The locus of artists, musicians, writers, and thespians since its opening in 1883, New York's Chelsea Hotel has been home or haven to Mark Twain, Arthur Miller, Brendan Behan, Virgil Thomson, Arthur C. Clarke, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and many others. The Sex Pistol's Sid Vicious killed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen here, and the poet Dylan Thomas died here also. One of the Chelsea's longtime residents, artist Doris Chase (whose Doris Chase: Artist in Motion--From Painting and Sculpture to Video Art was reviewed in our July-August 1992 issue), has put together a tribute to the Chelsea, comprised mainly of interviews with current residents and managers' Stanley and David Bard. On the plus side, some of the stories told by the rather eccentric occupants are either entertaining in themselves or choice bits of artistic gossip that would appeal to the literati. On the downside, however, too many of the interviews are variations on a single statement: "I love the Chelsea," and the constant musical background occasionally drowns out the on-camera interviewees. An interesting footnote (to film buffs): the credits list Beth B as one of the camera operators; some will remember her as the director of the offbeat religious satire Salvation. The Chelsea, which had its debut at the Museum of Modern Art, is often entertaining, yet the insular nature of the subject matter limits the audience. An optional purchase. (R. Pitman)
The Chelsea
(1993) 60 min. $95. Doris Chase Productions. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 9, Issue 2
The Chelsea
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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