs of international dating, the proper shaving method) while remaining a constantly witty delight, featuring a sharp young cast that includes Taylor Nichols, Chris Eigeman, and Mira Sorvino.
Metropolitan
One of the great American independent films of the 1990s, the surprise hit Metropolitan, by writer-director Whit Stillman, is a sparkling comedic chronicle of a young man’s romantic misadventures while trying to fit in to New York City’s debutante society. Stillman’s deft, literate dialogue and hilariously highbrow observations earned this first film an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay. Beneath the wit and sophistication, though, lies a tender tale of adolescent anxiety.
The Last Days of Disco
The Last Days of Disco is a clever, comic return to the nighttime party scene in early Eighties Manhattan from director Whit Stillman (Metropolitan). At the center of the film's roundelay of revelers are the icy Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale) and the demure Alice (Chloë Sevigny), by day toiling as publishing house assistants and by night looking for romance and entertainment at a premier, Studio 54-like club. The Last Days of Disco is an affectionate yet unsentimental look at the end of an era, brimming with Stillman's trademark dry humor.
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Supplements
- Audio commentary from 2002 featuring Whit Stillman and actors Chris Eigeman and Taylor Nichols
- Audio commentary by Whit Stillman, editor Christopher Tellefsen, and actors Chris Eigeman and Taylor Nichols
- Audio commentary by Whit Stillman and actors Chris Eigeman and Chloë Sevigny
- New video essay by film critic Farran Smith Nehme about the trilogy made up of Metropolitan, Barcelona, and The Last Days of Disco
- Rare outtakes and alternate casting, with commentary by Whit Stillman
- Four deleted scenes, with commentary by Whit Stillman, Chris Eigeman, and Chloë Sevigny
- The Making of “Barcelona,” a short documentary from 1994 featuring behind-the-scenes footage and on-set interviews with Stillman and cast members
- Insert featuring a new essay by critic Lucy Sante
- Audio recording of Whit Stillman reading a chapter from his book The Last Days of Disco, with Cocktails at Petrossian Afterwards
- Deleted scenes and alternate ending, with commentary by Whit Stillman, Chris Eigeman, and Taylor Nichols
- Behind-the-scenes featurette
- Segment from a 1994 episode of the Today show featuring Whit Stillman
- Stills gallery, with captions by Stillman
- Episode of The The Dick Cavett Show from 1991 with Whit Stillman
- Trailer
- Trailer
- Insert with a new essay by novelist David Schickler
- An essay by film scholar Haden Guest
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Release Notes on Restoration
The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic audio track, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle.
The original 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original 35 mm magnetic audio tracks. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated workstation.