Queen of the Deuce

I did not know about Chelly Wilson until last night when my wife and I watched this documentary about her incredible life. Here's a remarkable woman who narrowly escaped the holocaust, immigrated to America with five bucks and built a small porn theater empire in NYC against all odds. Chances are, I visited one of her theaters, fresh out of high school in the 80s.

The archival footage is rich. Where there were lacks, the producers used excellent animation, layered with authentic audio interviews. The film flows, you can't stop watching. I found the balance of humor and seriousness just right, considering the range of the material, from the tragedy of the holocaust to the eccentric life Chelsy built.