''The Beales of Grey Gardens'' is a documentary film by

Albert Maysles Albert Maysles (November 26, 1926 – March 5, 2015) and his brother David Maysles (January 10, 1931 – January 3, 1987; ) were an American documentary filmmaking team known for their work in the Direct Cinema style. Their best-known films i ...

, David Maysles and Ian Markiewicz, released in 2006.

Background

This film is a follow-up to the celebrated 1975 documentary ''

Grey Gardens ''Grey Gardens'' is a 1975 American documentary film by Albert and David Maysles. 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 ...

'' about

Jackie Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

's aunt and cousin, "Big" Edie and "Little" Edie Beale. This film is composed entirely of footage not used in the original documentary that was shot at the Beale estate in East Hampton.

''The Beales of Grey Gardens'' gives greater insight into the simultaneously contentious and loving relationship between the mother and daughter, as well as their relationship with the young caretaker, Jerry, their multitude of cats, and

Lois Wright Lois Erdmann Wright is an American artist, author, and television personality. She is best known for her appearance in the 1975 independent documentary film ''Grey Gardens'' by Albert and David Maysles. She is the author of the memoir ''My Life ...

, a friend who briefly appeared in ''

'' at the celebration of "Big" Edie's birthday. It includes a dramatic scene of a small fire in the second floor hallway of the mansion, which explains the large hole in the wall shown in the first film. In an interview filmed on the front porch, "Little" Edie claims that a newspaper in East Hampton claimed that she had

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...

, which she denied, saying "No Beales are schizophrenic!" Several scenes depict "Little" Edie discussing her relationship with her father, which she described as difficult; the importance of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in her life; the Republican Party; the renovations done to the mansion following the raid; the title of the original documentary; and the loss of several boyfriends in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. "Little" Edie revealed that she had not been invited to the wedding of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

and

Jacqueline Bouvier Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...

in 1953. Also revealed is that "Big" Edie liked "Little" Edie to change costumes ten times a day. This explains "Little" Edie's constantly changing wardrobe in the original ''Grey Gardens''.

Reception

The film has 71% "fresh" rating on ''

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

''.

Music

You Oughta Be in Pictures "You Oughta Be in Pictures" is a 1934 song composed by the American songwriting team Dana Suesse and Edward Heyman. It was recorded two weeks later by Rudy Vallée for RCA Records and rapidly became the unofficial anthem of the American film indu ...

" *"Lorraine Lorraine Lorree" *"V.M.I. March" *"I Dream Too Much" *"Spring Will Be a Little Late" *" Around the World" *"Should I Be Sweet?" *"

Don't Ever Leave Me ''Don't Ever Leave Me'' is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Petula Clark, Jimmy Hanley, Hugh Sinclair, Edward Rigby, and Anthony Newley. Produced by Betty Box during her stint at Gainsborough Pictures, it wa ...

" *"

If I Loved You "If I Loved You" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' Carousel''. Background In the show, the characters of Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan sing this song as they hesitantly declare their love for one another, yet are ...

References

External links

* *
The Beales of Grey Gardens''The Beales of Grey Gardens: Still Crazy After All These Years''
an essay by

Michael Musto Michael Musto (born December 3, 1955) is an American journalist who has long been a prevalent presence in entertainment-related publications, as well as on websites and television shows. Musto is best known as a columnist for '' The Village Voi ...

at the Criterion Collection American documentary films 2006 films Beale family Films directed by Albert and David Maysles 2006 documentary films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{bio-documentary-film-stub

Background

Contents

Reception

Music

References

External links