Albert Maysles, legendary documentary filmmaker, dies at 88

Albert Maysles, who created some of the most important documentaries in film history with his brother, David Maysles, has died. He was 88.

Maysles died at his Manhattan home Thursday night, The New York Times reports. Family friend K.A. Dilday confirmed the news.

The Maysles brothers’ films are best known for their pioneering use of cinema verite style, that is, capturing life as it is without getting intrusive. Their films were noticeably without interviews, as Maysles preferred presenting events and life as it was, rather than trying to coax a subject to fit a narrative.

They made several films throughout the 1960s, but their breakthrough was the 1970 documentary Gimme Shelter, which focused on the Rolling Stones’ disastrous 1969 U.S. tour. The film comes to a climax that the infamous free Altamont, California concert, where a fan was stabbed to death.

Grey Gardens (1975) was another one of their better known efforts. The film chronicled the lifestyle of Edith Bouvier and her daughter, cousins of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The film was later adapted into a Broadway show and a 2009 HBO telefilm.

The Maysles brothers won two Emmys, for Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic (1985) and Soldiers of Music (1991). Maysles was also a co-director on the Emmy-winning Abortion: Desperate Choices (1992).

However, the brothers were less successful at the Oscars. Their only nomination came in 1974 for the short film Christo's Valley Curtain.

Both Gimme Shelter and Grey Gardens were released on home video by the Criterion Collection, which said in a statement, “We saw things through his lens that we will never forget. He was a filmmaker up until the end. We loved him and will miss him terribly.”

David Maysles died in 1987 after a stroke.

Maysles is survived by his wife, Gillian Walker, their two daughters and their son.

image courtesy of INFphoto.com