Looking at the Beales Again

This past weekend saw the limited release of The Beales of Grey Gardens, described in a New York Times review as "an assemblage of outtakes" from the 1976 Mayles brothers documentary Grey Gardens, about an eccentric Long Island mother and daughter, relatives of Jackie O. Why the addendum to a classic cult doc? Well, it could have something to do with the successful off-Broadway "Grey Gardens" musical and the planned movie starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, scheduled at this time for a 2007 release. For an interesting perspective on the original "Grey Gardens," here's a posting on a blog written by an intern for Albert Mayles, where he talks a little about his discomfort with the movie, in which the Beale women don't seem to show the, um, proper discretion that we expect from people when being filmed for a documentary. See The Beales of Grey Gardens for yourself at the Alamo Downtown on Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 21 and 22.