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    Grey Gardens

    Reviewed by
    pietroantoni@

    I have seen this astonishing documentary of the beyond "eccentric" mother and daughter three times attempting to capture their every word and memorizing a home that seemed a replica of a decaying film set. It's disquieting to witness their lives amongst the filth of a ruined mansion over run by cats, garbage and much more nastiness. The house literally looks like a garbage dump. The Bouvier Beales were once of "royal blood" (aunt and cousin to Jacqueline BOUVIER Kennedy) symbolically speaking who now live in a world of lost dreams and a reality that is almost too surreal to believe. One never sees Mother Edith out of that unkempt dirty bed as she reminisces, argues and discusses matters with Little Edie who always has her head covered with anything she could get her hands on... even while sunbathing, a crisis from earlier days when she lost much of her hair. What is disastrously tragic is that the two live what is supposedly a normal life as we witness the old woman falling apart and a daughter decked out in deteriorated clothing unworthy to be sold even at a Salvation Army Used Outlet. The documentarians have captured all this in glorious "black and white". We truly come to know mother and daughter quite well by the end of the doc realizing we are not dealing with reasonable or sane individuals of any sort. What amazes me is how the two gave their consent to having their shabby, miserable state of a life filmed for posterity. It could have been for the money as they were literally destitute! The doc is an enormously, sad, funny yet horrific situation. If I remember correctly, old mother Beale died not many months after the documentary was finished. And yes! There was a lavish premiere for this doc that seemed to have been shot on skid row!

    A few years ago HBO presented a superb film on this subject starring Jessica Lange as Mother Beale and Drew Barrymore as Little Edie. It was an enormous hit with the performance of Lange being recognized as Best Actress for a tele film by the Golden Globe Awards and Barrymore winning the Emmy Award as Best Actress as a dead ringer for the real life little Edie. I highly recommend seeing the original black and white doc, then seeing the Lange/Barrymore film. It is uncanny how similar the two are. This is something very unusual and different well worth your time in discovering!

    8
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    pietroantoni@  13.5.2015 age: 36-49 14,540 reviews

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