Grey Gardens

USA, 1975. Director Albert Maysles. 97min.

The Maysles brothers’ film is a generous, rambling portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship of the former socialites and beauties “Big Edie” and “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale, Jackie Kennedy’s aunt and cousin. The two women are shown talking, squabbling, singing, and reminiscing over old photographs while performing daily routines in their vast, semi-derelict East Hampton estate, Grey Gardens. It is hardly surprising that the Maysles’ film has become something of a must-see in fashion circles. Little Edie steals the show with her highly individual, eccentric, unwittingly “vintage” style: “I didn’t have time, taking care of mother, to get out and buy clothes. So I used what was left of mine and mother’s in the attic.” While there is a tendency to focus on the women’s glamorous past, Little Edie’s sheer joy in wearing clothes helps anchor the film in the present, lending it a satisfying visual richness. Her frequent and ever-surprising costume changes create its unique sense of rhythm and flow.

With Edith Bouvier Beale, Edith “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale, Brooks Hyers and Norman Vincent Peale.

Past screenings

Wearing Time: Returns, Recalls, Renewals – Miami
Sunday 31 January 2016, 17:30 | Bal Harbour Shops
Screened alongside Doll Clothes (1975) as a part of the programme ‘Costume Changes’.