On Screen: “Shame” at The Standard
By Terry
The Standard.
Ever since The Standard opened in 2009, looming high over the High Line and West Side Highway with its floor to ceiling windows, it’s been waiting for its close-up. At last, the sleekly sexy hotel — and its windows — figure prominently in a new movie, and wouldn’t you know, it’s rated NC-17?
Shame, the unsparing film with Michael Fassbender as a sex addled bachelor prowling Manhattan, features a prominent scene in a corner room at the Standard. For anyone who ever wanted a peek behind a door, the chicly contemporary Roman & Williams décor (and lots more) is on view – the clean lines, white walls, wood paneling and quiet luxury, with a large flatpanel TV in front of a window.
The curtains, of course, are wide open. Unfortunately, the view of the Hudson and downtown Manhattan is hampered by fog, especially early on. We weren’t sure whether to read something into this. Did the fog symbolize the confusion simmering in the tormented character played by Fassbender? Or was the movie simply shot on a foggy day?
As for those notorious windows, they’re made from iron-free glass, which is extremely transparent with no green tinges. Todd Schliemann, the hotel’s architect, has said the window glass is like a funny one-way mirror because of its transparency. “You feel no one can see you.” That’s not the message we get from Shame, but hey, it’s just a movie.
13 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Nice tease, you didn’t give it away. Now, I want to see both the movie and the hotel.
Comment by Sara — December 11, 2011 @ 12:24 am
Thanks, Sara!
Comment by Terry — December 11, 2011 @ 1:16 am
I’d like to book a suite for a weekend!
Comment by Ed Cone — December 11, 2011 @ 3:41 am
They do some weird things at that hotel. One night a summer or two ago, different colored lights came out of most hotel windows, and people were doing some strange dances in front of those windows.
It made for a very entertaining five minutes of standing on the Highline.
Comment by Step on my foot. — December 11, 2011 @ 6:53 am
Sounds like the Standard. Always entertaining. Thanks, Step!
Comment by Terry — December 11, 2011 @ 4:38 pm
I’ll bet you’d love it. Thanks, Ed!
Comment by Terry — December 11, 2011 @ 4:39 pm
There are lots of people that seem to think they can’t be seen inside The Standard:)
Comment by D.J. - The World of Deej — July 21, 2012 @ 8:41 pm
Loved that movie, but it was definitely extremely odd. We had floor to ceiling windows at our apartment in the East Village earlier this month, which was cool during the day but at night I wished they’d had thicker curtains. I woke up really early as a result, and I am NOT a morning person.
Comment by Bret @ Green Global Travel — July 22, 2012 @ 3:20 am
Amen! Thanks, D.J.
Comment by Terry — July 22, 2012 @ 9:07 pm
You probably wouldn’t have that problem in December, but yeah, there’s a reason blackout shades were invented. Hope you had a great stay in New York, btw. Thanks, Bret.
Comment by Terry — July 22, 2012 @ 9:08 pm
I watched shame recently. Not a totally uplifting movie
Comment by Laurence — August 6, 2012 @ 8:41 am
Nope — not a bit! Thanks, Laurence.
Comment by Terry — August 6, 2012 @ 3:18 pm
I used to visit The Standard in Hollywood often when I lived in LA. Never been to the one in NYC and have had Shame on my laptop for months now.. I feel left out of the joke.. gotta go watch the movie now
Comment by Alexandra — August 8, 2012 @ 12:48 am