Chelsea Girls
| Chelsea Girls | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Andy Warhol Paul Morrissey |
| Produced by | Andy Warhol |
| Written by |
Ronald Tavel Andy Warhol |
| Starring |
Nico Brigid Berlin Ondine Gerard Malanga Eric Emerson Mary Woronov Mario Montez Ingrid Superstar International Velvet |
| Music by | The Velvet Underground |
| Cinematography | Andy Warhol Paul Morrissey (uncredited) |
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Release date
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Running time
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210 min. (approx.) |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $3,000 (approx.) |
Chelsea Girls is a 1966 experimental underground film directed by Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey. The film was Warhol's first major commercial success after a long line of avant-garde art films (both feature length and short). It was shot at the Hotel Chelsea and other locations in New York City, and follows the lives of several of the young women who live there, and stars many of Warhol's superstars. It is presented in a split screen, accompanied by alternating soundtracks attached to each scene and an alternation between black-and-white and color photography. The original cut runs at just over three hours long.
The title, Chelsea Girls, is a reference to the location in which the film takes place. It was the inspiration for star Nico's 1967 debut album, Chelsea Girl. The album featured a ballad-like track titled "Chelsea Girls", written about the hotel and its inhabitants who appear in the film. The girl in the poster is Clare Shenstone, at the age of 16, an aspiring artist who would later be influenced by Francis Bacon.
With its creativity and eroticism this Chelsea Girl poster captures the essence of the film. It was designed for the release of the movie in London by graphic artist Alan Aldridge. Warhol was extremely happy with the design and commented that he “wished the movie was as good as the poster”.
According to script-writer Ronald Tavel, Warhol first brought up the idea for the film in the back room of Max's Kansas City, Warhol's favorite nightspot, during the summer of 1966. In Ric Burns' documentary film Andy Warhol, Tavel recollected that Warhol took a napkin and drew a line down the middle and wrote 'B' and 'W' on opposite sides of the line; he then showed it to Tavel, explaining, "I want to make a movie that is a long movie, that is all black on one side and all white on the other." Warhol was referring to both the visual concept of the film, as well as the content of the scenes presented.
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