grey gardens 2 discs
albert and david maysles pioneers in the i cin ma v rit i movement of documentary filmmaking chose for their subjects of this film a mother and daughter with celebrity connections . edith bouvier beale and her daughter edie or as they are called by the brothers big edie and little edie are aunt and cousin to jacqueline kennedy onassis . in the early 70s their 28 room mansion in long islands tony community of east hampton was found to be a health hazard and the two women in their seventies and fifties were threatened with eviction . jacqueline onassis paid for the house to be put in good order and two years later the maysles paid the ladies a series of follow up visits . this is not fly on the wall filmmaking ; the brothers are sometimes shown on camera and both women talk directly to them . big edie reminisces about her husband from whom she has long been separated and her youthful singing career ; little edie ruminates over memories of her thwarted romances and confides that she has to get out of grey gardens the name of their estate although she has been living there since 1952 ; and the two women pick at each other for transgressions past and present . the women share their home with at least five cats and several raccoons for whom little edie leaves out food in the attic . they are not recluses ; they host a modest 79th birthday party for big edie they employ a gardener and they are often visited by jerry a young handyman lost soul whom little edie calls the marble faun after the nathaniel hawthorne story . its very difficult to keep the line between the past and the present little edie says near the beginning of the film and it becomes clear that both women are much more comfortable reliving their respective youths in some ways little edie has never left hers than facing their rather bleak old and middle age . tom wiener all movie guide . br br grey gardens new digital transferaudio commentary by directors albert maysles ellen hovde and muffie meyer and associate producer susan froemkeexcerpts from a 1976 recorded interview with little edie beale by kathryn g. graham for interview magazinevideo interviews with fashion designers todd oldham and john bartlett on the continuing influence of grey gardenshundreds of behind the scenes photographs trailers and filmographiesoptional english subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingplus an essay by critic hilton alsthe beale of grey gardens new digital transfer approved by director albert mayslesnew video introduction by albert mayslesoptional english subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingplus a new essay by village voice columnist michael musto . br br grey gardens new digital transferaudio commentary by directors albert maysles ellen hovde and muffie meyer and associate producer susan froemkeexcerpts from a 1976 recorded interview with little edie beale by kathryn g. graham for interview magazinevideo interviews with fashion designers todd oldham and john bartlett on the continuing influence of grey gardenshundreds of behind the scenes photographs trailers and filmographiesoptional english subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingplus an essay by critic hilton alsthe beale of grey gardens new digital transfer approved by director albert mayslesnew video introduction by albert mayslesoptional english subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingplus a new essay by village voice columnist michael musto .