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Errol Morris remembers Cinéma Verité pioneer Albert Maysles

"My work would not be possible without theirs," says Morris of the Maysles brothers. Albert Maysles died Friday at the age of 88.
q staff · CBC ·
Albert Maysles, an acclaimed documentary filmmaker who helped pioneer feature-length non-fiction movies that used lightweight, hand-held cameras to spontaneously record the lives of both the famous and the unexamined, has died. He was 88. (Seth Wenig/Reuters)

News that trailblazing filmmaker Albert Maysles had died ​at the age of 88 drew comments from many friends and admirers on Friday, including acclaimed documentarian Errol Morris. During the taping of Allan Hawco's forthcoming interview with Morris (which airs Monday), The Thin Blue Line director praised his colleague for shaping the field of documentary filmmaking as we know it. 

"[The Maysles Brothers] were extraordinarily successful at telling stories about real people, real world events. They changed the landscape of non-fiction film-making. My work would not be possible without theirs." 

*Click on the listen button below to hear Morris reflect on the Maysles brothers' influence

Q3:59Errol Morris remembers Cinéma Verité pioneer Albert Maysles
"My work would not be possible without theirs," says Morris of the Maysles brothers. Albert Maysles died Friday at the age of 88.​

The legacy of the Maysles

Along with his brother David, Maysles was a pioneer of Cinéma Verité (or direct cinema), which dispenses with film sets, interviews and narration in order to react more naturally to the action unfolding before the camera.

The Maysles brothers made several iconic films. Salesman (1968) follows the unrewarding toil of door-to-door Bible salesmen.  

Gimme Shelter (1970) is a landmark documentary that tracked the Rolling Stones' 1969 U.S. tour, with a focus on the tragic events at a free concert at Altamont. 

Grey Gardens (1976) is a portrait of a quixotic mother and daughter -- who happen to be distant members of the Kennedy clan -- living in a run down mansion in the Hamptons. The latter is cited as a huge influence by many documentary filmmakers. Just this week, a 40th anniversary restoration of Grey Gardens is being released in U.S. theatres. 

Maysles​ features prominently in the NFB documentary Capturing Reality (director Pepita Ferrari, 2009), which captures the voices of many important filmmakers. Click on the following links to hear him reflect on (1) the human need to disclose (2) the importance of being an observer (3) two extremes to avoid while making films.