Grey Gardens - Criterion Collection |  | Directors: Albert Maysles, Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer
Actors: Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale, Edith Bouvier Beale, Jack Helmuth, Brooks Hires, Albert Maysles
Studio: Criterion
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.95
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Rating:  153 reviews
Sales Rank: 8611
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: PMIDGRE300D
ISBN: 0780024303
UPC: 037429159125
EAN: 9780780024304
ASIN: B00005KHJX
Theatrical Release Date: 1976
Release Date: August 14, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 08/14/2001 Run time: 94 minutes
Amazon.com
Grey Gardens is the name of a neglected, sprawling estate gone to seed. The crumbling mansion was home to Edith Bouvier Beale, often referred to as "Big Edie," and her daughter, "Little Edie." The East Hampton, Long Island, home became the center of quite a scandal when it was revealed in 1973 that the reclusive aunt and cousin to Jackie O. were living in a state of poverty and filth. That's the background to this 1976 film portrait by cinéma vérité pioneers Albert and David Maysles, but it's only incidental to the fascinating story they discover inside the estate walls. The two Edies have lived in almost complete seclusion since the mid-1950s, ever since Big Edie's husband abandoned her and Little Edie (then a young socialite on the verge of a dancing career, or so she claims) was called home to care for her depressed mother. Twenty years later they continue to live in their memories while camped out in a single bedroom of the 28-room mansion overrun with cats (who use the floor as their litter box). Rehashing mistakes and missed chances with an accusing banter that becomes more stinging and angry as the documentary progresses, they exist in a sad codependency brings new meaning to the term dysfunctional. Disturbing and discomforting, it comes off like a freak show at times, but for all their arguments and recriminations, the Maysles reveal two women abandoned by their families who are left to cling to each other, for better or worse. --Sean Axmaker
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 153
 INSANE....YET ADDICTIVE! February 2, 2010
S.G. (california)
First i watched the new HBO Movie "Grey Gardens" with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange (who have my full attention after seeing the original documentary and the fantastic Job they did in re-creating these real life characters).
Then i watched the original documentary from the 70's.
Wow. Where to start?
First of all, i want to mention that this documentary was shot AFTER the clean up of the Mansion, so one can only imagine the Filth and Horror these women lived in before the clean up crew got there. It is simply unreal.
Photos taken before the documentary was filmed shows the Mansion in total decay, covered in areas from floor to ceiling with empty cans of cat food, garbage thrown about, old furniture in dissaray, paint peeling off walls and holes in the ceilings with nature intruding, cats and racoons and their droppings, no running water or electricity or phone for the two women! Even in the bitter winter!
Absolutely shockingly appalling !
The two women featured are Edith Bouvier Beale, Jackie Kennedy's Aunt, and her daughter "Little Edie".
Former high society ladies, who inch by on a meager existence, now living in a run down Mansion like a couple of Hoarders and pack rats...and when i say "living", i mean they basically stay in one of the Bedrooms where they sleep, cook, eat, listen to music and look at old photographs the better part of the time.
Edith, who still likes to screech old songs from her "glory days", sits in her Bed a lot, which is the filthiest thing you can imagine. Covered with newspapers, junk, garbage and cate....cats everywhere!
The cats even pee (and maybe worse) in the corner of the bedroom as Edith and Edie are obliviously serving up snacks to the filmcrew !!
The eldery Edith (79 and living like this!) admits readily that she guilted her daughter into living with her because she did not want to be alone and delights in the knowledge that Edie most likely will never leave.....as Edie complains that she hates living in the "countryside" (no mention of what it's like to live in a filthy Mansion) and she would like to return to her "Career" in New York City one day. It is as if time stood still for both of these women who are re-living their "glorious" past over and over again.
Little Edie struts around for the camera in makeshift outfits and headscarfs she fashioned herself from old clothing and fabrics (the headscarfes hide her obvious and mysterious baldness), twirls clumsely and sings off key, oblivious to the fact that she is an aging woman in her late 50's.
She appears at once childlike, paranoid, desperate but yet deviant. And thrilled to be performing for her Audience, which she knows is few and far between.
After a short while it becomes pretty obvious that both women suffer from some sort of mental Illness. With Little Edie just a tad worse than her mother, which is basically a cooky and eccentric old cat-lady (but at times razor sharp).
The real Tragedy here is Little Edie. One gets the feeling that she is imprisoned , weather or not by her own doing, and wasted her life sitting in a decaying Mansion with her old Mother, at once terribly co-dependant and wishing for it to end.
It is unclear if Big Edith ment to help her Daughter, knowing she had "issues" or if she used her for company in her own miserable existence. Maybe a bit of both.
What is shocking is that they ignore their desperate surroundings and manage to still put on an air of "sophistication"...and a stubborn (and desperate) refusal to give in and loose their "status".....one look at the cover of the documentary with Little Edie posing in a ratty furcoat in front of the neglected Mansion will show you what i mean.
Although the two women's bickerings over much of nothing and the constant horrible singing get's annoying...there is also a feeling of sadness for them and frustration that they didn't receive proper help (and maybe they didn't ask for it either...but still!)
After her Mother's death in February 1977, Edie stayed at the Mansion 2 more years (how she managed this without going totally off the deep end escapes me!) and she actually performed at a cabaret in new York City for a time in early 1978 (the horrible reviews were kept from her) and finally sold the Mansion in 1979 under the stipulation that it should never be torn down.]
From there Edie moved into a small cottage in the Hamptons and an apartment in new York City, she traveled and setteled quietly in Florida, living out the rest of her days writing poetry and corresponding with her fans.
She died in 2002. I guess she did get her wish to leave Grey Gardens and have her Life back.
 Not quite as good as I had hoped. November 23, 2009
Robert M. Caron
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought the two disc collection and watched both this weekend as well as all the bonus material. These two women are interesting and easily watchable when they are alone, but when they are together, which is most of the time, they are annoying as hell with all their bitching at each other. I really preferred watching it with the commentary on. I had to laugh when one of the editors said how unselfconscious little Edie was. Seriously? She fiddled with her clothes and that damn head scarf/towel/sweater thing on her head the whole time. I think she was bald or nearly so. She did say something like "if I had hair".
I was hoping for a "Brothers Keeper" type of story but it was more like someones bad home movies. I still give it 3 stars though. It's hard to look away from a train wreck.
 A love story November 21, 2009
Michael H. Williams (Minneapolis, MN United States)
This is a beautiful love story of a mother and daughter who are quite idiosincratic. If you like quirky you will love this documentary. There is a lot more than meets the eye on this film. The directors commentary is quite interesting.
 It is just two crazy old women October 28, 2009
Dee the Movie watcher (Albany, Oregon)
1 out of 12 found this review helpful
Frankly I enjoyed the movie better. I realize this was a "documentary" but in the movie, things were explained. The documentary just portrayed them as two crazy old women, "which they were"! The only reason the documentary was made is because they had famous relatives. Had this been my relatives, or your relatives, it would just be two crazy old women living in a rundown house with too many cats and too many raccoons. Don't spend one dime on the documentary.
Grey Gardens October 25, 2009
Teddy Garn (Fircrest, WA)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
My wife rented the DVD Grey Gardens, she became so interisted that she wanted to find out more. We, I say we because my wife does not do the computer, looked for the best possible price. Found it at Amazon.com.
My wife and I watched the Grey Gardens/The Beales of Grey Gardens - Critenion Collection ( 2-disc set) which we both found very interisting. I watched the frist time, but my wife has watched it several times, the number I am not sure, more the three times. It has been seen with her friends and some of the family members. She has been telling every one about Grey Gardens, that they should watch it.
It is unbelevable how many people have never heard of Grey Gardnes and never knew it was on or made for HBO. We do watch HBO. Never saw it advertised or even a promo for it.
I am glad we were able to fined the Documintry thru Amazon.com
Thank You
Showing reviews 1-5 of 153
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