Grey Gardens (The Maysles Brothers, 1975): USA

Reviewed by Kevin Tran. Viewed on DVD.

People don’t watch films for the plot; they watch them for the characters. If we don’t like the characters, then we don’t like the film. I suppose that’s the best way to recommend watching Grey Gardens , the story of an old mother and her middle-aged daughter (big and little Edie Beale), the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who live their eccentric lives in a filthy, decaying mansion in East Hampton. Perhaps from the very first scene, in which you hear the two jabber at one another in their parrot-like voices, you’ll form instant opinions about whether or not to continue watching the film. Let me tell you now that the two don’t change from that point on, and that we only go deeper into their secluded world.

I found the couple to be incredibly odd, and thus, wondrously fascinating. As a documentary, the film sticks strictly to a very primitive vérité style. There is no voice-over, and Little Edie’s incessant squabbling and song provides a majority of the film’s narrative, or for that matter, narration. On the surface, this documentary may seem pointless, as it does little to inform you about anything you would think you would want to learn about. But there is something buried deep within Edie’s (big or little) ramblings about the nostalgic past and the Maysles’ editing style gives the film both meaning and substance.

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Published:
03.14.09 / 9pm
Category:
Documentary, DVD, Films