With the launch of The Eccentrics collection - we're taking the opportunity to truly indulge in all our eccentricities. For May's installment of the HADES Film Club we're watching Albert and David Maysles' Grey Gardens; a documentary about two of the most iconic eccentrics....
Grey Gardens follows mother and daughter duo 'Big Edie' and 'Little Edie' formally known as Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and Edith Bouvier Beale. The Edies were the aunt and first cousin of former US First Lady; Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The film gives a glimpse into the everyday lives of the two reclusive women, living on their dilapidated Hamption estate.
With the mansion having fallen into a state of disrepair; articles on the manion describe them living with no running water, fleas, racoons and rat excrement, the film does not fixate upon the living conditions of the pair, but rather their eccentric characters.
The Maysles utilised the 'direct cinema' style of documentary making, a technique that grew out of the 1950s and 60s filmmaking movements, which aimed to break the boundaries of realism and non realism, depicting their subjects as closely and truthfully as possible.
The direct cinema technique depicts the Edies as transparently as the lens allows the women to tell their stories. The camera follows the iconic little Edie around the estate as she shows off her beautifully curated outfits referred to as her 'costumes', giving her control over her depiction without being judged or penalised.
The film has rendered them cultural idols and a source of inspiration for many including countless fashion designers (including HADES). Drag queen Jinkx Monsoon even parodied Little Edie in Ru Paul's Drag Race.
Grey Gardens is a firm favourites in the HADES studio and we're sure it will be for you too. A film filled to the brum with eccentricity and definately worth a watch.
You can watch Grey Gardens on YouTube
Best, Ula
