Drag queens. Actresses on horses. Quaaludes. Donald Trump.
This prophecy proved a gross understatement of the men’s destinies. Throughout the film, the two men ascend humanity; they become gods in their own subversive Garden of Eden. Schrager is introduced at the outset of the film as he sits for a interview, framed by hundreds of new clippings and artifacts from his days as a co-owner of Studio 54. Rubell, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1989, is present in anecdotes and old video clips.
The latter of the two is shown as an untouchable, larger-than-life showboat. The former is a reserved but quietly passionate man. They are depicted as effective counterweights to each other, who, together, created an unstoppably dynamic team.
The film chronicles the wild genesis of the club, and through pulsating disco played in the background of interviews and old footage of club-goers, the audience is truly able to immerse itself in the unmitigated debauchery that was a Studio 54 party. We see topless women freely parading themselves on the dance floor, celebrities snorting cocaine and couples engaging in public displays of sex.Tyrnauer does a commendable job putting the chaos in the context of American society; disco represented black and LGBTQ culture, something condemned by the general public at the time. By creating an anything-goes stomping ground, Rubell and Schrager provided escapism and liberation for these groups, a sentiment expressed in interviews with clubgoers.
Viewers ride the wave of exhilaration that accompanied the club's grandiose atmosphere for the first half of the documentary. But, as it does with all shows, the curtain finally fell on Studio 54. Caught in one scandal after another, the club hit rock bottom when the Internal Revenue Service investigated Schrager and Rubell for a multimillion dollar skimming scandal.The film follows the duo as they descend from their godlike pedestals, having been sentenced to 13 months in prison and forced to sell the Studio. Their admissions of the humiliation of not being able to vote or buy property in their post-jail lives pulls the viewer closer to the men behind the myths. However, it is only at the close of "Studio 54" that Schrager and Rubell are demystified and the audience is able to see them as vulnerable human beings.
Rubell returns to the house that he bought with Schrager, leading to an overwhelming sense of melancholy when he fondly recalls his business partner and friend. Even more compelling is the revelation of a side of Rubell that remains unseen until the final 10 minutes of the film. Despite the news reels and recollections that portray him as a wild, untouchable braggart, it is revealed that Schrager, in some facets, was a closely guarded man, capable of fierce tenderness. His brother recounts that he was closeted to his family when he died and that internalized shame caused him to refuse to let the general public know that his death was AIDS-related.
"Studio 54" immerses the audience in apt and sensual storytelling and does a particularly good job contextualizing the ascendency and death of the club in the broader background of American culture in the 1970s and '80s. There are some elements of the documentary that leave more to be desired; present-day interviews from some of the stars that frequented the discotheque would provide viewers with a more familiar perspective on the club. Moreover, given that so much of the film centers around Rubell, further glimpses into his current life would consolidate the demystification that finally comes at the end of the film. In all, "Studio 54" employs a well-executed observational approach and provides an inimitable glimpse into one of the most provocative and grand party cultures to ever grace American society.
All of these things and other equally eccentric, bizarre and mind-boggling ingredients made up the pure liberating madness that was the notorious experimental discotheque Studio 54, one of the earliest cultural touchstones for LGBTQ Americans. Almost 40 years after the rise and fall of the notoriously exclusive nightclub, director Matt Tyrnauer offers not only an invitation, but a front-row seat to its drama.
From its genesis, the club was inherently a performance. Built in an old opera house, the designers of the club consisted of Tony-award winning lighting designers and other members of the theater world. The patrons included the hottest, wildest and most famous members of the New York scene, including Elton John, Andy Warhol and Liza Minnelli, all of whom were no stranger to the limelight. But at the center of this documentary are Studio 54's co-founders: Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell.
Having met at Syracuse University, the two New Yorkers“had an intuitive understanding that they were gonna get out and do something big,” as described by a friend.This prophecy proved a gross understatement of the men’s destinies. Throughout the film, the two men ascend humanity; they become gods in their own subversive Garden of Eden. Schrager is introduced at the outset of the film as he sits for a interview, framed by hundreds of new clippings and artifacts from his days as a co-owner of Studio 54. Rubell, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1989, is present in anecdotes and old video clips.
The latter of the two is shown as an untouchable, larger-than-life showboat. The former is a reserved but quietly passionate man. They are depicted as effective counterweights to each other, who, together, created an unstoppably dynamic team.
The film chronicles the wild genesis of the club, and through pulsating disco played in the background of interviews and old footage of club-goers, the audience is truly able to immerse itself in the unmitigated debauchery that was a Studio 54 party. We see topless women freely parading themselves on the dance floor, celebrities snorting cocaine and couples engaging in public displays of sex.Tyrnauer does a commendable job putting the chaos in the context of American society; disco represented black and LGBTQ culture, something condemned by the general public at the time. By creating an anything-goes stomping ground, Rubell and Schrager provided escapism and liberation for these groups, a sentiment expressed in interviews with clubgoers.
Viewers ride the wave of exhilaration that accompanied the club's grandiose atmosphere for the first half of the documentary. But, as it does with all shows, the curtain finally fell on Studio 54. Caught in one scandal after another, the club hit rock bottom when the Internal Revenue Service investigated Schrager and Rubell for a multimillion dollar skimming scandal.The film follows the duo as they descend from their godlike pedestals, having been sentenced to 13 months in prison and forced to sell the Studio. Their admissions of the humiliation of not being able to vote or buy property in their post-jail lives pulls the viewer closer to the men behind the myths. However, it is only at the close of "Studio 54" that Schrager and Rubell are demystified and the audience is able to see them as vulnerable human beings.
Rubell returns to the house that he bought with Schrager, leading to an overwhelming sense of melancholy when he fondly recalls his business partner and friend. Even more compelling is the revelation of a side of Rubell that remains unseen until the final 10 minutes of the film. Despite the news reels and recollections that portray him as a wild, untouchable braggart, it is revealed that Schrager, in some facets, was a closely guarded man, capable of fierce tenderness. His brother recounts that he was closeted to his family when he died and that internalized shame caused him to refuse to let the general public know that his death was AIDS-related.
"Studio 54" immerses the audience in apt and sensual storytelling and does a particularly good job contextualizing the ascendency and death of the club in the broader background of American culture in the 1970s and '80s. There are some elements of the documentary that leave more to be desired; present-day interviews from some of the stars that frequented the discotheque would provide viewers with a more familiar perspective on the club. Moreover, given that so much of the film centers around Rubell, further glimpses into his current life would consolidate the demystification that finally comes at the end of the film. In all, "Studio 54" employs a well-executed observational approach and provides an inimitable glimpse into one of the most provocative and grand party cultures to ever grace American society.
Summary
Matt Tyrnauer offers a sensuous glimpse into one of New York's most notorious nightclubs in "Studio 54."
3.5 Stars
