257. Studio 54; movie review

STUDIO 54
Cert 15
99 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong nudity, drug references

It may have been in its pomp 40 years ago but I vividly remember how exotic New York's Studio 54 night club seemed from thousands of miles away in the UK.
I don't know why but I have a specific recollection of Pele, the world's greatest footballer, mixing with the likes of the Rolling Stones and Andy Warhol.
As Matt Trynauer's documentary suggests, Studio 54's success was down to luring celebrities. It became THE place to be.
His film shows footage of regulars such as Liza Minelli, Bianca Jagger and Calvin Klein at the club which was the brainchild of young entrepreneurs Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell.
Rubell died of complications from Aids in the late 1980s but this is the first time Schrager has talked about the rapid rise of Studio 54 and its even faster demise.
He tells a story of how he and Rubell got together at college and how they created a club where only the fashionable were allowed through the door.
There are also contributions from many other of Studio 54's staff including the doorman who says he was offered sex for entry.
The halcyon days are described in excited tones but Schrager and others are less forthcoming when facing questions about the tax scandal which saw the club close for good.
I reckon I have seen a disproportionate number of documentaries about New York City's influence on the culture of the 1970s and 80s.
And they all end up with similar tales of tragedy with death or deaths of the young and vibrant.
Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the set-up of Studio 54 and the plain brass neck of its youthful owners in raising huge sums of money and believing that they really could take on those already established in a cut-throat environment.
Eventually, such bravado was their undoing but not before they brought a cultural phenomenon to the fore.
Looking back on those times make engaging viewing.

Reasons to watch: The first close-hand account of the rise and fall of the world's greatest nightclub
Reasons to avoid: A tad one-sided

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Director quote - Matt Tyrnauer: "Studio 54 was not just a nightclub, it became an international phenomenon, a byword for its era. Its most celebrated distinguishing characteristics celebrities, sex, drugs, disco have, over the years, become smoke screens, obscuring the much more significant story of its origins, the reasons for its overwhelming success, and its ultimate collapse."

The big question - What happened to the fun of those great disco hits?

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