Albert Maysles (November 26, 1926 – March 5, 2015) and his brother David Maysles (January 10, 1931 – January 3, 1987; ) were an American

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

filmmaking team known for their work in the

Direct Cinema Direct cinema is a documentary genre that originated between 1958 and 1962—principally in Quebec and the United States—and was developed in France by Jean Rouch. It is a cinematic practice employing lightweight portable filming equipment, han ...

style. Their best-known films include ''

Salesman Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. A period during which goods are sold for a reduced price may also be referred ...

'' (1969), ''

Gimme Shelter "Gimme Shelter" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Jagger–Richards, it is the opening track of the band's 1969 album '' Let It Bleed''. The song covers the brutal realities of war, including murder, rape and f ...

'' (1970) and ''

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, ...

'' (1975).

Biography

Early lives

The brothers were born in the Dorchester neighborhood of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, living there until the family moved to

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline () is an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...

when Albert was 13. Albert and David's parents, both Jewish, were immigrants to the United States; their father, born in Ukraine, was employed as a postal clerk, while their mother, originally from Poland, was a schoolteacher. The family originally settled in Dorchester to be near relatives (the brothers' great-uncle Josef Maysles and his daughter and son-in-law, Becky and Joe Kandib) who had moved there earlier. Albert originally pursued a career as a

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

professor and researcher. After serving in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

Tank Corps during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Albert obtained a BA from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

and MA in psychology from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

. He taught psychology at Boston University for three years, also working as a research assistant at a mental hospital and as head of a research project at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

. As an outgrowth of his research work, he traveled to Russia to photograph a mental hospital, and returned the following year with a camera provided by

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

to film his first documentary, ''Psychiatry in Russia'' (1955). Although CBS did not air the film, it was televised on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

, on the

public broadcasting Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive f ...

station

WGBH-TV WGBH-TV (channel 2), branded GBH or GBH 2 since 2020, is the primary PBS List of PBS member stations, member television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Affiliated stations and facilities WGBH-TV is the Flagship (broadcasting), ...

in Boston, and on Canadian network television. David also studied psychology at Boston University, receiving a BA. Also like his brother, David served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. In the mid-1950s, he worked as a Hollywood production assistant on the

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

films ''

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelter (building), shelters ...

'' and ''

The Prince and the Showgirl ''The Prince and the Showgirl'' (originally titled '' The Sleeping Prince'') is a 1957 British romantic comedy film starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier, who also served as director and producer. The screenplay written by Terence Rattig ...

''. David later stated that he grew "disenchanted with conventional filming. The glamour had faded and the filming of take after take had become tedious." By 1957 he had teamed up with Albert to shoot two documentaries behind the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...

, ''Russian Close-Up'' (credited to Albert Maysles alone) and ''Youth in Poland'', the latter of which was broadcast on

. By 1960, the Maysles brothers had joined Drew Associates, the documentary film company founded by photojournalist

Robert Drew Robert Lincoln Drew (February 15, 1924 – July 30, 2014) was an American documentary filmmaker known as one of the pioneers—and sometimes called father—of cinéma vérité, or direct cinema, in the United States. Two of his films, ''Primar ...

which also included

Richard Leacock Richard Leacock (18 July 192123 March 2011)
The Telegraph (Lon ...

and D. A. Pennebaker. Albert would film, while David would handle sound. During this time, the brothers worked on Drew Associates films such as ''

Primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

'' and ''Adventures on the New Frontier''. In 1962, Albert and David left Drew Associates to form their own production company, Maysles Films, Inc.

Maysles brothers' collaborative years

The Maysles brothers made over 30 films together. They are best known for three documentaries made in the late 1960s and early 1970s: ''

'' (1969), ''

'' (1970), and ''

'' (1975). ''Salesman'' documents the work of a group of door-to-door

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

salesmen in New England and Florida. Deeper down, the film is a dissection of the degenerative and devastating effects of capitalism on small towns and individuals, but more than any political statement the film is about normal people in all their ugliness and truthfulness. ''Gimme Shelter'', a film about

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

' 1969 United States tour culminating in the disastrous

Altamont Free Concert The Altamont Speedway Free Festival was a counterculture rock concert in the United States, held on Saturday, December 6, 1969, at the Altamont Speedway outside of Tracy, California. Approximately 300,000 attended the concert, with some an ...

, unexpectedly captured on film the altercation between Altamont attendee Meredith Hunter and

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...

member Alan Passaro that resulted in Hunter's death. Film footage shows Hunter drawing and pointing a

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

just before being stabbed by Passaro, who was later acquitted of Hunter's murder on self-defense grounds after the jury viewed the footage. ''Grey Gardens'' depicts the lives of a reclusive upper-class mother and daughter, "Big Edie" and "Little Edie" Beale (who were, respectively, the aunt and cousin of

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

), residing in a derelict mansion in East Hampton, New York. In order to finance these films and others, the Maysleses also made commercials for clients such as

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

Shell Oil Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Y ...

and

Merrill Lynch Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, doing business as Merrill, and previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investm ...

. The Maysleses' films are considered examples of the style known as

direct cinema Direct cinema is a documentary genre that originated between 1958 and 1962—principally in Quebec and the United States—and was developed in France by Jean Rouch. It is a cinematic practice employing lightweight portable filming equipment, han ...

. The brothers would let the story unfold as the camera rolled, rather than planning what exactly they wanted to shoot, in keeping with Albert Maysles' stated approach, "Remember, as a documentarian you are an observer, an author but not a director, a discoverer, not a controller." However, the brothers also received criticism from those who thought that they had actually planned or otherwise influenced scenes. Most notably,

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...

's negative review of the film ''Gimme Shelter'' in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' included a harsh accusation that much of ''Gimme Shelter'' and ''Salesman'' had been staged and that the main subject of ''Salesman'', Paul Brennan, was not a Bible salesman as the film portrayed, but was actually a roofing-and-siding salesman recruited as a professional actor. The Maysles brothers threatened legal action against ''The New Yorker'' after this accusation. They also sent an open letter to ''The New Yorker'' refuting Kael's claims; however, because the magazine at the time did not publish letters, the letter did not appear in print until 1996. In the case of ''Grey Gardens'', the brothers were also accused of unfairly exploiting their subjects. Many of the Maysleses' documentaries focus on art, artists and musicians. The Maysleses documented

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' first visit to the United States in 1964, and a 1965 conceptual art project by

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

called "Cut Piece" in which she sat on the stage of

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

while audience members cut off her clothing with scissors. Several Maysles films document art projects by

Christo and Jeanne-Claude Christo Vladimirov Javacheff (1935–2020) and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (1935–2009), known as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, were artists noted for their large-scale, site-specific environmental installations, often large landmarks a ...

over a three-decade period, from 1974 when ''

Christo's Valley Curtain ''Christo's Valley Curtain'' is a 1974 American short documentary film directed by Albert and David Maysles, about Christo and Jeanne-Claude's '' Valley Curtain'' project. Accolades It was nominated for an Academy Award The Academy Awar ...

'' was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

, to 2005 when ''The Gates'' (started in 1979 and completed by Albert after David's death) headlined New York's

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

. Other Maysles subjects include

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics ...

Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing. Life ...

and

Seiji Ozawa was a Japanese conductor known internationally for his work as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and especially the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), where he served from 1973 for 29 years. After cond ...

. For many years, the Maysleses worked closely with film editor Charlotte Zwerin, who received a directing credit for her work on ''Gimme Shelter''. Zwerin eventually stopped working with the Maysleses because, according to Zwerin, they would not let her produce.

Death of David Maysles

David Maysles, the younger brother, died of a stroke on January 3, 1987, seven days shy of his 56th birthday, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Following his death, Albert was involved in litigation with David's widow over the terms of a financial settlement. According to David's daughter Celia Maysles, this resulted in the family developing a "code of silence" regarding David. In 2007, Celia released a documentary about her father, ''Wild Blue Yonder'', which included interviews with Albert.

Later life and death of Albert Maysles

After his brother's death, Albert Maysles continued to make films. His notable works include '' LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton'' (2001, co-directed with Deborah Dickson and Susan Froemke), which focused on the struggles of a poor African-American family living in the contemporary

Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazo ...

, and was nominated for an

for Best Documentary Feature; and '' The Love We Make'' (2011, co-directed with Bradley Kaplan) which documented

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

's experiences in

following the

September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, and premiered on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

on September 10, 2011, the eve of the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Albert continued the series of documentaries begun with David about the public art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. He also contributed cinematography to

Leon Gast Leon Jacques Gast (March 30, 1936 – March 8, 2021) was an American documentary film director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. His documentary, ''When We Were Kings'' depicts the iconic heavyweight boxing match: The Rumble in the Jungle b ...

-winning documentary ''

When We Were Kings ''When We Were Kings'' is a 1996 American documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the " Rumble in the Jungle" heavyweight championship boxing match that was held on October 30, 1974, in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) betw ...

'', about the "

Rumble in the Jungle George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as ''The Rumble in the Jungle'', was a heavyweight championship boxing match on October 30, 1974, at the 20th of May Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), between undefeated ...

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

–

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

championship boxing match. In 2005, Albert founded the Maysles Documentary Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the exhibition and production of documentary films that inspire dialogue and action, located in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

. Albert died of pancreatic cancer at his home in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

on March 5, 2015, aged 88. His films '' Iris'', about fashion icon Iris Apfel, and ''In Transit'', about the longest train route in the United States, were released posthumously later that year. At the time of his death, Albert had also been working on an autobiographical documentary ''Handheld and from the Heart''.

Legacy and contribution to documentary cinema

By letting real-life action unfold on camera without interference from the crew, the Maysleses pioneered the "fly on the wall" perspective in documentary cinema. This perspective is typical with the genre of documentary known as Direct Cinema which they helped pioneer. This genre is similar to cinéma vérité. They broke tradition with mid-century documentary tropes by eschewing narration, inter-titles and extraneous music tracks. The editing process could be interpreted as their narrative "voice," depending on what footage and sound they chose to use and how the timeline of the story unfolded in the final cut. Their success from a technical aspect was based in part on separating the camera from the sound recording device (David used a

Nagra Nagra is a brand of portable audio recorders produced from 1951 in Switzerland. Beginning in 1997 a range of high-end equipment aimed at the audiophile community was introduced, and Nagra expanded the company's product lines into new markets. O ...

) by accurately controlling the speed of the camera and the tape recorder, allowing the two devices to be moved independently with respect to each other, an impossibility in commercially available equipment at the time. Long takes with ordinary equipment of the era would invariably lose synchronization. Albert built his own 16 mm camera with existing parts that could be comfortably balanced on his shoulder, eliminating the need for a tripod, allowing him to shoot fluidly in the moment. He added a brace so he could hold the camera steady during long takes. He installed a mirror near the lens and a ring on the focus-pull and could then set the aperture and focus while the camera rolled, ensuring continuity during a take.Maysles, David; Maysles, Albert; Zwerin, Charlotte (Directors) (November 14, 2000). ''Gimme Shelter'' (Motion picture). The Criterion Collection DVD commentary: Maysles, Albert. Albert claimed to have a form of attention deficit disorder that made the leisurely pace of editing difficult for him but benefited him while shooting. Stating that his in-the-moment ability to focus let him, "Zero in on a situation as it's happening ith his cameraand pay much closer attention and somehow anticipate what's going to happen the next moment, be ready for it and get it, the way people with normal attention spans are incapable of doing." The Maysles brothers' films ''Salesman'' and ''Grey Gardens'' have been preserved in the Library of Congress'

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...

as being culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. In May 2002, Ralph Blumenthal in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' referred to Albert as "the dean of documentary film making" and

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

once called Albert "the best American cameraman". The moving image collection of Albert and David Maysles is held at the

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of mot ...

. The archive has preserved two of the Maysleses' films: ''Showman'', in 2012, and ''Salesman'', in 2018.

Awards

Their only Oscar nomination was for the 1973 short film ''

''. Albert was awarded a 2013 National Medal of Arts by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

on July 28, 2014. He also won a

Primetime Emmy The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

for 1991's ''Soldiers of Music''. David won a

for 1985's ''Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic'' alongside Albert.

Filmography

Filmography of Albert and David Maysles

* ''Youth in Poland'' (1957) * ''Showman'' (1963) – featuring

Joseph E. Levine Joseph Edward Levine (September 9, 1905 – July 31, 1987) was an American film distributor, financier and producer. At the time of his death, it was said he was involved in one or another capacity with 497 films. Levine was responsible for the ...

* ''Orson Welles in Spain'' (1963) * ''What's Happening! The Beatles In The U.S.A.'' (1964) – featuring

; re-edited and re-released in 1991 as '' The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit'' * ''IBM: A Self-Portrait'' (1964) * '' Meet Marlon Brando'' (1965) * ''Cut Piece'' (1965) – featuring

* ''Store Front'' (1965) – featuring

* ''With Love from Truman'' (1966, with Charlotte Zwerin) – featuring

* ''

'' (1968, with Charlotte Zwerin) * ''

'' (1970, with Charlotte Zwerin) – featuring

* ''

'' (1974, with

Ellen Hovde Ellen Margerethe Hovde (March 9, 1925 – February 16, 2023) was an American documentarian. She co-directed '' Grey Gardens'' with the Maysles brothers. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special for produci ...

) – featuring

* ''

'' (1975, with Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer) * "The Burks of Georgia" from ''Six American Families'' (1976, with Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer) * '' Running Fence'' (1978, with Charlotte Zwerin) – featuring

* ''

: The Last Romantic'' (1985, with Susan Froemke, Deborah Dickson, Pat Jaffe) * '' Ozawa'' (1986, with Susan Froemke, Deborah Dickson) * ''

Islands This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water, and by other classifications. For rank-order lists, see the #Other lists of islands, other lists of islands below. Lists of islands by count ...

'' (1986, with Charlotte Zwerin) – featuring

* ''Christo in Paris'' (1990, with Deborah Dickson and Susan Froemke) – featuring

Filmography of Albert Maysles

* ''Psychiatry in Russia'' (1955) * ''Russian Close-Up'' (1957) * ''Six in Paris'' (1965) – as cinematographer for segment "Montparnasse-Levallois" written and directed by

* ''

Monterey Pop ''Monterey Pop'' is a 1968 American concert film by D. A. Pennebaker that documents the Monterey International Pop Festival of 1967. Among Pennebaker's several camera operators were fellow documentarians Richard Leacock and Albert Maysles. ...

'' (1968) – as a cinematographer, with D. A. Pennebaker as director * ''Horowitz Plays Mozart'' (1987, with Susan Froemke, Charlotte Zwerin) * ''Jessye Norman Sings Carmen'' (1989, with Susan Froemke) * ''They Met in Japan'' (1989, with Susan Froemke) * ''Soldiers of Music: Rostropovich Returns to Russia'' (1991, with Susan Froemke, Peter Gelb and Bob Eisenhardt) * ''Abortion: Desperate Choices'' (1992, with Susan Froemke and Deborah Dickson) * ''Baroque Duet'' (1992, with Susan Froemke, Peter Gelb, Pat Jaffe) * ''Accent on the Offbeat'' (1994, with Susan Froemke, Deborah Dickson) * ''Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge VH1 Special'' (1994, with Karen Dougherty and Susan Froemke) * ''Umbrellas'' (1995, with Henry Corra, Grahame Weinbren) – featuring

* ''Letting Go: A Hospice Journey'' (1996, with Susan Froemke, Deborah Dickson) * ''

'' (1996) – as a cinematographer, with

as director * ''Concert of Wills: Making the Getty Center'' (1997, with Susan Froemke, Bob Eisenhardt) * '' LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton'' (2000, with Susan Froemke, Deborah Dickson) * '' The Beales of Grey Gardens'' (2006, with Ian Markiewicz) – follow-up to ''Grey Gardens'' composed entirely of unused footage shot with David Maysles for the original film * ''

The Gates ''The Gates'' was a site-specific work of art by Bulgarian artist Christo Yavacheff and French artist Jeanne-Claude, known jointly as Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The artists installed 7,503 steel " gates" along of pathways in Central Park in N ...

'' (2007, with Antonio Ferrera) – featuring

* ''Sally Gross: The Pleasure of Stillness'' (2007) * ''Close Up: Portraits'' (2008) * ''Four Seasons Lodge'' (2008) – as a cinematographer, with Andrew Jacobs as director * '' Rufus Wainwright: Milwaukee At Last'' (2009) * '' Muhammad and Larry'' (2009) – featuring

and

Larry Holmes Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 2002 and was world heavyweight champion from 1978 until 1985. He is often considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. ...

* ''Hollywood Renegade: The Life of Budd Schulberg'' (2009) – as a cinematographer, with Benn Schulberg as director * '' The Love We Make'' (2011, with Bradley Kaplan, Ian Markiewicz) * '' Iris'' (2014) – featuring Iris Apfel * ''In Transit'' (2015, with Lynn True, David Usui, Nelson Walker III, and Benjamin Wu)

In popular culture

A 2006 musical based on ''Grey Gardens'' premiered at Playwrights Horizons and transferred to Broadway later that same year. A dramatized version of the Maysles brothers making the Beales documentary appeared in the 2009 HBO film ''Grey Gardens''; actor

Arye Gross Arye Gross (; born March 17, 1960) is an American actor, who has appeared on a variety of television shows in numerous roles, most notably Adam Greene in the ABC sitcom ''Ellen''. Personal life Gross was born on March 17, 1960, in Los Angeles ...

portrayed Albert and Justin Louis portrayed David. In 2015 the IFC

mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...

series ''

Documentary Now! ''Documentary Now!'' is an American mockumentary television series created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas (director), Rhys Thomas, and premiered on August 20, 2015, on IFC (U.S. TV channel), IFC. Armisen and Hader star ...

'' paid homage to ''Grey Gardens'' with the episode "Sandy Passage" which follows two women named "Big Vivvy" and "Little Vivvy" and takes "An in depth look at the daily lives of two aging socialites and their crumbling estate." The 2016 episode "Globesman", about globe salesmen in the 1960s, is inspired by ''Salesman''. Episode 3 of the 2024 TV series '' Feud: Capote vs. The Swans'' recounts the filming of

's 1966 Black and White Ball by the Maysles brothers, which was released as the short film ''With Love from Truman.'' Pawel Szajda played Albert and Yuval David played David.

References

External links

* Maysles Films * *
Lifetime Achievement Award Details

Interview
with Albert Maysles in ''The Brooklyn Rail''
Finding aid to Albert and David Maysles papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maysles, Albert and David American documentary film directors American people of Polish-Jewish descent American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent American cinema pioneers Artists from Boston Brother duos Mass media people from Brookline, Massachusetts Sibling filmmakers Jewish American film people United States National Medal of Arts recipients People from Dorchester, Boston Film directors from Massachusetts Primetime Emmy Award winners

Biography

Early lives

Maysles brothers' collaborative years

Death of David Maysles

Later life and death of Albert Maysles

Legacy and contribution to documentary cinema

Awards

Filmography

Filmography of Albert and David Maysles

Filmography of Albert Maysles

In popular culture

References

Further reading

External links