This is the curious tale of Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edie at their home Grey Gardens
Filmmakers Albert and David Maysles shot over 70 hours of footage during the winter of 1973 at the location in East Hampton, New York. This resulted in a direct cinema style documentary that’s far more enjoyable than any reality TV show could ever be! The film perfectly captures the essence of these eccentric ladies and life at their mansion (which much like their social status, had fallen badly into disrepair).
Originally, the Maysles were approached by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her sister (socialite Lee Radziwill) to make a film about their early family life. After 2 weeks of filming Lee & Jackie-O, they met relations Edith & Edie, and dazzled by their eccentricities and personalities, they scrapped the original idea and made them the stars!
The background to the story is rather sad, Big Edie and Little Edie, after years of living in the upper class, were now living in near squalor at their deteriorating, yet vast abode. This doesn’t seem to change their spirit, and it’s beautiful to see how charming and loveable they are. The chemistry they have is wonderful! Living with damp, constant racoon invasions and more fleas than the countless cats can handle, doesn’t dent their character. Throughout it all their dignity and delivery can be imagined to be the same as they would have been 20 or 30 years previous, when many millionaires fawned over both ladies. The only thing that seems to have changed is circumstance. They’ve still got it!
Often the ladies spend the days singing or reciting poetry, while talking of lost loves and old times. It’s clear the neighbours and local press added to their seclusion. The film starts with newspaper reports of the house being unfit for purpose, with many health inspectors visiting after complaints from people living nearby. Little Edie called these visits ‘raids’, and found them as unwelcoming as the press reports on their loss of social status. The community in East Hampton made them feel unwelcome in their own neighbourhood. Living next to a beach they once owned years before, Little Edie is undeterred and enjoys the sunshine on her usual stroll on the sands.
Little Edie’s fashion sense is quite unique! Always seen with a different item of clothing used as a DIY headscarf, her flamboyance makes the film a joy to watch. Edie started losing her hair in her 20s and according to her cousin John Davis she set the rest of it on fire as an act of self-immolation, as a reason to shun society and look after her mother. The endearing relationship we see between mother & daughter is strong.
Without giving the full story away to those who have yet to watch, there’s a party for Big Edie’s 79th birthday. A few friends are present, one being artist and palm reader Lois Wright who was living with the ladies at the time. I recently found the follow up documentary The Beales of Grey Gardens
Also worth a look is the film Grey Gardens from 2009, which Albert Maysles oversaw as advisor to producer David Coatsworth. Big Edie is played by Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore gives an uncanny performance as Little Edie. This film focuses more on their life stories, rather than the 6 weeks filming of the original documentary.
The Beales show that no matter how bad circumstances in life get, you can keep your dignity and personality never leaves you. To end, here’s a quote from Little Edie:
But you see in dealing with me, the relatives didn’t know that they were dealing with a staunch character and I tell you if there’s anything worse than dealing with a staunch woman… S-T-A-U-N-C-H. There’s nothing worse, I’m telling you. They don’t weaken, no matter what.
