Really, it's not much of a surprise that I'm a HUGE fan of Grey Gardens.
I mean: documentary: check; filmed in a neglected overgrown estate at the hamptons: check; eccentric characters: check; distant relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis: check; women who burst into song at a moments notice while seemingly oblivious to the squalor surrounding them and, at the same time, managing to look fabulous draped in nothing but fabric remants: check and CHECK. What's not to love?
I saw the original movie a year or so ago and was completely mezmerized by the the two Edie's. Last night I enjoyed "The Beales of Grey Gardens", a film pieced together in 2006 from unused footage shot by the film makers, brothers Albert and David Maysles, in the mid seventies. This sequel is no less interesting than the original. It has a behind-the-scenes feel as it does show some interaction between the film makers and the Beales. More amazing costumes from Little Edie; more heartfelt recitations from Mama Edie. More eccentricity. More...MORE!
Of course, in my usual stumble-across-it-a-decade-or-two-after-everyone-else fashion, I'm far from alone in my love for the Bouvier-Beales. There's the Broadway musical starring Williams Sledd's good friend, Christine Ebersole, and I hear tell there is a feature film in production.
I mean: documentary: check; filmed in a neglected overgrown estate at the hamptons: check; eccentric characters: check; distant relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis: check; women who burst into song at a moments notice while seemingly oblivious to the squalor surrounding them and, at the same time, managing to look fabulous draped in nothing but fabric remants: check and CHECK. What's not to love?
I saw the original movie a year or so ago and was completely mezmerized by the the two Edie's. Last night I enjoyed "The Beales of Grey Gardens", a film pieced together in 2006 from unused footage shot by the film makers, brothers Albert and David Maysles, in the mid seventies. This sequel is no less interesting than the original. It has a behind-the-scenes feel as it does show some interaction between the film makers and the Beales. More amazing costumes from Little Edie; more heartfelt recitations from Mama Edie. More eccentricity. More...MORE!
Of course, in my usual stumble-across-it-a-decade-or-two-after-everyone-else fashion, I'm far from alone in my love for the Bouvier-Beales. There's the Broadway musical starring Williams Sledd's good friend, Christine Ebersole, and I hear tell there is a feature film in production.
I suppose it was inevitable that I'd do a search and find Edie's obituary.
Even so, I prefer to imagine her still running around at Grey Gardens in her amazing get-ups with her signature broach, reading her horoscope through a magnifying glass while musing about her old beaus, and reflecting on the wonders of a "staunch woman".
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