eBook - ePub
Grey Gardens
About this book
The Maysles brothers' documentary film Grey Gardens (1975) chronicles the everyday lives of two eccentric upper-class women, Edith Bouvier Beale and her mother Edith. The film has gained the status of cult classic since its release, inspiring both a Broadway musical and a 2009 feature film. In this first single volume study, Matthew Tinkcom argues that Grey Gardens reshaped documentary cinema by moving the camera to the heart of the household, a private space into which film-makers had seldom previously ventured.
By the time the film-makers appeared on their front porch, Grey Gardens' two central figures, 'Big Edie' and her daughter 'Little Edie', had been living for two decades in squalor in their beachside East Hampton mansion. However, the women were hardly victims of their poverty; rather they saw themselves as artists who were willing to make any sacrifice for their singing and dancing talents. When the Edies perform for the camera, audiences are challenged by the question of how much anyone would be willing to give up in order to lead a life of eccentric pleasure. Tinkcom argues that Grey Gardens is innovative in blending documentary with the conventions of melodrama, and that the film's appeal lies in the fabric of the Beales' everyday lives in which they argue, dress up, flirt, laugh, sing, dance and reminisce about their experiences in New York's social elite in the first half of the twentieth century.
In his afterword to this new edition, Matthew Tinkcom reconsiders Grey Gardens fifty years after its release, addressing its cult status and the Edies' continuing influence on popular culture.
By the time the film-makers appeared on their front porch, Grey Gardens' two central figures, 'Big Edie' and her daughter 'Little Edie', had been living for two decades in squalor in their beachside East Hampton mansion. However, the women were hardly victims of their poverty; rather they saw themselves as artists who were willing to make any sacrifice for their singing and dancing talents. When the Edies perform for the camera, audiences are challenged by the question of how much anyone would be willing to give up in order to lead a life of eccentric pleasure. Tinkcom argues that Grey Gardens is innovative in blending documentary with the conventions of melodrama, and that the film's appeal lies in the fabric of the Beales' everyday lives in which they argue, dress up, flirt, laugh, sing, dance and reminisce about their experiences in New York's social elite in the first half of the twentieth century.
In his afterword to this new edition, Matthew Tinkcom reconsiders Grey Gardens fifty years after its release, addressing its cult status and the Edies' continuing influence on popular culture.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Grey Gardens by Matthew Tinkcom in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Film & Video. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- BFI Film Classics
- Dedication
- Title Page
- Contents
- Introduction
- 1 ‘We Belong Together’: Melodrama as Non-Fiction in Grey Gardens
- 2 ‘The Revolutionary Costume’: Little Edie and Fashion
- 3 ‘If you can’t get a man to propose to you, you might as well be dead!’: Direct Cinema and the Problem of Seduction
- Conclusion: ‘I’m pulverized by this latest thing’: Grey Gardens and its Lives
- Afterword to the 2025 Edition
- Notes
- Credits
- eCopyright