The Chelsea Hotel, on West 23rd Street in Manhattan, has been a haven for artists and writers, actors and ne'er-do-wells, for more than a century. Built in 1883 as an apartment house, it became a hotel in 1905 and remains so. But things began to chance a couple of years ago when a real estate developer bought it and announced plans for redevelopment. The change in ownership brought the dismissal of long-time manager Stanley Bard and, undoubtedly, was an impetus for "Chelsea on the Rocks."
Whether it refers to the drinking habits of its residents or the position of the just-sold building, the result is a wandering, uneven documentary written and directed by Abel Ferrara, who has made numerous movies about the city. It's his first documentary, however, and it shows off an inexperienced interviewer.
But Ferrara has a trove of stories and friends, and mostly he lets the latter take care of the former, so director Milos Forman, actors Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper, and artist R. Crumb do much of the story-telling about parties, orgies, other guests and their own relationship with Bard and the hotel. Archival footage of people like Janis Joplin, Andy Warhol, Jerry Garcia, Dylan Thomas and Thomas Wolfe, all of whom were residents through the years, is background to stories about them, and other neighbors like Arthur C. Clarke, who wrote "2001: A Space Odyssey," while living there, or Eugene O'Neill, who wrote several plays as a resident.
One of the great Chelsea scandals was the murder of Nancy Spungen, supposedly by Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, but they are played by Bijou Phillips as Nancy and Jamie Burke as Sid.
"Chelsea on the Rocks" is sloppy and erratic, but it's enjoyable to hear the stories of excess. In that regard, the Chelsea truly rocks.
Opens today at the Plaza Frontenac