Albert Maysles - Grey Gardens: filming and seeing the house post-restoration (70/97)

To listen to more of Albert Maysles’ stories, go to the playlist: • Albert Maysles - Thoug...
Albert Maysles (1926-2015) was known for his important documentaries on Muhammad Ali, Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. He pioneered the documentary style known as Direct Cinema and helped create techniques still used in modern documentary production and in reality TV. [Listeners: Sara Maysles, Rebekah Maysles and Tamara Tracz; date recorded: 2004]
TRANSCRIPT: Well, filming in the house- what overwhelmed everything else was the fact that these two women were so interesting and, and there was hardly a moment that would go by that you wouldn't want to- you wouldn't want to film it. But- so that- because that motivated us so strongly, you know, we could- we could bear under the weight of the- of the awful smell that persisted and the- and the fleas that would have bitten us to death. Actually, because of the fleas we learned quickly that we should protect ourselves that way, so that every day that we would arrive to film, we would park some distance from the- from the house behind the tall privet. We could hear them talking which confirmed that what they were saying was very much the same as they were in front of the camera. It's the same kind of stuff. So, so when you look at the film you can't deny the authenticity of it because even when the camera wasn't there it was the same mother and daughter relationship. But we would stop in order to spray ourselves against insects and fleas. And also I, both of us we'd fasten something around our ankles so that the fleas couldn't crawl up our legs. So, you know, that was one danger that we took care of, but the smell was atrocious and- In contrast with all that some years later we got a call from a woman, Mrs. Hadley, who was living in Grey Gardens. The house- about a year after- a year or so after the film was finished Mrs. Beale at age 82 died and Edie decided to sell the house and she, she sold it to people who fixed it up quite well. And then there was a woman that used to sublet the house every- every winter, most of the year, because the people who had bought the house only went there for the summer. So we got a call from her one day. She said she saw the film and loved it and she would like to invite us to- as her guests- and she would invite maybe 40 or 50 guests; George Plimpton would be the Master of Ceremonies; and they would celebrate the film at Grey Gardens. And so I got a chance to see the house since it's been renovated. I think that the renovation was successful on many counts. Especially I think that the two women would have liked the, the restoration.

[@cherylbommarito5569]

Gray Gardens has always been one of my favorite studies in human nature. Just fascinating. Thank you

[@davidmoss9083]

Little Edie was in love with David and Al. I think the movie was a great highlight in her life. She will be missed.

[@exploringnature6319]

She was looking for happiness. But she never did after she started to take care her mom. She was in love with David.

[@branbeelotus]

@@exploringnature6319 Exactly. Her mother was kind of selfish.