Grey Gardens (2009)

When the HBO movie Grey Gardens (2009) came out, I remember dismissing it thinking, “Why would I want to watch a recreation of one of the greatest documentaries ever made?” Because, if you haven’t seen the 1975 film Grey Gardens, get on it. It chronicles the current lives of mother (“Big Edie”) and daughter (“Little Edie”) Beale, formerly rich people and relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy living in a completely run-down home on Long Island. And they are WEIRD and INTERESTING people, especially Little Edie. I assumed the 2009 film was just a recreation of the doc, but a friend recently mentioned that it actually gives a ton of backstory, so you can try to understand HOW and WHY these two ended up in a literally falling apart house eating cat food but also being fabulous.

It turns out that the 2009 movie is quite interesting, particularly because of that backstory! We go from Little Edie’s debut, through her mother’s difficult relationships with her husband and best friend, to the younger’s attempts to be an actress and a key ill-fated love affair. And I’ll say the recreations of the documentary footage are spot-on, and give major props to Drew Barrymore’s (Bad Girls, Ever After) acting as Little Edie. The story clarifies how both she and her mother (played by Jessica Lange) had some undocumented mental illnesses exacerbated by life events, particularly mom’s divorce and subsequent reversal of fortune; and how connected the two are, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. It’s interesting to watch Little Edie try to make an independent life for herself in New York City, and then how and why she retreats to her mother’s home.

The costumes were designed by Catherine Marie Thomas, who has mostly designed for contemporary films like Kill Bill 1 & 2 and 27 Dresses. She had to costume two separate phases, filling in what mother and daughter would have worn in the 1930s-50s, and then recreating clothes worn in the documentary. Thomas told Glamour magazine that she looked at actual photographs of the Beales for research, and “We built a lot of the early stuff, from the ’30s and some of the ’50s stuff, and we did a ton of vintage shopping too” (Exclusive: “Grey Gardens” Costume Designer Talks Drew, Deshabille, And Towels As Fashion).

We begin at Little Edie’s debut, where she’s in a stunning ivory jacquard ensemble with touches of black:

Here’s what Little Edie actually wore for her debut. No, it’s not the same, but the film dress hits the required “mid-1930s debutante dress” note.

Little Edie continues to be glam, often with an extra bit of flair like the hood on this gown:

Which comes straight from a photo of the real deal:

Other ensembles from her early years include:

That last ensemble reminds me a bit of this vibe, although it’s a dress and not shorts:

Meanwhile, screen Big Edie has her own theatrical flair:

The only problem is that the real Big Edie was dressing much more conventionally by this point, but I give it a pass because they’re trying to show her over-the-top personality. Here’s the real Big Edie:

For the later years, when both women go off the rails and Little Edie deals with alopecia, Thomas told Interview magazine,

“It was like scavenging. Even if a piece wasn’t an exact replica of what we saw in the documentary, if it felt right to that world then we’d use it… It involved playing with fabric and seeing how it draped. I truly think that’s what Edie did, you know? She would wear something as a sweater vest and then the next day she would put it on her head. I have to tell you, the woman was a genius. After playing with those head wraps and realizing how many safety pins we needed to make them stay, it’s incredible how she managed it. That’s why, in the documentary, you always see her adjusting her turban.” (Grey Gardens)

Compare to the real deal:

And, of course, they HAD to recreate the flag dance scene:

Have you seen Grey Gardens (2009)? How well do you think they captured the Edies and their backstory?

 

 

 

 

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