FILMS: The Real Reel

"It’s the real reel. Real people play themselves on film. They’re not acting, but ‘acting out.’" That’s how director, David Weisman, described his Edie Sedgwick film "Ciao Manhattan," which chronicled the drug-hazed, dark underside of the excess and celebrity that characterized the ‘60's it girl/Andy Warhol muse’s world. We watched the flick during a DVD marathon night that included "Grey Gardens," "Style Wars," and "The Legend of Leigh Bowery." Weisman’s philosophy bugged us out considering that the actors were actually playing out the real-life tragic events that had happened in the past (shock therapy, rape, amphetamine use, drug smuggling, etc.). It’s sort of like an incredibly dark, psychedelic precursor to reality tv. A particular standout in the film, was Pat Hartley, Andy Warhol’s only African-American superstar that we know of. If only "The Real World" and "Surreal Life" were half as entertaining. Oh, and Betsey Johnson did the costumes. Talk about fashion forward.
-Muse
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