Whit Stillman's "Metropolitan"
Hulu.com seems determined to prove itself an unexpected asset to the human race. First, they agreed to provide hosting services for Joss Whedon's amazingly amazing supervillian musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog ; now, they've put up the entirety of Metropolitan, Whit Stillman's 1990 comedic masterpiece, free for your viewing pleasure.
"You don't have to have read a book to have an opinion on it."
(The guiding philosophy of most of my college essays.)
Stillman has thus far only directed three films, what he calls his "comedy of mannerlessness" trilogy, each of which chronicles the waning days of a particular social schema. Barcelona, set in the 80's, is about the end of the Spanish sexual revolution; The Last Days of Disco, set in the 70's, kind of lets you know what you're in for right in the title; and Metropolitan, set in the 60's, details the final years of the bourgeoisie "debutante" culture.
The appeal of these films lie with Stillman's own particular brand of comedy, which is like a cross between a Woody Allen film, a Jane Austen novel, and a particularly observant New Yorker cartoon. It's a dry wit that plays upon the intelligence and self-awareness of its viewer, as in this scene, where one of the New York "preppies" bemoans the inappropriateness of that descriptor, and proposes what he believes to be a more dignified alternative:
"The term is brilliant, and long overdue."
LINKS:
Metropolitan on Hulu
Metropolitan
Criterion Collection DVDBarcelona
DVDWhit Stillman Interview at IFC.com
