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Albert and David Maysles

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Filmmakers

The Resume

    Born in Boston, Massachusetts
    Albert Maysles (November 26, 1926-March 5, 2015)
    David Maysles (January 10, 1931-January 3, 1987)
    Documentary filmmakers
    Together made the films 'What's Happening! The Beatles in the USA' (1964), 'Meet Marlon Brando' (1965), 'Salesman' (1968), 'Gimme Shelter' (1970), 'Christo's Valley Curtain' (1974), 'Grey Gardens' (1976), 'Running Fence' (1978), 'Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic' (1985) and 'Christo in Paris' (1990)
    Without David, Albert made the films 'Psychiatry in Russia' (1955), 'Soldiers of Music: Rostropovich Returns to Russia' (1991), 'Abortion: Desperate Choices' (1992), 'Umbrellas' (1995), 'Concert of Wills: Making the Getty Center' (1997), 'LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton' (2000), 'The Gates' (2005), 'Rufus Wainwright: Milwaukee at Last' (2009), 'Iris' (2014) and 'In Transit' (2015)
    Albert founded the Maysles Documentary Center (2005)
    Albert was awarded the National Medal of the Arts (2014)
    Last name rhymes with 'hazels'

Why they might be annoying:

    They worked as door-to-door salesmen.
    To make ends meet, they made commercials for corporate giants like IBM and Merrill Lynch.
    They were accused of exploiting violence for including the stabbing death of Meredith Hunter in 'Gimme Shelter.'
    Albert was so ticked off at Pauline Kael's negative review of 'Gimme Shelter' that he held a grudge against her for years after her death.
    Albert dismissed Michael Moore's films as propaganda, then admitted he had not actually seen them.

Why they might not be annoying:

    Along with D.A. Pennebaker, they were pioneers of the 'fly on the wall' style of documentary film making.
    They were described as 'the deans of documentary film making' and 'inspiration to independent filmmakers everywhere -- fiction and non-fiction alike.'
    'Salesman' and 'Grey Gardens' were chosen by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry.
    Albert said, 'Where there are people, there are stories -- and I want to tell them.'
    Albert was the first documentarian to receive the President's Award from the American Society of Cinematographers (1988).
    Albert would serve as a cameraman for first-time directors who approached him with a promising idea for a documentary.
    Albert described the difference between himself and Michel Moore as 'He's out to get people and I'm out to understand them.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 40 Votes: 52.50% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 20 Votes: 45.00% Annoying