Metropolitan

( 2 )

Overview

The debut film from writer-director Whit Stillman etches a sophisticated comic portrait of New York debutante society at the twilight of the 1980s. Set during the Christmas season, the film is told from the vantage point of Tom Townsend Edward Clements, a self-professed proletarian radical who stumbles into the social sphere of a group of well-off Upper East Side twentysomethings calling themselves the SFRP or Sally Fowler Rat Pack, named in honor of a frequent party hostess. The group includes Nick Christopher ...
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More About This Product

Overview

The debut film from writer-director Whit Stillman etches a sophisticated comic portrait of New York debutante society at the twilight of the 1980s. Set during the Christmas season, the film is told from the vantage point of Tom Townsend Edward Clements, a self-professed proletarian radical who stumbles into the social sphere of a group of well-off Upper East Side twentysomethings calling themselves the SFRP or Sally Fowler Rat Pack, named in honor of a frequent party hostess. The group includes Nick Christopher Eigeman, an acidic misanthrope; sweet-natured Jane Austen acolyte Audrey Carolyn Farina; Charlie Taylor Nichols, a tongue-tied bumbler secretly in love with Audrey; and femme fatale Cynthia Isabel Gillies. Quickly, Tom, who comes from much more humble beginnings, finds himself caught in the middle of the group. Audrey even develops a crush on him, but Tom is still reeling from a broken relationship with renowned man-eater Serena Elizabeth Thompson, a peripheral member of the SFRP. It all leads to a romantic climax at the Southampton vacation home of Nick's womanizing arch-enemy Rick von Sloneker Will Kempe.
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Special Features

New, restored high-definition digital transfer; audio commentary by director Whit Stillman, editor Christopher Tellefsen, and actors Chris Eigeman and Taylor Nichols; rare outtakes and deleted scenes; optional English subtitles for the deaf and heard of hearing; a new essay by author and film scholar Luc Sante
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Michael Hastings
Though Richard Linklater and Kevin Smith may get most of the credit for giving birth to the downwardly-mobile post-adolescent talkfests of the '90s independent film boom, writer/director Whit Stillman's auspicious debut served to establish the other end of the spectrum. Set in an unspecified time "not so long ago," Metropolitan pokes affectionate fun at Stillman's ilk: overeducated East Coast preppies with too much time on their hands, mostly disposable incomes, and concerns both petty and universal. Stillman mocks and evokes Jane Austen with his mismatched pack of masters and debs who pair off in unlikely couplings, all the while secretly pining for some other member of their extended high-society group. As with Linklater and Smith's films, the dialogue is the true star here: the endlessly hilarious observations about literary criticism and agrarian socialism mask the characters' charming, quaint ignorance of matters of the heart. Stillman evinces stellar performances from his cast of then- (and in most cases, still-) unknowns -- including the ingratiatingly obsessive Edward Clements and Carolyn Farina -- and at least one breakout star turn from the irrepressible Christopher Eigeman, doing for this film what Vince Vaughn would do for Swingers several years later. Although Metropolitan is a little rough around the edges technically, it's to Stillman's credit -- as well as to cinematographer John Thomas and editor Christopher Tellefsen -- that he's able to create a palpable, encased-in-amber atmosphere on such a small budget.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 2/14/2006
  • UPC: 715515017022
  • Original Release: 1990

    • Rating:

  • Source: Criterion
  • Region Code: 1
  • Presentation: Wide Screen / Subtitled
  • Time: 1:39:00
  • Format: DVD

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Carolyn Farina Audrey Rouget
Edward Clements Tom Townsend
Christopher Eigeman Nick Smith
Taylor Nichols Charlie Black
Allison Rutledge-Parisi Jane Clarke
Dylan Hundley Sally Fowler
Isabel Gillies Cynthia McClean
Bryan Leder Fred Neff
Will Kempe Rick Von Sloneker
Stephen Uys Victor Lemley
Ellia Thompson Serena Slocum
Alice Connorton Mrs. Townsend
Roget W. Kirby Man at Bar
Catherine Atzen Herself
Caroline Bennett Sabina (Texas Deb)
Victoria Chickering SFPR Friend (Early-nighter)
Frank Creighton Cadet Frawley
Hank Foley
Linda Gillies Mrs. Rouget
Andrew Lyle SFPR Friend (Early-nighter)
John Carroll Lynch Allen Green
Blayne Perry
J. Harden Rose Voice Only
Kevin Schack SFPR Friend (Early-nighter)
Joel S. Schreiber A.T. Harris Salesman
Elizabeth Thompson
Tina Thornton SFPR Friend (Early-nighter)
Tomas R. Voth Cab Driver
Donal Lardner Ward North Greenwich Preppie
Technical Credits
Whit Stillman Director, Co-producer, Producer, Screenwriter
Mary Jane Fort Costumes/Costume Designer
Brian Greenbaum Co-producer
John Thomas Cinematographer
Tom Judson Score Composer, Songwriter
Mark Suozzo Score Composer
Christopher Tellefsen Editor
Peter Wentworth Co-producer
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Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Metropolitan
1. Logos/Opening Credits [1:17]
2. "It's Not My Cab" [1:57]
3. Sally Fowler Rat Pack [6:07]
4. What Time Do After-Parties End? [3:05]
5. The Escort Shortage [2:46]
6. Downward Social Mobility [4:50]
7. The Less Fortunate [5:36]
8. A Virtuous Heroine [3:22]
9. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie [6:00]
10. Not a Mix-Up [5:42]
11. U.H.B. [2:23]
12. Polly Perkins [4:27]
13. Christmas Eve Day [3:01]
14. "Orgy" Week Begins [6:09]
15. The "Truth" Session [6:49]
16. Inorganic Debutante Ball [3:56]
17. Nick vs. Rick [5:17]
18. Tom's Letters Saved [4:31]
19. "Rat Pack Is Down to the Rats" [5:16]
20. "It Is Our Living Room" [4:06]
21. "I Want to Be a Real Woman" [:46]
22. "How the Failure Starts" [4:01]
23. Hamptons Rescue [5:16]
24. End Credits [1:32]
1. Intros [1:17]
2. Realistic Locations [1:57]
3. Original Beginning [6:07]
4. Conflict That Feels Real [3:05]
5. Creating a Specific World [2:46]
6. First Open Casting Calls [4:50]
7. Casting a Redhead [5:36]
8. B-Roll Footage [3:22]
9. Inception of the Project [6:00]
10. Starting Production [5:42]
11. Activities to Ground the Actor [2:23]
12. Coverage of the Couch [4:27]
13. On the Music [3:01]
14. Before and After Christmas [6:09]
15. "It's My Head!" [6:49]
16. The Golden Age of Film [3:56]
17. Who Is Gonna See This Movie? [5:17]
18. The 21 Club [4:31]
19. "Prep-sploitation" [5:16]
20. Social Pornography [4:06]
21. DP John Thomas [:46]
22. In It Together [4:01]
23. "I Still Have Those Panties!" [5:16]
24. Antique Roman [1:32]
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Menu

Disc #1 -- Metropolitan
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
   Color Bars
   Commentary
      Commentary: Off/On
      Index
      Color Bars
   Outtakes
      Outtakes Montage
      Memorial
   Alternate Casting
      Record Producer Allen
      Nick Smith
   Original Theatrical Trailer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 2 )
Rating Distribution

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Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Whit Stillman's triumphant debut

    The cinematic equivelent of a JD Salinger book. Sparkling, witty dialogue & an amazing cast of newcomers. Keenly observant and pithy. Now if only Stillman's third film In his self-described "Bougeouis Trilogy," "Last Days Of Disco" would be re-released on DVD...

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 26, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews