Chelsea Walls (2001)

This movie tells five stories set in a single day at the famed Chelsea Hotel in New York City, involving an ensemble cast of some 30-35 characters.

Director:

Ethan Hawke

Writers:

Nicole Burdette (play), Nicole Burdette

Stars:

Paz de la Huerta, Vincent D'Onofrio, Bianca Hunter

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bianca Hunter	...	Lorna Doone
Kevin Corrigan	...	Crutches
Rosario Dawson	...	Audrey
Matthew Del Negro	...	Rookie Cop
Paz de la Huerta	...	Girl (as Paz De La Huerta)
Guillermo Díaz	...	Kid
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Frank
Paul D. Failla	...	Cop (as Paul Failla)
Kris Kristofferson	...	Bud
Robert Sean Leonard	...	Terry Olsen
Duane McLaughlin	...	Wall
Natasha Richardson	...	Mary
Jimmy Scott	...	Skinny Bones
John Seitz	...	Dean
Mark Strand	...	Journalist

Storyline

In New York's storied Chelsea Hotel, a novelist, a dancer, a painter, a poet, an aged jazz singer, and a young troubadour sort out their personal and artistic lives within walls haunted by the likes of Dylan Thomas, O. Henry, and Sarah Bernhardt. A boozy novelist balances wife, mistress, and stories. A dancer who's a waitress in the basement club chooses between a Hollywood jerk and a local painter. A youth from Minnesota who composes and sings may be the next Bob Dylan. A poet decides to give her feckless boyfriend another chance, even as her eyes tell us she knows what's ahead. An old jazz artist wants to place a bet and share his love for Lady Day. These walls do seem to talk.

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Plot Keywords:

painter | novelist | dancer | poet | hotel | 

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Taglines:

a million stories tall

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 2002 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Last Word on Paradise

Filming Locations:

Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,003, 21 April 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$59,675, 16 June 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chelsea Walls Inc.,IFC Productions,InDigEnt (Independent Digital Entertainment)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tuesday Weld's last film appearance as of 2017.

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Quotes

Terry Olsen: Why do they call you Lorna Doone? Ain't that a cookie?
Lorna Doone: You can call me whatever you want.

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Connections

References The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992)

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Soundtracks

Lament
(1937)
Written by Dylan Thomas
Performed by John Seitz

User Reviews

think before you speak

I feel so ashamed for the people who have trashed this film, they obviously don't know a lot about movies. This film is a wonderful work of art, and it seems that many of the people posting comments here don't appreciate art. Many have noted the grainy and obscure shots in the movie, that is because it was filmed entirely in digital format. It is the second film in the InDigEnt series of films shot entirely on digital, and on a budget of $150,000 or less (another film in this project being Richard Linklater's "Tape", which is an AMAZING film). The film was shot over a period of 16 days using Sony PD-100 digital cameras. As for the writing and characters that have been belittled, these characters are not entirely the creation of screenwriter Nicole Burdette, the story was inspired by the play "Under Milk Wood" by a man called Dylan Thomas, you may have heard of him... if you haven't, go to school, and then come back and critique this movie. Thomas actually resided in the Chelsea at one point in time, as well as Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. And if you didn't enjoy the music of the film by Wilco/Jeff Tweedy... shame on you. Chelsea Walls is a wonderful film, directed by an amazing artist. For Hawke's directorial debut, I think he did a wonderful job.