Grey Gardens (2009)

The lives of Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith, aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Director:

Michael Sucsy

Writers:

Michael Sucsy (teleplay), Patricia Rozema (teleplay)

Stars:

Drew Barrymore, Jessica Lange, Jeanne Tripplehorn

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 32 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Drew Barrymore	...	Little Edie
Jessica Lange	...	Big Edie
Jeanne Tripplehorn	...	Jackie O.
Ken Howard	...	Phelan Beale
Kenneth Welsh	...	Max Gordon
Arye Gross	...	Albert Maysles
Louis Ferreira	...	David Maysles (as Justin Louis)
Daniel Baldwin	...	Julius 'Cap' Krug
Malcolm Gets	...	George 'Gould' Strong
Louis Grise	...	Young Buddy (as Louis Grisé)
Joshua Peace	...	Adult Buddy
Neil Babcock	...	Young Phelan Jr.
Ben Carlson	...	Adult Phelan Jr.
Olivia Waldriff	...	Young Jackie
Neil Girvan	...	Concierge

Storyline

In 1973, documentary filmmaking brothers Albert Maysles and David Maysles decide to change the focus of their latest project from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to her aunt and older cousin, mother and daughter Edith Bouvier Beale - called Big Edie - and Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale, who were found living in squalor and isolation in the longtime family mansion, Grey Gardens, in East Hampton, New York. Through flashbacks starting in 1936, the path mother and daughter take from their socialite past to the time that the Mayles brothers show their completed film is shown. Big Edie's husband/Little Edie's father, Phelan Beale, controlled the family money, which included providing singing lessons to Big Edie with musician Gould Strong, with who she had more than a musical interest. Big Edie saw herself as a singer, first and foremost. Mother and father also controlled Little Edie's life, they who wanted her to stay at Grey Gardens rather than pursue her dream of becoming a professional ...

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | singing | filmmaking | eccentric | documentary filmmaking | 

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Taglines:

True glamour never fades

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

In New York, Little Edie lives in the Barbizon Hotel, an apartment building on East 63rd Street for young single women. In one scene, Little Edie sneaks Cap into her room because of the Barbizon's strict ban on male visitors. Parents often choose the Barbizon for their daughters in the city for that reason. Other famous women who lived at the Barbizon while starting out in New York City include Joan Crawford, Grace Kelly, Candice Bergen, and author Sylvia Plath, whose protagonist in 'The Bell Jar' lived in a place much like the Barbizon.

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Quotes

'Little' Edith Bouvier Beale: Is it true that Jack Kennedy gave you gonorrhea?

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits, where the American Humane Society's traditional credit is displayed, Little Edie's voice adds "No animals were harmed in the making of this movie."

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Connections

Referenced in The 64th Primetime Emmy Awards (2012)

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Soundtracks

Dancing in the Sunshine
Written by Joe Lervold and Andre Pessis
Performed by Joe Lervold (as Joel Evans) & Friends
Courtesy of Position Music

User Reviews

From documentary to film

Well, you can't go wrong using Big and Little Edie as subject matter, be it in a documentary, a movie, or a musical. This beautifully photographed and opulent "Grey Gardens," starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore as Big and Little Edie, again demonstrates what compelling people they were.

Not having seen any documentary yet, or the musical, which had some powerful emotions expressed in the music ("Another Winter in a Summer Town" as an example), I can only go by this particular "Grey Gardens." The story of the Beales is sad, harrowing, frustrating, and sometimes funny. Both women are magnificent in their roles, particularly Lange, though my understanding is that the real Big Edie was a much better singer than shown here. Barrymore makes a stunning young Edie, living in New York and trying to make it as an actress and captures the mature woman - it's quite a stretch, too.

What's missing here is exactly what happened to these two beautiful and wealthy women, and I'm not sure it's covered in any other material about them. Why didn't Big Edie remarry? Why didn't Edie "The Body Beautiful" Beale get a rich husband? Why did the other children allow them to live the way they did? Was Little Edie untalented, or could she have had success as an actress? Were they always mentally unstable or eccentric or make each other that way? I don't know after watching "Grey Gardens," though I'm sure Lange and Barrymore made some decisions about those things in order to play their roles.

The nice thing about "Grey Gardens," for me, anyway, is that Little Edie finally got what she wanted in life - fame (well, notoriety), the ability to perform, money, and a warm place to live. I'm happy about that for her. I just wish I knew more about the psychology that led up to all of it.

Details

Official Sites:

HBO

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grey Gardens

Filming Locations:

Centre Island, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films, Specialty Films (II), Locomotive

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1