The “Grey Gardens” mystique becomes even more intriguing with “That Summer,” a prequel of sorts to the famed Maysles film that fills in background information while furthering the hagiographic cult surrounding Big and Little Edie.
Almost exclusively composed of 16mm footage shot in 1972 and lost until now, Göran Hugo Olsson’s fascinating documentary recounts the summer when Lee Radziwill and photographer Peter Beard decided to record Radziwill’s reclusive aunt and first cousin, hiring the Maysles and shooting in and around Grey Gardens while workers fixed the place up — yes, it’s hard to believe, but the house was in even worse shape before the 1975 documentary.
Given the two Edies’ large fan base and the iconic status of the earlier film, “That Summer” is certain to make a big splash on art-house screens and streaming sites.Back in ’72, Beard and Radziwill had the idea of making a documentary about the rapid vulgarization of East Hampton,
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