STUDIO 54

Studio 54 was the epicenter of 70s hedonism--a place that not only redefined the nightclub, but also came to symbolize an entire era. Its co-owners, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell, two friends from Brooklyn, seemed to come out of nowhere to suddenly preside over a new kind of New York society. Now, 39 years after the velvet rope was first slung across the club's hallowed threshold, a feature documentary tells the real story behind the greatest club of all time.

Matt Tyrnauer is a writer, director, producer, and award-winning journalist whose recent films include Valentino: The Last Emperor, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival; Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, about the secret history of sex in Hollywood in the pre-Stonewall era; Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Tyrnauer is also an award-winning journalist, who has written for Vanity Fair, where he has been editor-at-large.

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.

Glenn Kenny, New York Times