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 31 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

Details

Official Sites:

HBO

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alithini polyteleia

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Beales' occasional assistant Jerry Torre, whom Little Edie refers to in the documentary as "The Marble Faun" (after the Hawthorne novel), makes a momentary non-speaking appearance at 1:22:31. A curly-headed figure is seen climbing the dimly lit stairs. and on the commentary track director Michael Sucsy can be heard exclaiming, ''Oh! That's Jerry! That's our Marble Faun.''

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Quotes

'Little' Edith Bouvier Beale: [after seeing the 'Grey Gardens' documentary] It's an artistic smash!

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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

Featured in The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards (2009)

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Soundtracks

Life Upon the Wicked Stage
from the musical "Show Boat"
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Performed by Malcolm Gets

User Reviews

Deeply Moving, The film QUIVERS with FEELING

I remember vividly walking through the living room one day in the late 90's when my roommate was chuckling at the documentary GREY GARDENS on the Sundance channel. My eye immediately caught the images of Big and Little Edie in the yellow room and I became involved watching it too. Something about this little documentary just drew me into it. Yes, it was funny, but the humor was also mixed with feelings of horror and pity. I remember feeling a bit uneasy watching these women. One confined to an uncomfortable bed and the other confined to her shattered dreams of unrealized stardom. Both seemingly stuck in a dilapidated house in bad need of repair. What I find beautiful about the documentary is how it questions ones own perception on what "wealth" is. The documentary has that "never judge a book by it's cover" / "things are never quite what they seem" aspect to it. The greatness of the documentary is the message that "real" wealth in life comes in different forms, not just perceived material possessions. The outside doesn't necessarily reflect what's going on beneath the surface. After several viewings of the documentary, it's impossible to have pity for big and little Edie. They had wealth where it counted, in humor, intelligence, feeling, character and for each other.

GREY GARDENS with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange is a beautiful and deeply moving tribute to a couple of women whose lives might have been forgotten if it weren't for a couple of documentary filmmakers. Handsomely directed and paced by Michael Sucsy, the film resonates so many feelings that only the hardened will not be moved.

At times it is difficult not to compare and judge the performances of Lange and Barrymore with the real Big and Little Edie Beale, especially for those of us overly familiar with the documentary. Oddly enough some of the best scenes in the film are in the early years. If in moments Lange and Barrymore fail to completely live up to an exact interpretation of the Beales, they immediately redeem themselves with the conviction, understanding and love they have for the women and the material. The performances by Lange, Barrymore and Jeanne Tripplehorn will move and surprise you. The film honors, respects and celebrates it's subjects and like the documentary, it touches something deep down.

It reminds all of us that wealth comes in different forms and that true wealth is the loyalty two people can have for each other.