Customer Reviews

Chelsea On the Rocks [Blu-ray]

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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!

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.

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.

Loved the mix of archival footage with re-enactments and interviews to paint a colorful portrait of a ground-zero in the world of Bohemian artists and rebels. My only complaint is the absence of identifying captions on some interviewees (ie., who they are and what is their claim-to-fame?). Otherwise, it's a documentary adventure that's enlightening and very entertaining.

I noted that people were wondering about some of the tenants who were not identified in the movie. One of them was my stepfather, Willem van Es. He was the Dutch gentleman who talked about the girls walking in with their guitars, and turning into prostitutes within the week, among other great one-liners. Willem really loved the Hotel Chelsea, and was positively tickled to have been in this movie, travelling to the opening at Cannes, and in New York. He was a resident since 1978, and he always contributed to the culture and vibrancy of the hotel, if not always to the rent. He was an artist who made a living by doing specialty finishes on walls and wallpapers, through his and my mother's studio, Willem van Es Design Studio. Many walls throughout the city bear their marks. The hotel is certainly a poorer place without him.