That Summer (2017)

Directed by Göran Hugo Olsson

Featuring Peter Beard, Lee Radziwill, Edith Bouvier Beale and Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale

Before the classic documentary Grey Gardens was made, Lee Radziwill and artist Peter Beard planned to make a documentary about the East Hampton area, and the changes taking place there. Given the links her family had to the area, Radziwill intended for the film to touch on her family history as well, and visited her aunt ‘Big Edie’ cousin ‘Little Edie’ Bouvier Beale, with the plan of getting Big Edie to narrate the film. Reaching their home Grey Gardens, it became apparent that the place is in a state of squalid disrepair, with the Beales being threatened with eviction by the health department. Radziwill works with her sister Jackie Onassis to arrange repairs to the house, and filming continues, catching the ever eccentric Beales going about their daily business: bickering, talking to their numerous cats, singing, eating ice cream, searching for their makeup amongst the detritus and reminiscing about times past.

Although it disturbed me at times with its slightly exploitative undertone, I really loved the film Grey Gardens. It provided a glimpse into the lives of two truly outlandish, potentially mentally ill individuals. I found the antics of Little Edie particularly hypnotic, even as she bordered on the histrionic. That Summer provides some interesting back story for those who have seen Grey Gardens – it was quite shocking to realise that the disordered house seen in Grey Gardens had been in much worse repair in the years preceding, and enlightening to discover how the Edies were discovered as potential documentary subjects (the Maysles worked as crew on Beard and Radziwill’s film).

But although it is of possible interest to those who have seen Grey Gardens, this film feels more like a footnote, and does not stand well on its own. The new footage relating to the Beales is too slight, with a major focus on the largely uninteresting business of repairing the house. This footage is padded out with some footage of Peter Beard making artworks, as well as home movies of Beard with Andy Warhol, Mick and Bianca Jagger and others in the Hamptons shot around the same time as the footage of the Beales, sometimes overlaid with audio of an interview with Lee Radziwill. This additional footage is not particularly compelling, and the film leaves unanswered the question of why Beard and Radziwill’s initial film plans never came to fruition. I imagine that if I had seen all this without being familiar with Grey Gardens, I would have come away confused and unable to understand why the film was made.

Overall, This Summer is not bad as a companion piece, and provides a glimpse into another element of the Beales’ story, as well as showing more of their eccentric lives and constant reminiscences. But it is probably not of interest unless you have a preexisting fascination with the lives of the Beales.

Worth watching? Probably for Grey Gardens completists only.

Truth in advertising? The film is all about memories of the past, and various people in the film make references to ‘that summer’ when the filming took place. So it seems fitting enough, if a little generic. 3.5/5.