Grey Gardens

I'm a big fan of documentary films, especially ones that focus on real people's lives. Today I want to mention one that I saw last night called Grey Gardens. It was filmed by a guy named Albert Maysles, who also did the documentary Gimme Shelter about the Rolling Stones at Altamonte.

In a real way I hate to say this because the film was about real people, but this one gave me the creeps in a profound way. Both of the main subjects have since passed away, though, so hopefully I won't hurt anyone's feelings too badly.

The film was shot in 1975. The subjects are Edith Bouvier Beale, nearing 80, and her daughter Edie, aunt and cousin respectively to Jackie Bouvier/Kennedy/Onnasis. They reside in a huge 28 room house on Long Island, near the beach in an affluent neighborhood. For reasons that aren't explained but are easily guessed at, the two are shunned by their high society neighbors.

At one point the neighbors brought charges against the two forcing Jackie herself to come in and help them remove the cat and racoon droppings, overgrown weeds and just plain filth that overcame the house. This film is shot some time after that incident , but from the looks of things it won't be long before it happens again.

Despite their surroundings and their seeming obsession with regretting events in the past, the two don't seem all that unhappy. Edie dances and dresses in an extremely bizarre fashion (much of what she wears being hand-me-downs from here more famous cousin). Edith is too old to do much dancing (79) but definitely sings up a storm. Much of the dialog didn't make much sense to me - Edith and Edie seem to speak in their own language, a subdialect of Long Island-ese unique to themselves.

I suppose the feeling that I got from watching this film is that being born to a life of privilege, while envied by many, can be emotionally crippling.

It reminds me of the words to a Simon and Garfunkel song Richard Corey (which was itself based on a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson).

I'm not sure if I recommend this film. It's not for everyone. And I certainly wouldn't watch it purely for for entertainment - I found it a bit tedious and extremely odd. But I'm glad I saw it.