Nate and Ryan welcome special guest Erick Fortmann to discuss the seminal documentary Grey Gardens, directed by the late Albert and David Maysles. The Maysles established themselves as pioneers of documentary in a time when documentaries were the stuff of newsreels and educational film. They made their name with 1968’s Salesman and 1970’s revelatory rock-documentary Gimme Shelter, but they cemented their place in history with 1975’s Grey Gardens. Over time, Grey Gardens has become a cult favorite with the eccentric Beales fascinating and perplexing moviegoers and film scholars alike. The Maysles brought their uncanny ability for capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments to the unusual lives of their one-in-a-million subjects. What resulted was a Rorschach test of sorts, as each viewer walks away from the film with a different interpretation of what they just experienced.
Let us know your interpretation? What do you think of Grey Gardens and the Beales? What makes a good documentary? Have you seen other Maysles documentaries? Let us know!
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