GREY GARDENS (1975) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Ellen Hovde, Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Muffie Meyer

"A gem of direct cinema that proved interesting characters existed in real life too. This film follows the lives of mother and daughter Little Edie and Big Edie, relatives of Jackie Onassis, fascinatingly interesting people that lived in complete squalor in a villa in New York city. Finally getting the attention they so craved with the arrival of Meysels with their cameras, the Edies let loose their eccentricities and their best and worst character traits for the delight of the audience. After this film, Little Edie’s fashion style became widely acknowledged and a fiction film was made about the shooting of the documentary. Gray Gardens is a representation of the decadence of the once wealthy socialites and a direct precursor of reality TV."

Documentary, USA