Library Journal Review

Grey Gardens documents the demise of bluebloods Big and Little Edie Beale, a mother and daughter who just happen to be the aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy. Never is it clearer than here that the Bouviers had the name and the Kennedys had the money. Grey Gardens, once the home of swell parties and arranged high-power marriages, was already in squalor in 1976 when the Maysles Brothers began filming. Criterion had released a meticulous and complete version of Grey Gardens, long inaccessible in any medium. This special edition includes The Beales of Grey Gardens, assembled in 2006 by Albert Maysles, the surviving brother of the documentary filmmakers, with footage not used in the original Grey Gardens. The result is stylistically more interview/talking head than a voyeuristic peek into the women's lives. However, all the character and naiveto remain. Little Edie models wacky yet somehow smart outfits while reverentially reading an astrology paperback with a huge magnifying glass. Big Edie dotes on neighbor boy Jerry and asks Little Edie to sing her lyrics properly. The Maysles Brothers are more prominent here, as Little Edie delightfully flirts with them. Rather than delusional, she appears to be a real 13-year-old with a sincere crush. This pristine Criterion Collection remastering, which is now the gold standard, is most likely the result of the successful and critically acclaimed Off-Broadway and Broadway musical productions about the women and an upcoming film with Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. This double-disc edition is an essential purchase for most libraries.-Gerald A. Notaro, Univ. of South Florida Lib., St. Petersburg (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.