The Beales of Grey Gardens

"Utilizing hours of unseen archival footage, The Beales is a new take on the women of Grey Gardens"

2006 1h 31m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 33

DocumentaryDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Mother and daughter - Big Edie and Little Edie Beale - live with six cats in a crumbling house in East Hampton. Little Edie, in her 50s, who wears scarves and bright colors, sings, mugs for the camera, and talks to Al and David Maysles, the filmmakers. Big Edie, in her 70s, recites poetry, comments on her daughter's behavior, and sings "If I Loved You" in fine voice. She talks in short sentences; her daughter in volumes. The film is episodic: friends visit, there's a small fire in the house, Little Edie goes to the shore and swims. She talks about the Catholic Church. She's ashamed that local authorities raided the house because of all the cats. She values being different.

“Utilizing hours of unseen archival footage, The Beales is a new take on the women of Grey Gardens”

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Cast

Edith Bouvier Beale
Self
Albert Maysles
Self
David Maysles
Self
Jerry Torre
Self
Lois Wright
Self
Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Maysles
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 20 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Grey Gardens Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Maysles, shot by Albert Maysles. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ian Markiewicz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Edith Bouvier Beale and Albert Maysles and David Maysles carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Utilizing hours of unseen archival footage, The Beales is a new take on the women of Grey Gardens".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Maysles directs. Albert Maysles behind the camera. Ian Markiewicz cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 20 years ago.
3Part of the "Grey Gardens Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by David Maysles, shot by Albert Maysles. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Ian Markiewicz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Edith Bouvier Beale and Albert Maysles and David Maysles carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Utilizing hours of unseen archival footage, The Beales is a new take on the women of Grey Gardens".
9IMDB entry: tt0839739 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 33 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Albert Maysles
Editing: Ian Markiewicz
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Status: Released
Budget: $400,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Beales of Grey Gardens (2006)

Part of

Grey Gardens Collection

The daily lives of two aging, eccentric relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Edie Bouvier Beale and her mother, Edith, are the sole inhabitants of a Long Island estate.