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The original Grey Gardens is returning to Film Forum

Joshua Rothkopf
Written by
Joshua Rothkopf
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Freshly restored yet still a riveting dump, the seminal 1975 documentary Grey Gardens is getting an exclusive run at Film Forum beginning this Friday. (Read our five-star review.) Among the strangest real-life family dramas ever captured, this classic dysfunction doc sucks you in with the endless bickering between "Big Edie" Bouvier Beale and her adult daughter, "Little Edie," who, despite their good breeding and glamorous appeal, descended into a kind of house-bound madness over several decades. Their East Hamptons mansion was nearly condemned by the Suffolk County Health Department in the early '70s, but soon after, vérité masters Albert and David Maysles insinuated themselves into the Beales' lives and got their story on film. You may know Grey Gardens from the decent HBO remake starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, or the Broadway musical, or just as a shorthand for squalor. But do yourself a favor and check out the original film, undoubtedly an influence on reality TV and our need to watch a train wreck in progress. As long as there are shut-ins and cameras, this will be their Citizen Kane.

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