Reminder: GREY GARDENS on HBO, Saturday, April 18 at 8:00 PM!!! — Page 5

Jane, I don't know to which film you're referring, but I'm suddenly reminded of the Collyer brothers, two elderly recluses who lived (and died) in their garbage-ridden Harlem apartment in the early 20th Century. Like the Beales, they too came from a well-to-do family and were well-educated. But they had a tragic end. The older brother was an invalid and dependent on the younger brother, but when the able brother was killed by one of his own booby traps (they became obsessive about intruders) the other brother died of starvation.

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I found the film fascinating and beautiful. I feel it perhaps villainized Big Edie a bit too much and made her seem like a maniacal woman who caused her own daughter's demise. The soundtrack was gorgeous and the visuals, costumes (due for the most part to the amazing fashion sense of the real life Little Edie) and of course performances were breathtaking. I never wanted it to end.

I see both sides of the argument about the ending. Yes, it showed Edie finally getting the validation she sought her entire life as a performer, almost stealing thunder from her mother by having a SINGING act in fact, but also rang a tad "comical" for lack of a better word. For the average viewer of the film, the true "camp" quality of the Edies which drew in the crowds at Reno Sweeney may have not been conveyed therefore making the final scene seem a bit mean-spirited. Seeing someone who is clearly a terrible singer be cheered on by a crowd had the aftertaste of cruelty saved only for WIlliam Hung and other idol rejects. Ending with the NY Premier may have seemed a little too Hollywood to the director, especially seeing that these women were two tragic characters (for all intents and purposes) and that is a little fairytale-ish.

I'd also agree with MrMidwest (and in turn Dave Poland) that the jump from Edie's "return to NY episode to see Cap" to the almost entirely dilapidated Grey Gardens was one of the more jarring and abrupt of the entire film.

This jump could have also encompassed more information that we DIDN'T have from the documentary (and musical). It's easy piece together what happened right before the docu (the Maysles commissioned by Lee) and after (Big Edie's death and Little Edie's move to NYC), but those foggy years from Edie's complete resign to staying in the mansion to where the Maysles showed up would have been rich material to explore.

That will be the sequel.

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I think this film illustrates the love between the Edies better than either the musical or the documentary did.

There was more relationship depicted, more "I'm here to take care of you" on both women's parts, more ambiguity in terms of motivation.

It's one of the film's great strengths, in my opinion. I love the film. I intend to watch it over and over again, just as I did the musical and (still do with) the documentary. But that doesn't mean I can't be critical of it. So far I've only seen it once. I'm sure I will have different insights upon subsequent viewings.

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I think one of the most selfless acts Big Edie does for Little Edie in both the documentary and the HBO film is she allows Little Edie to have her delusions about history, which give her comfort.

I mean Big Edie takes the "blame" for bringing Little Edie back when we all know that Little Edie was decompensating mental health-wise. The whole "I came back to take care of mother" is a fabrication of sorts. I think Big Edie is very loving and protective of her daughters memories, so movingly illustrated when she was trying to scare Edie into not going to the GG premiere. Clearly, she was scared of anytime her daughter's "reality" would bump into actual reality.

If you listen to the commentary of the Maysles documentary you find out that the "beau" Edie goes on about losing, Eugene Leskayvitch, was a salesmen who Big Edie turned away. That gives you insight into how Little Edie crafted a history of her own and Big Edie made room for that.

Very loving indeed.

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Unfortunately, I think Little Edie had a lethal combination of untreated mental health concerns and a life of entitlement which left her very unmotivated and mentally able to follow through on much of anything. While I think her father's lack of support and her mother's paranoia left her confused, I am pretty sure she would have had difficulty suceeding.

The fact that she was unable to keep the house clean for her invalid mother denotes pretty serious mental health issues for a physically able woman. Her entitlement would have shut off once the house started to stink if she weren't having mental health concerns. As a social worker, I've done a million home visits in similar situations. Very sad indeed.

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When Big Edie gives the "wedding jewels" to Little Edie was utterly heartbreaking and beautiful. I completely lost it during that scene.

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SM2-FOUND IT! "Dead Ringers" by David Cronenberg.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094964/

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"The fact that she was unable to keep the house clean for her invalid mother denotes pretty serious mental health issues for a physically able woman"

Oh boy, is that true! My sibling who is ill does not clean house, but swears it's immaculate. You simply can't go inside her home, it's that bad.

I wonder if part of the reason for the house's degradation could be due to the fact that neither mother nor daughter were accustomed to doing any housework. They had staff for that.

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And we know so much more about the hoarding syndrome -- a fairly recently designated condition that clearly played a role in this. They couldn't part with things, independent of the lack of funding for basic service. The hoarding gave Big Edie a sense of holding on, hanging on as she lost control over her environment. The gnarly interplay of so many conditions gripped and paralyzed these women. The film thoughtfully raises so many of the questions. I was very impressed with its economy and depth.

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Yes, it first aired this past Saturday but its on HBO and airing almost on a daily basis. It didn't just air once.

Here are the remainder April airdates for the film on HBO. Its also on HBO On Demand, so you can watch it whenever you want. No excuse to keep missing it:

4/21 10:45 AM
HBO - EAST

4/21 10:45 AM
HBO LATINO - EAST

4/21 1:45 PM
HBO - WEST

4/21 1:45 PM
HBO LATINO - WEST

4/21 7:15 PM
HBO - EAST

4/21 7:15 PM
HBO LATINO - EAST

4/21 10:15 PM
HBO - WEST

4/21 10:15 PM
HBO LATINO - WEST

4/23 9:15 AM
HBO2 - EAST

4/23 12:15 PM
HBO2 - WEST

4/23 8:00 PM
HBO2 - EAST

4/23 11:00 PM
HBO2 - WEST

4/26 2:00 PM
HBO - EAST

4/26 2:00 PM
HBO LATINO - EAST

4/26 5:00 PM
HBO - WEST

4/26 5:00 PM
HBO LATINO - WEST

4/27 12:00 AM
HBO - EAST

4/27 3:00 AM
HBO - WEST

4/28 7:30 AM
HBO SIGNATURE - EAST

4/28 10:30 AM
HBO SIGNATURE - WEST

4/28 9:00 PM
HBO SIGNATURE - EAST

4/29 12:00 AM
HBO SIGNATURE - WEST

4/30 12:30 PM
HBO - EAST

4/30 12:30 PM
HBO LATINO - EAST

4/30 3:30 PM
HBO - WEST

4/30 3:30 PM
HBO LATINO - WEST

4/30 8:30 PM
HBO - EAST

4/30 8:30 PM
HBO LATINO - EAST

4/30 11:30 PM
HBO - WEST

4/30 11:30 PM
HBO LATINO - WEST

Yea, Totally Effed...the DVD will be gorgeous with tons of features and I dont think it will take very long to come out. :)

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