Some revealing historical facts are scattered through "The Ballad of Greenwich Village," Karen Kramer's documentary exalting that famous bohemian neighorhood of Manhattan. Its history of dissent, for example, is traced all the way to 1811, when the local residents refused to go along with the rest of the borough and have their streets divided into an orderly grid.

Most of the film, however, is devoted to sound bites from celebrities who used to live or hang out in the Village. Woody Allen; Norman Mailer; Maya Angelou; Edward Albee; Judy Collins; Richie Havens; Peter, Paul and Mary; and Tim Robbins are among those who offer impressions and anecdotes. Most of it, including the text of a narration delivered by Lili Taylor, is superficial fluff that amounts to little more than cheerleading for the wild old days before gentrification in the 1980's. New York University is given a slap on the wrist for contributing to the neighborhood's loss of character by evicting artists who had resided for years on its real estate.

The movie flows in a rush of vintage photos and film clips of rallies, outdoor hootenannies and visits to landmarks like Chumley's and the White Horse Tavern. Precious time is squandered interviewing current longtime residents (including the inevitable part-time transvestite), who have little to say beyond the obvious. If you were gay, you could be yourself in Greenwich Village. If you were an artist, you could find a sense of community. Ho-hum.

Mr. Mailer is the most amusingly candid. When he was growing up in Brooklyn, the Village was the place to go to score with women, he recalls; any woman who lived there, he adds, was considered easy game.

Watching the movie is like leafing through a heavily illustrated coffee-table book that is mostly pictures (many very familiar) with skimpy captions. A rare film clip shows Ms. Angelou in her days as a calypso singer. Here are the Beat poets, Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso. There's the young, scruffy Bob Dylan. There are the Stonewall riots. At its best, "The Ballad of Greenwich Village" is a pleasant, nostalgic trifle.

The Ballad of Greenwich Village

Opens today in Manhattan

Produced and directed by Karen Kramer; written by Ms. Kramer and Jeanne Houck; directors of photography, Axel Baumann, Todd Liebler and Andy Suhl; edited by Molly McKinley; music by APM Music; released by Erzulie Films. At the Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street, Greenwich Village. Running time: 70 minutes. This film is not rated.