So it looks like i just might be attending this years Comic-Con in Toronto. As everyone knows, it’s not just about the comics. For me, it’s the unbridled self expression that has my interest piqued. The people dressed as their favourite comic book or anime characters. Well I ask you this…how many poeple do you think will show up dressed as their favourite documentary subject, Little Edie Beale? It may not be as far-fetched as you think. The Maysles Brothers ‘Grey Gardens‘ has quite the cult following, and is considered to be a very influential film in the world of fashion. It’s also an amusing look at the cousins of Jackie O and their unusual lifestyle. Well fans of the film are in for a treat. It looks like the Albert Maysles has managed to create a whole new film, ‘The Beales of Grey Gardens‘, made up entirely of footage which didn’t make the final cut of the film. Here’s what the Maysles site has to say:

“A love letter to the fans of the original film and to the two women at it’s heart, The Beales of Grey Gardens is drawn entirely from never-before-seen material from the Maysles archive. Edited from hours and hours of footage shot between 1973 and 1976, The Beales captures ‘Big’ Edie and ‘Little’ Edie at their resplendent, dazzling and exasperating best – philosophizing on God, love and war amidst the disorder of their ramshackle East Hampton mansion, with a montage tribute to Little Edie’s inimitable style and showstopping outfits.”

Now this isn’t to say that this is second rate material that just wasn’t good enough for the original film. It’s clear that the Maysles shot SO MUCH material that they had to make the cuts somewhere, now matter how much it hurt. The film will premiere at this years Toronto International Film Festival, and looks to have a future release planned with The Criterion Collection. I’m pretty excited for this. Although Grey Gardens isn’t necissarily my favourite of the Maysles films, it’s definitely worth seeing and i’ll have to add this new ‘sequel’ to my growing list of films i’d like to catch in Toronto next month.

Related Link: Grey Gardens Fan Site