"Making a film isn't finding the answer to a question;
it's trying to capture life as it is." --Albert Maysles
So much has been written about Grey Gardens, but I'd just like to add a couple of observations. After viewing it for the first time, I was amazed, leafing through fashion magazines, how many spreads paid homage to Big and Little Edie. Their influence is everywhere. Still.
It's one of those films I wanted everyone to watch and love as much as I did. And I had to accept that not everyone embraced it the way I did. One friend couldn't understand why anyone would film a pair of "screeching Edith Bunkers." Another marveled, "are they just a couple of drunks?" I have to admit--she had a point. In one scene where the mother-daughter duo are languishing in bed with a big tub of ice cream, there's also a gallon-sized bottle of vodka on the nightstand between them.
Despite my friend's astute observation, I'll always love this film. I can't think of any modern work of art (although I'm sure there are a few) that illustrates how the comic and tragic intermingle in each of us. Now it's time to watch Gimme Shelter. Have an excellent weekend!
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