Product Details

• Actors: Abel Ferrara, Walter Cronkite, Dennis Hopper, Milos Forman, Gaby Hoffman
• Directors: Abel Ferrara
• Format: Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Hannover House
• DVD Release Date: May 4, 2010
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0030DE46A
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,045 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh look inside a New York icon, October 26, 2010

By 

Pauline Kael-Jones "PK-Jones Film Reviews" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chelsea on the Rocks (DVD)

If pop culture in the 1970's and 1980's had a ground-zero, it would have been New York's notorious Chelsea Hotel, as gloriously presented in Abel Ferrara's brilliant new documentary. Utilizing archival footage of legendary residents -- from Andy Warhol to Sid Vicious -- and clever reenactments and flashbacks, "Chelsea On The Rocks" transcends the mold of mainstream documentaries and breaks fresh new ground that is both exhilarating and a bit frightening. Definitely worth owning!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Art is a strange hotel, May 3, 2010

By 

D. Hartley (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chelsea on the Rocks (DVD)

Since 1883, the Hotel Chelsea in New York City has been considered to be the center of the universe by bohemian culture vultures. It has been the hostelry of choice for the holiest of hipster saints over the years, housing just about anybody who was anybody in the upper echelons of poets, writers, playwrights, artists, actors, directors, musicians and free thinkers over the past century. Some checked in whenever they were in town, and some lived as residents for years on end. Some checked out forever within its walls (most notably Dylan Thomas and Sid Vicous' ill-fated girlfriend, Nancy Spungen). Of course, not every single resident was a luminary, but chances always were that they were someone who had a story or two to tell. Abel Ferrara, a director who has been known to spin a sordid New York tale or two ("China Girl", "Bad Lieutenant", "King of New York", "The Funeral") has attempted to paint a portrait of the hotel with his new documentary, "Chelsea on the Rocks"-with mixed results.

Blending interviews with current residents with archival footage and docu-drama vignettes, Ferrara tackles this potentially intriguing subject matter in frustrating fits and starts. He never decides whether he wants to offer up a contextualized history, an impressionistic study, or simply a series of "So tell me your favorite Chelsea anecdote" stories (ranging from genuinely funny or harrowing to banal and/or incomprehensible).

The most fascinating parts of the film to me were the relatively brief bits of archival footage. For instance, a fleeting 15 or 20 second clip of Andy Warhol and William Burroughs sharing a little repast in one of the hotel's rooms vibes much more of the essence of what the Chelsea was "about" in its heyday than (for the sake of argument) a seemingly endless present-day segment with director Milos Forman holding court and swapping memories with Ferrara in the lobby, during which neither manages to say anything of much interest to anyone but each other. There is a lack of judicious editing in the film, and therein lies its fatal flaw. Ferrara has an annoying habit of jabbering on in the background while his interviewees are speaking, to the point where it starts to feel too "inside" and exclusionary to the viewer. This is exacerbated by the fact that no present-day interviewees are identified. While some of them were easy for me to spot (Robert Crumb, Ethan Hawke, Dennis Hopper and the aforementioned Milos Forman) the majority of them were otherwise obscure (perhaps I'd recognize them from their work, if I at least had a name). You get the impression that the director made this film for himself and his circle of peers, and it's a case of "Well, if you aren't part of the New York art scene and have to ask who these people are, then you obviously aren't hip enough for the room." He lures you into the lobby, but alas, can't convince you to check in for the night.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars time capsule of the cheslea hotel, October 24, 2010

By 

lisamarie22 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chelsea on the Rocks (DVD)

The film is a collage of the Chelsea hotel-- its history, residents, ghosts. Felt like I was there rather than being told what it was like at the Chelsea.