Grey Gardens (1975)

Directors:

Ellen Hovde
Albert Maysles
(more)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

An old mother and her middle-aged daughter, the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, live their eccentric lives in a filthy, decaying mansion in East Hampton.

Plot Keywords:

Mansion | Cat | Raccoon | Singer | Flea

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale	...	Herself
Edith Bouvier Beale	...	Herself
Brooks Hyers	...	Himself - Gardener
Norman Vincent Peale	...	Himself (voice)
Jack Helmuth	...	Himself - Birthday Guest (uncredited)
Albert Maysles	...	Himself (uncredited)
David Maysles	...	Himself (uncredited)
Jerry Torre	...	Himself - Handyman (uncredited)
Lois Wright	...	Herself - Birthday Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Ellen Hovde
Albert Maysles
David Maysles
Muffie Meyer

Produced by
Susan Frömke	....	associate producer (as Susan Froemke)
Albert Maysles	....	producer
David Maysles	....	producer

Cinematography by
Albert Maysles
David Maysles

Film Editing by
Susan Frömke		(as Susan Froemke)
Ellen Hovde
Muffie Meyer

Sound Department
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer

Thanks
Peter Beard	....	thanks
Harry Benson	....	thanks
Alan Bomser	....	thanks
Sarah Legon	....	thanks
Noëlle Penraat	....	thanks (as Noelle Penraat)
Vincent Stenerson	....	thanks
Lois Wright	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Portrait Films

Distributors

• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Portrait Films (1976) (USA)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2005) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG | Australia:PG | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

East Hampton, Long Island, New York, USA

Company:

Portrait Films

Trivia:

The house, Grey Gardens, was sold by Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale in 1979 to Benjamin C. Bradlee, former editor of the "Washington Post", and Sally Quinn. The pair completely restored the house (the sale agreement forbids razing the house), but the Bradleys only stay there in the month of August. During the rest of the year, the home is occupied by Frances Hayward.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale:What're you doing down there? You staying there?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Being Human: You're the One That I Haunt (#1.12)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Tea for Two

Grey Gardens was riveting and almost unbelievable!

We stumbled upon the documentary, Grey Gardens, last Sunday and got "sucked in" without warning. Everyone who entered the room became transfixed on the television and the haunting images of Edith and Edie who seemed to be living out their lives in practically one room of a large filthy mansion on the beach, eating ice cream and corn on the cob (which was cooked on the bedside table)--and the cat urinating on edith's bed and her unbelievable words, "i thrive on it [the smell]." We had not seen the beginning and wondered what we were watching and how these aristocratic women managed to get in the position they were in. Spellbinding! a must see!!!!