During the final days of our now-shuttered Sixth Avenue Food Emporium, frequent spontaneous conversations took place between usually solitary shoppers with concerns such as, “where was the closest place to buy milk, what might move into this space, how would our community weather the influx of scores of luxury condos?” Recently, just beyond the produce section, one such chat moved from the loss of groceries to the closing of St. Vincent’s (soon to be Greenwich Lane Condos, Townhouses and Maisonettes), from local government support or lack thereof, to the significant changes that forever alter the very essence of a neighborhood. That’s when I met Village resident and filmmaker Amy Nicholson, whose documentary Zipper: Coney Island’s Last Wild Ride examines these very themes.
Zipper is not just a film about the iconic and now defunct Coney Island ride that enthralled and terrified generations of thrill seekers. Amy uses its demise as a lens through which viewers witness the decay that had taken over the iconic New York City site and the behind-the-scenes machinations between the city and the real estate giant Thor Equities to turn it into a gentrified residential, commerce-driven entertainment retail destination. While poignant interviews with the Zipper’s owner and crew illustrate the despair and frustration of the “locals” within the amusement community as their neighborhood, their livelihoods, and their reality were being bulldozed into urban blight, none of those swooping in to “save” the area – not the Bloomberg Administration, The Economic Development Corporation, local politicians or Joe Sitt, billionaire owner/founder of Thor – seemed particularly interested in preserving Coney Island in any way that celebrated its gritty past.
Nicholson weaves her story mixing footage of the Zipper’s owner and crew – revisiting their past on Coney Island, entertaining customers, and dismantling their beloved ride – with interviews and presentations from Sitt and city officials. The juxtaposition captures the smaller story of one lost attraction with the contentious battle that ensued over what Coney Island would become.
The film raises thought provoking questions not just about Coney Island, but the city as a whole. Who shapes the future? Who decides what direction an area should be going in? What best serves a community? Whose money is being spent? Should artificial or natural development be encouraged? Is branding an area appropriate? What makes something authentic? What about cultural heritage?
Is history being erased?
After the Coney Island Amusement District was rezoned and reduced from 60 acres to 9, even more questions about the area were raised. City government is supposed to serve the people, how were the people served? Are there now more jobs than before? Was the affordable housing promise fulfilled? Will the surrounding neighborhood really benefit?
As the developer was snatching up parcels of land and kicking vendors out, he was effectively holding the city hostage, extorting exorbitant prices for his oceanfront property. Additionally, while he and the city did public battle over their conflicting views of what Coney Island should be, the film did a remarkable job of showing that each side’s homogenized version was remarkably similar. The losers in all this were the local residents, the shop owners, the ride guys, the game operators, and the millions who flocked there for decades. They are left with nothing but a potential reinvention devoid of the urban edge, the fringe factor, even the seediness, that made Coney Island unique for so many years and to so many people.
A one week engagement of Zipper at the IFC Center (323 Sixth Avenue at WestStreet) begins August . The filmmaker will be in attendance for opening weekend. Learn more at www.zipperfilm.com LIKE on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zipperfilm follow @zipperfilm
