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Grey Gardens
Apr. 17th, 2009 10:06 amOr, Cindys' obsession du Jour.
I read the Project Rungay/TLo blog every morning. This is mostly because the guys who write it are to catty bitches and I laugh my butt off at their antics. But every once in a while, they dump a wonderful gem in my lap. They did a write up on the TLo blog on the HBO movie Grey Gardens. I knew the movie was coming out. The only knowledge I had of Grey Gardens before the HBO film (With Drew Barrymore and Faye Dunaway. Both Actresses who I love) was the Broadway musical. Christine Ebersole won the Tony for best actress. Her voice is divine. I didn't know much about the plot other than it was about an aunt and cousin of Jackie O and they happened to be VERY eccentric. Sounded cute but not much else. I didn't give it much thought. I assumed it was fiction.
Anways when I saw the ads for the HBO Grey Gardens movie I though 'Huh..are they doing a film of the musical? Why didn't they cast singers!". But on further research I found out It was just a regular film based on a true story. THEN I found out after reading the TLo article that Grey Garends was not only a true story but the film and the musical were based off a 1975 documentary that was filmed about their lives.
Now THAT was intriguing. So I did some digging around on YouTube and managed to find the entire documentry in parts....and I sat up late watching the whole thing in a complete trance.
Words cannot describe this documentary.
Seriously. I went into Grey Gardens thinking it would be a funny in a train wreck sort of way type of movie. Like watching reality TV.
Nope.
Don't get me wrong, It had some hilarious moments. But I really can't describe the feelings I had after watching it. I think Haunting is the best word for it. The basic gist of the whole film is there is a mother and daughter, Big Edie and Little Edie, who are living together in this dilapidated old Hampton summer home called Grey Gardens. The mansion is a mess. The walls have holes in them, there's trash everywhere, they house 52 cats, feed the raccoons in the attic, and the grounds are completely over grown like a jungle. Little Edie apparently returned to Grey Gardens to take care of Big Edie when she was 35. She's now 55 and still at home caring for Big Edie. The filmmakers just turn the cameras on and record these women in their daily lives. That's all. But that's all that really needs to be done when you have two fascinating characters like Big and Little Edie.
I went through a gamut of emotions watching this film. I laughed at the antics and the insane mother/daughter bickering, I felt hurt to see how Little Edie trapped herself in this life with her mother and never really grew up, I felt sad to see how these two women are bordering on insanity from the years of isolation in their home, but I also felt happy and almost inspired but the fact that these women were completely unapologetic for who they were. One thing I never felt was pitty for the Edies. Its hard to describe why I didn't but I just couldn't feel pity or think "thank GOD this never happened to me!". In fact. if anything watching the Edies really made me think "Wow, life is too short and I really should not be afraid to go for what I want and be exactly who I am. Neighbors be damned!" And that's what makes Grey Gardens so unique to me. Today, if this was filmed I really believe the filmmakers would have mocked these women. But I felt the filmmakers honored them. It was different, exciting, and now I"m completely obsessed with finding more information on Grey Gardens and I'm dying to see the movie on HBO.
If you're interested on learning a bit about the film you can find some great info here.
You can read the TLo blog review here which is where I first found out about Grey Gardens.
I'm hoping to hunt down the 1975 Grey Gardens on DVD soon. I already have watched ti twice on YouTube and every time I see it, I want to see it again. The movie is DEFINITELY not everyone's cup of tea. If very not main stream. But if you're looking for something that is completely out of left field, check it out.
I read the Project Rungay/TLo blog every morning. This is mostly because the guys who write it are to catty bitches and I laugh my butt off at their antics. But every once in a while, they dump a wonderful gem in my lap. They did a write up on the TLo blog on the HBO movie Grey Gardens. I knew the movie was coming out. The only knowledge I had of Grey Gardens before the HBO film (With Drew Barrymore and Faye Dunaway. Both Actresses who I love) was the Broadway musical. Christine Ebersole won the Tony for best actress. Her voice is divine. I didn't know much about the plot other than it was about an aunt and cousin of Jackie O and they happened to be VERY eccentric. Sounded cute but not much else. I didn't give it much thought. I assumed it was fiction.
Anways when I saw the ads for the HBO Grey Gardens movie I though 'Huh..are they doing a film of the musical? Why didn't they cast singers!". But on further research I found out It was just a regular film based on a true story. THEN I found out after reading the TLo article that Grey Garends was not only a true story but the film and the musical were based off a 1975 documentary that was filmed about their lives.
Now THAT was intriguing. So I did some digging around on YouTube and managed to find the entire documentry in parts....and I sat up late watching the whole thing in a complete trance.
Words cannot describe this documentary.
Seriously. I went into Grey Gardens thinking it would be a funny in a train wreck sort of way type of movie. Like watching reality TV.
Nope.
Don't get me wrong, It had some hilarious moments. But I really can't describe the feelings I had after watching it. I think Haunting is the best word for it. The basic gist of the whole film is there is a mother and daughter, Big Edie and Little Edie, who are living together in this dilapidated old Hampton summer home called Grey Gardens. The mansion is a mess. The walls have holes in them, there's trash everywhere, they house 52 cats, feed the raccoons in the attic, and the grounds are completely over grown like a jungle. Little Edie apparently returned to Grey Gardens to take care of Big Edie when she was 35. She's now 55 and still at home caring for Big Edie. The filmmakers just turn the cameras on and record these women in their daily lives. That's all. But that's all that really needs to be done when you have two fascinating characters like Big and Little Edie.
I went through a gamut of emotions watching this film. I laughed at the antics and the insane mother/daughter bickering, I felt hurt to see how Little Edie trapped herself in this life with her mother and never really grew up, I felt sad to see how these two women are bordering on insanity from the years of isolation in their home, but I also felt happy and almost inspired but the fact that these women were completely unapologetic for who they were. One thing I never felt was pitty for the Edies. Its hard to describe why I didn't but I just couldn't feel pity or think "thank GOD this never happened to me!". In fact. if anything watching the Edies really made me think "Wow, life is too short and I really should not be afraid to go for what I want and be exactly who I am. Neighbors be damned!" And that's what makes Grey Gardens so unique to me. Today, if this was filmed I really believe the filmmakers would have mocked these women. But I felt the filmmakers honored them. It was different, exciting, and now I"m completely obsessed with finding more information on Grey Gardens and I'm dying to see the movie on HBO.
If you're interested on learning a bit about the film you can find some great info here.
You can read the TLo blog review here which is where I first found out about Grey Gardens.
I'm hoping to hunt down the 1975 Grey Gardens on DVD soon. I already have watched ti twice on YouTube and every time I see it, I want to see it again. The movie is DEFINITELY not everyone's cup of tea. If very not main stream. But if you're looking for something that is completely out of left field, check it out.
