Description
Ciao! Manhattan parallels Andy Warhol Factory star Edie Sedgwick's glory days in the late 60's through her inevitable downfall and the tragic addiction that would take her life only weeks after filming wrapped in 1971. The DVD includes never-before-seen bonus footage of Edie, interviews, a photo gallery of Edie's life, and much more.

Amazon.com
Fact and fiction collide in the cult classic Ciao! Manhattan, which was billed as "the film that wrote itself." The unexpectedly poignant tale is based on the life of "Superstar" Edie Sedgwick, who plays a drugged-out former model named Susan. In Southern California, she lives in her wealthy, pie-obsessed mother's swimming pool and recounts her glory days in Manhattan to a Houston drifter (Wesley Hayes). John Palmer and David Weisman began filming in New York in 1967 and kept shooting for the next five years, even as Sedgwick moved West, grew out her hair, got breast implants, and spent time at a variety of mental institutes. The 1970s present is in color; the 1960s flashbacks are in luminous black and white. John Phillips, Richie Havens, and others provide the period-perfect soundtrack. Confusing at times, but always entertaining, Ciao! Manhattan is a must for fans of Head, Trash, and all things weird, wiggy, and Warhol. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 19 reviews)

Decadance

Edie Sedgwick was an emotionally disturbed ,beautiful young woman who was exploited sexually because of her money and emotional vulnerability.The characters from Andy (gross)Warhol"s 'Factory"are a ghastly crew of decadent freaks with serious mental and substance abuse issues and confused sexual identity.There are orgies in this piece of trash.Poor little Edie Sedgwick is six feet under because of drugs.And no matter how you look at it that's not cool.Bob Neuwirth is particularly creepy!He's not in the film but he sex-ploited Edie among other things.
October 12, 2008

DISTURBING MESS IS A FASCINATING CURIO

Very much a film of it's era, this disjointed mess is still a must see if you love Edie or have any interest in the 60's Warhol crowd.

Edie certainly is everything you've heard, one of the 60's great beauties: charisma and vunerability coupled with mental instabilty-she's a ravishing nutcase (If you know her ghastly family history, it will only add to the tragedy). And sadly we're either seeing one of the 60's great under utilised acting talents or someone's obvious insanity caught on film-probably both.

Ciao Manhattan has that train wreck quality in gorgeous colour and B&W.

The commentary adds plenty of anecdotes and flavour to this disturbing piece of pop culture history.
September 05, 2008

wow.....

this is a REALLY f-ed up movie. WOW. I love edie sedgwick. She is my idol. There's one part of the movie where she is doing that little side steppin dance move she always does but she is SO zonked out on whatever that it looks like a crack dance. I had to keep turning away because it just reminded me of the heroin twins from dr. phil and that is NOT why I find her so fascinating. It's a really fascinating movie because it is so bizarre and that kind of stuff really resonates with me but all I could concentrate on was how messed up she was and her weird fake [...]. I think beneath all the charisma and the lively personality there was a very hurt and empty individual...maybe she's better off dead. Who knows?
August 30, 2008

A portrait of an era gone by

It's sort of hard for me to write this review because I bought the film from amazon around 3.5 years ago and I must confess it was not what I expected, taking in consideration I was expecting a lot. The first part of the film definitely grabs your attention: it has parts in color (in the present) and black and white (in the past-when Edie was a superstar still); in these black and white images, as usual, we get to see Edie's incredible magnetism and presence, and there is a cohesive feel to the film. However, roughly before the middle of the movie, things start to get incredibly confusing and with subplots that, in my opinion, we just meant to add length and not real substance (the subplot related to "Mr. Verdeccio" in particular was the worst). I believe it would have been better to keep it short; for me, the final 30 minutes are excruciating to watch.

Moreover, the first time I read the book on Edie by Jean Stein I was in my late teens (now I am 31)and I idealized all this "counterculture"; now I saw this film and it was pretty painful to watch at times...it almost seems cruel and coldhearted to have even asked Edie to finish this film because it is evident that her end is right around the corner. Once again in my humble opinion there was no need for so many topless scenes, it just makes the whole atmosphere gloomier, it seems like she did not even care anymore to at least get dressed (we know she was supposed to be acting, but still, what we would think is her real personality seems to be present at all times). Obviously so much of this is drug related, in the beginning she speaks so enthusiastically of speed, almost as if it were her lover; the return to the color scenes make the destruction the drugs caused much more apparent and dramatic.

I give this four stars because it is still a must see for any person interested in the seventies and contemporary history-culture, but you might consider buying it used instead of new (I guess it must not be readily available in any local rental). Everyone's opinion is different, of course, but chances are it will not get that much replay on your dvd.
August 30, 2008

Extremely depressing, but worth seeing.

I didn't know exactly what to expect when I purchased Ciao!. It was definitely filmed on her "downhill" slide, and that is very sad to see. Especially in the color footage, it is obvious that years of hard drug usage have taken their toll.

It also seems like she is topless throughout most of the color footage after the breast implants, which the filmmakers indicate was her idea/choice.

If you're a big fan, I would recommend Ciao!, however, I do not think it is a good introduction to Edie Sedgwick. I hope that someday soon they re-release all her early Warhol films; in my opinion I would rather own those.

There are some very insightful and funny parts, and despite the alleged inebriation of most of the crew/cast, it is very well-filmed.

The bonus features are interesting, especially the Betsey Johnson interview. I had no idea she designed Edie's clothes.
April 24, 2008

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Edie: Girl on Fire
by David Weisman, Melissa Painter

Edie: American Girl
by Jean Stein
by George Plimpton

Factory Girl (Unrated)
by Michael Grady, Dana E. Glauberman, Michael Levine, Simon Monjack, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Yari
Directed by George Hickenlooper
Starring Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Fallon, Jack Huston
The Weinstein Company

Edie Factory Girl
by David Dalton
by Nat Finkelstein

Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film
Directed by Ric Burns
Starring Paul Morrissey, Pat Hackett, Irving Blum, Donna De Salvo (II), Salvador Dalí
PBS Paramount