Partying goes nuclear in film tracking the rise of club Studio 54

ONE of the most eye-opening books I read as a child were the Andy Warhol diaries (yes, I was quite pretentious) and Studio 54, the legendarily hedonistic Manhattan nightclub,
was it’s heartbeat.

The photos in the middle showed snapshots of partying unlike anything I’d ever seen - and this documentary, following the rise and almighty crash of it’s owners Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell.

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Celebrities including Bianca Jagger, Liza Minnelli and Andy Warhol; see in the New Year at Studio 54Told with loving (and occasionally rose-tinted) hindsight, mostly by Ian Schrager (Steve Rubell died some years ago), this is an eye-popping account of partying on a nuclear level.

At a time when subversive gay culture was very much still underground, the savvy owners created the perfect storm - A post watergate and Vietnam America, Disco, Celebrity, drugs and the first known example of FOMO.

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It was an intoxicating mix - and the documentary manages to capture this incredible era with hair-curling anecdotes, candid admissions of criminality and some incredible footage - including an utterly charming impromptu interview with a teenage Michael Jackson, doing his very best to keep his eyes in his sockets.

Aside from a decidedly ropey attempt in 1997 (don’t bother), it’s amazing someone like Scorcese hasn’t taken this and given it the Casino treatment - although given the reality shown here, you’d be hard pushed to make it any better.

STUDIO 54, 99 mins (15)

★★★★☆