Alex’s friend Steve never goes anywhere without his video camera. Recently he went to an awards ceremony … and after various guests received their awards … out came Christine Ebersole, and she sang “Around the World” from Grey Gardens.
No stage makeup, no costume, no props. She doesn’t need them.
That was really impressive. I just realized as I was watching it that I recognized her from the soap opera One Life to Live–and please don’t ask me how I know that. Wasn’t she in Amadeus, too? Anyway, she is everything you said she was. I would love to see Grey Gardens.
Yes! Excellent memory. She was in Amadeus – the coy soprano he starts sleeping with. This woman’s been around forever … and NOW she is having her moment. TAKING her moment. I just love that.
Here’s more
Yes, we Republicans “can get you for almost anything.” That was great. I am going to go back and read your review again.
All of that dialogue is taken word for word from the documentary. “They can get you for wearing red shoes on a Thursday.” etc. Her comments on East Hampton are hiLARious.
I was just re-reading your comments about not feeling like laughing while watching the documentary, and being with people who found it hilarious. I know that feeling. It can be very disorienting to experience a completely different emotion than others around you while you are viewing or hearing the same thing. I think I might find the documentary difficult too, but I have to see it now.
This might be obvious to most people, but I am curious why gay men find Edie so fascinating.
You know how when you watch Gena Rowlands in Woman Under the Influence and how – it’s so raw and real and … hard to describe .. that it can feel unbearable at times? It’s not “neat” acting. It transcends that – it goes into the realm of the mythic, or archetypal – not sure what – but it’s like what the Greeks were going for. Catharsis from pity or fear. That’s what I felt like watching that documentary. I went and read Roger Ebert’s review of it and it gave me a really good perspetive on it, one other than my own. That these women – while recluses, and obviously delusional – they were true individuals. In a way, they were living just the life they wanted. And they were more themselves than everyone else around them. They were TOTALLY themselves – no social facades. This is unbearable at times … yet I think this is why these two women (the Edies) are so adored. It’s not a freak show, it’s not a “tee hee look at the freaks” – there’s an admiration there. It’s an odd thing. I didn’t feel it the first time I watched the documentary – it was too awful – but I was glad I read Ebert’s perspective – it makes a lot of sense to me.
DBW – haha I just saw your question about gay men and I think, inadvertently, I just answered it in the comment before this one.
These women had the scorn of society – they were outcasts – and yet – there they were, playing records, bickering, talking about Nathaniel Hawthorne, dressing up – and it’s sad, yes … but there’s a heroism there too. They did not conform. It’s an odd thing. So I think gay men can really relate to that – they find comfort in that.
Here’s Ebert’s review if you’re interested
I know exactly what you mean about Gena Rowlands. She is someone with whom I can become totally mesmerized, but almost feel like I am watching something too private, or too revealing, for me to be seeing. I get tied in knots lots of times watching documentaries. I have such affection for the people on the screen, and I get pained when they struggle, or are obviously ignorant, or are caught in degrading or squalid(oh, a salinger)circumstances beyond their control. That can happen in movies, but I am more likely to keep that awareness of the actors vs. reality unless I am watching really special performers.
Yeah, a good documentary can ruin my mood for days. hahaha
My Brother’s Keeper pretty much fucked me up for good. I still haven’t recovered from seeing that one – and yeah, it’s just like you said … my heart just ached for those poor men, I loved them, but I felt so sorry for them … the townspeople who came out in support of them have my undying love … It was almost just too intense. I couldn’t bear it.
Did you see that one?
Horrifying. But very very well done.
Yes. I saw it, and it’s one of the ones I was referring to. It shook me up too, but I thought it was great cinema. I like documentaries, but they can be painful-HA. It’s strange, but I actually like that kind of pain. It seems like a strong acknowledgement of life, and your awareness and appreciation of it.
I just read Ebert’s review. I love the Maysles brothers. Gimme Shelter is a movie I have always liked a lot. I love that they started out to make a movie about Jackie O and Lee Radziwell, and decided they preferred the Edies as subjects. Those are people who take their art seriously.
Sheila, I’ve seen the show 3 times – twice at Playwrights and once on B’way. Around The World is when I start crying and it doesn’t let up until the end of Another Winter.
Both songs are triumphs for Christine, but also Korie and Frankel because they’ve come the closest to the real Edie I think I know. Another Winter is that inner monologue – those glimpses of self-awareness that we see only fleetingly in the movie. But Around the World is the closest to the real Edie that her friends and family saw. Gentle and sweet – a complete innocent with a poet’s soul, and then in 2 seconds – raging and out of control and building into something truly frightening.
Edie wanted to be scattered in the Atlantic off the coast of Miami. Her relatives (you know…THEM) had a memorial service for her in East Hampton and then took her back to CA. She was, I hear, finally scattered about this summer at various locations. But the thing that makes me cry in the musical is that they put her ashes in a little box with a wicker bird on top. Makes that line about the bird that flew away all the more heart-wrenching. How they managed such an act of poignancy is beyond me.