The Last Days of Disco, with Cocktails at Petrossian Afterward

by Whit Stillman

During the last months of the disco era, in the very early 1980s, a popular dance club becomes the centre of nightlife for a group of young people new to Manhattan - "boyfriendless social failure"... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374183392
• ISBN13: 9780374183394
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 339 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.9" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Superb

An unusual novelization of a film after its theatrical release, that also happens to be written by its director/writer. By telling the story of the movie from the point of view of one of its characters -- who knows about the movie, its script, and various other background materials -- The Last Days of Disco, with Cocktails at Petrossian Afterwards actually improves upon what was an excellent, enjoyable film to begin with. But don't be concerned that this is some trite post-modern, deconstructionist gobbledygook, because Stillman is just as talented a novelist as he is a filmmaker, and he allows the wonderful, affecting story about a group of young people finding their way in the world hold center stage. Set against his marvelous descriptions of New York City at night, and its early 1980s club scene, along with the great dialogue Stillman's films are known for, Stillman's novelization of his own film succeeds greatly on its own.

Would have given 4 & half, but rounded higher than lower

I have never seen any of Mr.Whitman's films but probably will do so after reading this book. I am impressed with the characters, especially the women, are written and how they end up. Most of all, it is the way the author refers to the film throughout the book as the events transpire that kept my interest. It is a nice technique and demonstrates the power of Hollywood to let the narrator/author reflect on the story from other points of view. Would this book have been written if it were not for the film? The incorporation of the film into the story almost makes me wish that the film had never been made. Everyone would have declared the book a masterpiece.

The Best Novelization Ever!

Why read the book when you've seen the movie? When has the book (a fake novelization, a real novel) been written after the movie? When has the novelization been written by a character in the movie? Read the book, we learn, because movies can't really do justice to shoes! (They really can't.) Charlotte looks better, Alice worse; the book, more even than the movie, is about nature and grace. And we learn that the last days of disco weren't much like most days of disco. And about the tansition from disco to New Wave. Maybe Des is gay? If you've seen the movie, you gotta read the book.

A Great Summer Read

Whit Stillman, one of the most talented independent film makers working today has another side: he is also a great novelist. He has manged to turn the story of his last film into a novel that is just as witty and perceptive. The interplay of his characters is riveting, his view of New York City at night enchanting and his use of language inspiring. Who else could combine a love story straight out of Jane Austin with a description of popular music that might have come from Rolling Stone? This is the perfect book to curl up with on a rainy summer weekend.