marthag

I saw Grey Gardens earlier this month and really enjoyed it. However, I wish I had known beforehand that the play is based on a documentary movie from 1975, also entitled Grey Gardens. I have since rented the DVD from Netflix and it provided good insight about the two women profiled in the play. I would have appreciated the play much more if I had viewed the documentary before I attended the play.

Scarlett

Oh too bad you were unaware of the history of the story!
I remember the news stories and the documentary, I thought they were fascinating..I am glad you enjoyed the play

NeoPatrick

Hmm. I knew the basic background of the story, but didn't realize there was a documentary on it. Thanks for the tip. I have tickets for the first weekend in February, so better get on the stick and rent it.

marthag

I knew the background story about the two recluse women,but didn't realize that the play is a phenominal "channeling" of the women as portrayed in the documentary. Their costumes, voices and physical mannerisms are identical to the real women shown in the documentary. It was eerie watching the movie....I felt I was seeing the play a second time. Both actresses are amazing, and Christine Ebersole gives a bravura performance.

HowardR

We were more fortunate. The week before we saw the show in November, TCM showed the documentary. It definitely added to our enjoyment of the show, since the second act closely follows the documentary.
Christine Ebersole is brilliant!

marthag

An additional note: due to the popularity of the play, the filmmakers have released additional footage this year, entitled "The Beales of Grey Gardens". This DVD is supposed to concentrate on Little Edie's costumes and views on life. It is available from netflix, and I have just ordered it.

These two women really have gotten under my skin, and I'm spending far too much time on Grey Gardens matters. According to the Playbill, a Hollywood feature movie is also in the works, based on the documentary.

marginal_margiela

I saw the doc on big edie and little edie back in the early 80's. My family went to see it at some "retrospective" in Manhattan because my father is related to the Beales family by marriage, as we are also related somehow or another to most of the Mayflower families.

The movie is very disturbing and extremely sad. My father was very angry at the Mayles brothers for what he called "explotation" of the mentally ill.

The doc was also just shown on Turner Classic Movies Channel on television. The sound was terrible; I could hardly hear the dialogue.

I understand the doc has a cult following, but can't understand why. I don't see why people are so fascinated with the tragic downfall of a once-wealthy family.

Hamlet it ain't.

marthag

Marginal....I'm actually most fascinated with the dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship,since I have huge issues with my own mother. The family lineage of the two Edies isn't what is driving my interest.

A secondary fascination for me is how amazingly the two actresses have captured the Beale women, as depicted in the documentary. When I saw the play, I thought " how did the playwrights conjure up such strange costumes, vocal inflections and distorted views of reality?" After viewing the documentary, I realized where all that came from.

SharonG

What is even more amazing is how much Little Edie's voice sounds like Jackie Kennedy's in the film. I did some research and found that after Big Edie died, Little Edie moved to Florida and had a somewhat normal life. With no pets. She died a few years ago.

NeoPatrick

"I don't see why people are so fascinated with the tragic downfall of a once-wealthy family."

Huh? Just think for a minute. That's the sort of stuff that always fascinates people the most. People love to see others "suffer" particularly those who are supposedly more well off.

Dukey

Fascinated with misfortune????? Have you looked at ANY "reality TV" lately, much less Jerry Springer re-runs?

cigalechanta

But It was mostly popular(the documentary) when the public was told it was Jackie-O's relatives. Jackie actually went there a few times to clean up the place.

marginal_margiela

Please pardon my grammar. The above sentence should read "related somehow or other," not "another." I know I was on my 4th glass of Shiraz when I wrote the post, but I pride myself on being able to "function."

Mimi, you are so on target. People are fascinated with the Beale family because big edie is Jackie Kennedy's aunt. Poor Jackie was ridiculed by many because they thought she let her family live in squalor whilst she ran up huge bills at Valentino and Missoni. But, even if Jackie gave those two women a fortune, they would have mismanaged the cash because they were mentally ill.

Face it, normal people would be absolutely horrified at the thought of racoons (with possible rabies) running around the house. Those two were NUTS.

I just think it is a shame that people want to glorify human suffering and tragedy.

And who would want to sit and watch a documentary were a woman sits at a kitchen table drinking a bottle of Lancer's with an old sweater on her head???

I just don't get it.

HowardR

First of all, Grey Gardens hardly glorifies human suffering and tragedy.
It is a tale of two eccentric individuals, and eccentrics have always fascinated and always will.
Eliminate the oddballs, eccentrics and others far removed from the mainstream from theater, literature and the rest of the arts and you'd be left with a meagre residue.