Ostensibly a documentary about Edy Sedgwick, the iconic face of Andy Warhol's Factory, CIAO! MANHATTAN is actually a scripted drama in which all the actors play themselves. Warhol's films are often characterized by an immediacy that creates a sense of voyeurism for the viewer. However, this film has become a legitimate profile of ephemeral starlet Edy Sedgwick, as well as an in-depth look at New York during the late 1960s.

Edie stars as Susan, at first a topless California hitchhiker and later a pill-popping Vogue sensation flitting about Andy Warhol's New York scene. Susan is a disenchanted young woman who has left New York City for her mother's home in California. Sleeping in the dilapidated swimming pool, she is trapped in a strange world, suffocated by her overly domestic, pie-baking mother. Her memories of New York are shown through flashbacks, where she was part of Warhol's infamous family of artists and eccentrics. Shocking, entertaining, and moving, CIAO! MANHATTAN is a seminal piece of 1960s cinema that is in a genre all its own.

Theatrical release: January 1, 1972

The budget of the film was $20,000.

Edie Sedgwick's costumes for CIAO! MANHATTAN were designed by Betsey Johnson, who also designed clothes for the Velvet Underground.

George Plimpton, who coauthored (with Jean Stein) EDIE: AN AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, contributes an interview to the DVD.

Stripped and Strapped was the name of the original screenplay that inspired the first 1967 shoot for what would eventually become CIAO! MANHATTAN.

During the California shoot, Edie Sedgwick was just coming out of rehab.

Edie Sedgwick had undergone breast enhancement surgery not long before the film was made, and, happy with herself, spent a good amount screen time topless.

Edie Sedgwick died at age 28 on November 15, 1971.

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Letterbox - 1.85
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary: John Palmer and David Weisman - Directors, Wesley Hayes - Star
Featurette: The Lost CIAO! MANHATTAN Reels
Production Interviews:
1. George Plimpton - Author
2. Betsey Johnson - Costume Designer
3. David Weisman - Director
4. Wesley Hayes - Star
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Text/Photo Galleries:
Stills/Photos

John Palmer: Director/Warhol Crew
David Weisman: American Producer

Robert Margouleff: Producer, CIAO! MANHATTAN (1972)
David Weisman: American Producer

John Palmer: Director/Warhol Crew
David Weisman: American Producer