''Studio 54'' is a 2018 American documentary film directed by

Matt Tyrnauer Matt Tyrnauer is an American film director. He directed the documentary feature ''Valentino: The Last Emperor'' (2009), which was short listed for an Oscar (award), Oscar nomination in 2010, ''Citizen Jane: Battle for the City'' (2016), the Emm ...

, examining the meteoric history of the

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater and former nightclub at 254 West 54th Street (Manhattan), 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Opened as the Gallo Opera House in 1927, it served ...

nightclub, an extravagant

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

venue infamous for

hedonistic Hedonism is a family of philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is the theory that all human behavior is motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. As a form of egoism, it suggests that peopl ...

excess. Those responsible for the club's wild success reflect on the scene they sparked in 1977. Discotheque co-owner

Ian Schrager Ian Schrager (born July 19, 1946) is an American entrepreneur, hotel manager, hotelier and real estate developer, credited for co-creating the "boutique hotel" category of accommodation. Originally, he gained fame as co-owner and co-founder of S ...

recounts his role at the center of it all, including the club's fraudulent accounting and legal consequences.

Overview

Steve Rubell Steve Rubell (December 2, 1943 – July 25, 1989) was an American entrepreneur and co-owner of the New York City disco Studio 54. Early life Rubell and his brother Donald grew up in a Jewish family in the Crown Heights and Canarsie sections ...

and Ian Schrager opened the Studio 54 nightclub on April 26, 1977, revolutionizing New York City

nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...

. The club's third owner and silent partner Jack Dushey also shares his reflections. Vintage footage and photographs show the club's heyday in the late 1970s, highlighting its

zeitgeist In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a ''Zeitgeist'' (; ; capitalized in German) is an invisible agent, force, or daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history. The term is usually associated with Georg W. F ...

of freedom and

escapism Escapism is mental diversion from unpleasant aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. Escapism also may be used to occupy one's self away from persistent feelings of depression or general s ...

, notorious for widespread drug use and sexual promiscuity. Interviews recount details of the club's design, production, and promotion. The nightclub repurposed the building's theatrical and broadcasting features to elaborate effect, with immersive dancefloor lighting and a cast staging thematic party spectacles. Frequented by many celebrity guests, the club's constant stream of media attention brought throngs of hopefuls to wait outside. Those lucky enough to pass through the velvet ropes were transported into a liberated adult fantasy, dancing among the likes of Halston,

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

, Bianca Jagger, and

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

. Studio 54 faced multiple government raids and became entangled in numerous legal battles, with attorney Roy Cohn defending Rubell and Schrager on drug allegations and charges of

tax evasion Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to red ...

. Public scandal surrounding White House Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan added to the club's infamy. Rubell and Schrager threw a farewell party before serving time in prison. After their 1981 release, the two men made a comeback in the hospitality industry. Many club staffers, including Rubell, later died in the AIDS epidemic.

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film has an approval rating of , based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's consensus reads, "''Studio 54'' offers audiences an engrossing close-up look at an emblem of a decade's decadence – as well as its sobering aftermath." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote, "The movie is a fast account that is sometimes a tad facile in its analysis of a cultural moment. But as Mr. Schrager's personal too-much-too-soon story, it's compelling." ''

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. ...

'' praised the documentary as a piece of a cultural history that "paints a picture of an era of New York that had a significant effect on the world. And it goes without saying, changed the nightclub industry forever."

References

External links

* * * *{{mojo title, 5773986 2018 films 2018 documentary films American documentary films Disco films Documentary films about pop music and musicians Documentary films about New York City Studio 54 2010s English-language films 2010s American films Films scored by Lorne Balfe English-language documentary films