Ciao! Manhattan

Ciao! Manhattan, a captivating counter-culture film from 1972, features prominent socialite and model of the time, Edie Sedgwick, in the starring role. Directed by John Palmer and David Weisman, this truly unique piece of cinematic art presents a semi-autobiographical portrayal of Sedgwick's life in a blend of fact and fiction. Not merely a narrative story, this cutting-edge movie operates on multiple levels, functioning as an influential touchstone of 60s and 70s era underground film, a homage to the talented and oft-misunderstood Edie Sedgwick, and an unflinching exploration of a doomed Siren of the Silver Age.

The storyline threads together two timelines— a black-and-white 1967 and a color 1971— to create an unusual hybrid of documentary-style film and scripted drama. The 1967 scenes capture the raw energy and chaos of the New York underground scene, featuring Edie Sedgwick as an iconic and vibrant model-turned-actress at the center of it all.

Contrasting these scenes are the 1971 segments, shot in color, where Sedgwick plays Susan Superstar, a character closely resembling herself in real life, and possibly a critique of the era's celebrity obsession. Here, the audience glimpses Sedgwick’s tragic desperation and descent. Now living in a drained swimming pool at a villa in Santa Barbara, California, Susan Superstar reflects on her life in a haze of drugs and lost dreams, while intermittently interacting with the film's other characters.

First among these characters is Wesley Hayes in the role of aspiring Hollywood actor and helper, Paul America. He enters Susan's life abruptly, and they share an intense, albeit twisted relationship centered around mutual use and manipulation. The film also features an impressive performance from veteran actress Isabel Jewell who portrays Susan's desperate mother.

Themes of substance abuse, glamour, fame, and ultimately, the steep fall from grace, are explored with brutal honesty in Ciao! Manhattan. The film’s surreal aura and symbolic imagery generate a subtext that embraces the realities of a new age yet fears its consequences. The layered narrative concludes on an eerie crescendo, leaving a distinct and thought-provoking impression.

Cinematographically, Ciao! Manhattan is an experience in itself. The striking use of black-and-white versus color footage serves not just as a device to distinguish the two timelines but a commentary on the stark shift in culture and mindset between the end of the 60s and the dawn of the 70s. The juxtaposition serves as an embodiment of the culture shock experienced during a critical and revolutionary period in American history.

Performance-wise, there is no denying Edie Sedgwick's compelling screen presence. In her final film role before her untimely death, Sedgwick’s portrayal of Susan Superstar is both haunting and electric. The camera emphasizes her waif-like beauty and vulnerability, which embody the allure and imminent danger of the counterculture movement.

Not a typical Hollywood film, Ciao! Manhattan is a confusing, disorienting, and sometimes disturbing viewing experience due to its nonlinear structure and graphic content. Yet, its innovative style, raw performances, and intense reflection on an era make it a critical part of the historical record. This is a film that mirrors, critiques, and mourns the era it portrays.

Intriguingly, Ciao! Manhattan does not shy away from confronting dark aspects of the human condition and the consequences of fame, while simultaneously underscoring the lure of such a lifestyle. The narrative is imbued with an undertone of melancholy and inevitability as the charm of Susan's youth, beauty, and unconventionality is inevitably reduced to a mere subsistence in the sun-bleached emptiness of an abandoned pool.

Ciao! Manhattan is an embodiment of the experimental cinema of its time. Groundbreaking and poignant, it serves as a tragically glamorous time capsule of an extraordinarily transformative period in American culture and one woman’s mesmerizing, though ultimately tragic, journey through it.

Though the narrative structure may challenge some viewers, for those with an interest in art-house cinema, avant-garde films, or the late-60s era, Ciao! Manhattan is an essential piece of film history, showcasing the rise and fall of an icon and her subculture.