Most known for his satirical “comedy of manners” trilogy including Metropolitan (1990), Barcelona (1994) and The Last Days of Disco (1998), Whit Stillman (b. 1952) wittily sheds light on the behaviors and mannerisms of particular, elite groups within contemporary culture, and poses questions about current societal norms and expectations. Over a decade later, Stillman released two additional films: Damsels in Distress (2011) and Love & Friendship (2016). Through a lighthearted, postmodern lens, Stillman flawlessly weaves nostalgia for past eras with the realities of the present, to create works that seem to transcend time.
Stillman was raised in Cornwall, New York and later attended Harvard University. During his years at the university, he studied history and wrote for the Harvard Crimson. After graduation, Stillman held jobs in various writing professions, followed by a media sales position in Spain, where he worked with directors Fernando Trueba and Fernando Colomo, and even acted in their films, oftentimes portraying comic Americans, such as in Trueba’s Sal Gorda (1983). Between 1984 and 1988, Stillman wrote the screenplay for Metropolitan while managing an illustration agency in New York City. He is an avid writer as well as a filmmaker, and has novelized most of his film works into books.
Stillman visited the Harvard Film Archive in February 2012 during the retrospective The Discreet Charm of Whit Stillman, which included screenings of Metropolitan, Barcelona, The Last Days of Disco, and his then latest release, Damsels in Distress. – Alexandra Vasile
About the Collection
The Whit Stillman collection was donated by the filmmaker in 2012, with additional accessions in 2021. It contains motion picture and manuscript material covering the period of 1988-2011, including 35mm exhibition prints as well as trailers, workprints, outtakes, and printing materials. More than 60 linear feet of paper materials encompass notebooks, scripts, correspondence, production files, research files, promotional materials, press, and ephemera related to Stillman’s film and television productions, as well as additional material related to Stillman’s writing and his independent production company, Westerly Films.
Research
The paper collection is currently being processed and will be available for research use in 2023. Please contact the Collections Archivist with any questions. A partial list of film and video material can be viewed in Harvard’s Library catalog here.
