Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The men behind the curtain
Erin mentioned that she liked the moments when the filmmakers talked to the Edies. I did, too, but that got me thinking about the filmmakers' presence in their own film. (Unrelated: I just read that the Maysles wore flea collars around their ankles during the filming). They not only talked to the Edies, but sometimes filmed themselves in mirrors or walking by; often you could see the microphone. What do you think the purpose of this self-inclusion was?
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I wondered if it was just for context because the Edies kept talking to them. (Little Edie flirted quite a bit with them, Big Edie told them they were wasting film on Little Edie's drama, etc.) Sometimes they seem to be talking to the camera, and others they are clearly talking to Albert and David.
I have only seen one other Maysles film, "Gimme Shelter," and they were basically invisible. The band didn't talk to them and they didn't talk to the band. The only exception was at the end, when the Maysleses are showing the band members footage from the Altamont concert. But even then, the filmmakers aren't really "seen."
Did you notice any similarities between "Gimme Shelter" and "Grey Gardens"?
I would say it's a similar style. It's very real, very observational, with no voiceover, no interviews. There are stretches of near silence. And the use of hand-held cameras.
In that Kathryn Graham interview, Little Edie said that she had really enjoyed "Gimme Shelter."
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