Susan Bottomly
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| - | '''''Chelsea Girls''''' is a 1966 [[experimental film|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 film]]s (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 superstars|Warhol's superstars]]. It is presented in a [[split screen (video production)|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 (album)|Chelsea Girl]]''. The album featured a ballad-like track titled "[[Chelsea Girls (song)|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 later was influenced by [[Francis Bacon (artist)|Francis Bacon]]. | + | '''Susan Bottomly''' (born 1950), also known as '''International Velvet''', is a former American [[Model (person)|model]] and [[actress]]. She is known for her appearances in several of [[Andy Warhol]]'s [[underground film]]s. |
| - | With its creativity and eroticism, the poster for the movie captures the sensual 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”. | + | ==Early life and career== |
| - | + | Born in [[Boston]], Bottomly is the daughter of John Bottomly, a lawyer who prosecuted the [[Boston Strangler]]. At the age of 16, she began modeling with the [[Ford Models|Ford Agency]] and appeared on the cover of ''[[Mademoiselle (magazine)|Mademoiselle]]'' magazine. The following year Bottomly met poet and [[The Factory|Factory]] regular [[Gerard Malanga]] who introduced her to Warhol. After appearing in a ''Screen Test'', Bottomly was renamed '''International Velvet''' and went on to appear in ''[[Since (film)|Since]]'' (1966), ''Superboy'' (1966), ''[[Chelsea Girls]]'' (1966), ''[[Four Stars (1967 film)|**** (The 24 Hour Movie)]]'' (1967), and ''[[Midnight Cowboy]]'' (1969). | |
| - | ==Production== | + | |
| - | According to scriptwriter [[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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| - | The film was shot in the summer and early autumn of 1966 in various rooms and locations inside the Hotel Chelsea, though contrary to the film's title, only poet [[René Ricard]] actually lived there at the time. Filming also took place at Warhol's studio [[The Factory]]. Appearing in the film were many of Warhol's regulars, including [[Nico]], [[Brigid Berlin]], [[Gerard Malanga]], [[Mary Woronov]] as Hanoi Hannah, Ingrid Superstar, [[Susan Bottomly|International Velvet]] and [[Eric Emerson]]. According to Burns' documentary, Warhol and his companions completed an average of one 33-minute segment per week. | + | |
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| - | Once principal photography wrapped, Warhol and co-director [[Paul Morrissey]] selected the 12 most striking vignettes they had filmed and then projected them side by side to create a visual juxtaposition of both contrasting images and divergent content (the so-called "white" or light and innocent aspects of life against the "black" or darker, more disturbing aspects.) As a result, the 6.5 hour running time was essentially cut in half, to 3 hours and 15 minutes. However, part of Warhol's concept for the film was that it would be unlike watching a regular movie because the two projectors could never achieve exact synchronization from viewing to viewing; therefore, despite specific instructions of where individual sequences would be played during the running time, each viewing of the film would, in essence, be an entirely different experience. | + | |
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| - | Several of the sequences have gone on to attain a [[cult following|cult status]], most notably the "Pope" sequence, featuring avant-garde actor and poet Robert Olivo, or Ondine as he called himself, as well as a segment featuring [[Mary Woronov]] titled "Hanoi Hannah," one of two portions of the film scripted specifically by Tavel. | + | |
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| - | Notably missing is a sequence Warhol shot with his most popular superstar [[Edie Sedgwick]] which, according to Morrissey, Warhol excised from the final film at the insistence of Sedgwick, who claimed she was under contract to [[Bob Dylan]]'s manager [[Albert Grossman]] at the time the film was made. Sedgwick's footage was used in the Warhol film ''Afternoon''. | + | |
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| - | ==Cast== | + | |
| - | The cast of the film is largely made up of persons playing themselves, and are credited as follows: | + | |
| - | * [[Brigid Berlin]] as herself (The Duchess) | + | |
| - | * [[Nico]] as herself | + | |
| - | * [[Ondine (actor)|Ondine]] as himself (Pope) | + | |
| - | * Ingrid Superstar as herself | + | |
| - | * Randy Bourscheidt as himself | + | |
| - | * Angelina 'Pepper' Davis as herself | + | |
| - | * Christian Aaron Boulogne as himself | + | |
| - | * [[Mary Woronov]] as Hanoi Hannah | + | |
| - | * Ed Hood as himself | + | |
| - | * Ronna as herself | + | |
| - | * [[Susan Bottomly|International Velvet]] as herself | + | |
| - | * Rona Page as herself | + | |
| - | * [[Rene Ricard]] as himself | + | |
| - | * [[Dorothy Dean]] as herself | + | |
| - | * Patrick Fleming as himself | + | |
| - | * [[Eric Emerson]] as himself | + | |
| - | * Donald Lyons as himself | + | |
| - | * [[Gerard Malanga]] as Son | + | |
| - | * [[Marie Menken]] as Mother | + | |
| - | * Arthur Loeb as himself | + | |
| - | * [[Mario Montez]] as Transvestite | + | |
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| - | ==Critical reception== | + | |
| - | Although the film garnered the most commercial success of Warhol's films, reaction to it was mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 50%, based on reviews from 10 critics. | + | |
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| - | Roger Ebert reviewed the film in June 1967, and had a negative response to it, granting it one star out of four. In his review of the film, he stated, "what we have here is 3½ hours of split-screen improvisation poorly photographed, hardly edited at all, employing perversion and sensation like chili sauce to disguise the aroma of the meal. Warhol has nothing to say and no technique to say it with. He simply wants to make movies, and he does: hours and hours of them." ''Variety'' wrote that the film was "a pointless, excruciatingly dull three-and-a-half hours spent in the company of Andy Warhol's friends." | + | |
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| - | Kenneth Baker of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' reviewed the film in honor of its screening in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2002, and gave the film a positive review, stating "The tyranny of the camera is the oppression ''The Chelsea Girls'' records and imposes. No wonder it still seems radical, despite all we have seen onscreen and off since 1966." Jonathan Rosenbaum also gave the film a positive review, stating that "the results are often spellbinding; the juxtaposition of two film images at once gives the spectator an unusual amount of freedom in what to concentrate on and what to make of these variously whacked-out performers." ''TV Guide'' reviewed the film in December 2006, granting it four stars, calling it "fascinating, provocative, and hilarious" and "a film whose importance as a 1960s cultural statement outweighs any intrinsic value it may have as a film." | + | |
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| - | ==See also== | + | |
| - | * [[Andy Warhol filmography]] | + | |
| - | * [[Hotel Chelsea]] | + | |
| - | * [[Reality films]] | + | |
| - | * [[Arthouse cinema]] | + | |
| - | * [[Chelsea Girls (Alan Aldridge poster)]] | + | |
| + | She was, in Warhol's words, "very beautiful". A tall, long-necked brunette with graceful physicality, she impressed the artist deeply. She worked diligently on her personal [[cosmetics]] regimen, a process which Warhol observed with fascination: "Watching someone like Susan Bottomly, who had such perfect, full, fine features, doing all this on her face was like watching a beautiful statue painting itself." | ||
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Susan Bottomly (born 1950), also known as International Velvet, is a former American model and actress. She is known for her appearances in several of Andy Warhol's underground films.
[edit]
Early life and career
Born in Boston, Bottomly is the daughter of John Bottomly, a lawyer who prosecuted the Boston Strangler. At the age of 16, she began modeling with the Ford Agency and appeared on the cover of Mademoiselle magazine. The following year Bottomly met poet and Factory regular Gerard Malanga who introduced her to Warhol. After appearing in a Screen Test, Bottomly was renamed International Velvet and went on to appear in Since (1966), Superboy (1966), Chelsea Girls (1966), **** (The 24 Hour Movie) (1967), and Midnight Cowboy (1969).
She was, in Warhol's words, "very beautiful". A tall, long-necked brunette with graceful physicality, she impressed the artist deeply. She worked diligently on her personal cosmetics regimen, a process which Warhol observed with fascination: "Watching someone like Susan Bottomly, who had such perfect, full, fine features, doing all this on her face was like watching a beautiful statue painting itself."
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