Grey Gardens (1975)
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A documentary captures the lives of two reclusive, upper-class women living in a decaying mansion in the Hamptons.
The story
The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive, upper-class women, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived in poverty at Grey Gardens, a derelict mansion in the wealthy Georgica Pond neighborhood of East Hampton, New York. Using a direct cinema technique, the filmmakers allowed the women to tell their own stories within the confines of their deteriorating estate. The documentary captures their lives in a state of isolation and decay, following a period where their living conditions were exposed by local authorities and media reports.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive, upper-class women, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived in poverty at Grey Gardens, a derelict mansion in East Hampton, New York. The women, known as 'Big Edie' and 'Little Edie', were the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. They lived in the mansion for over 50 years, which became infested with pests and filled with debris. Following a series of inspections by the Suffolk County Health Department, their situation was publicized, and they were faced with eviction. In 1972, Jacqueline Onassis and Lee Radziwill provided funds to repair the house. The film, directed by Albert and David Maysles, uses a direct cinema technique to let the women tell their own stories. The documentary was released in 1976 and received wide critical acclaim.
- First release year
- 1975
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Albert Maysles; David Maysles; Ellen Hovde; Muffie Meyer
- Cast and characters
- Edith "Big Edie" Ewing Bouvier Beale · herself; Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale · herself; Brooks Hyers · himself—Gardener; Jerry Torre · himself-Handyman; Norman Vincent Peale · himself (voice); Jack Helmuth · himself—Birthday Guest (uncredited); Albert Maysles · himself (uncredited); David Maysles · himself (uncredited); Lois Wright · herself—Birthday Guest (uncredited)
- Genres
- documentary
- Themes
- isolation; decay; self-assertion
- Tone and mood
- observational
- Reception
- The film was released to wide critical acclaim and was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. It has been ranked as one of the best documentary films of all time by both Sight and Sound and PBS.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 83 · scale: 100 · review count: 16
- Production trivia
- The film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.; The house was designed in 1897 by Joseph Greenleaf Thorpe.; The film was adapted into a musical that premiered in 2006.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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