MenuFLIXANO
Start Your Free Trial
Search
David Maysles

David Maysles

Albert (born November 26, 1926, Boston, Massachusetts) and David Maysles (rhymes with "hazels", born 10 January 1932, Boston, Massachusetts) were a documentary filmmaking team whose cinéma vérité works include Salesman (1968), Gimme Shelter (1970) and Grey Gardens (1976). Their 1964 film on The Beatles forms the backbone of the DVD, The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit. Several Maysles films document art projects by Christo and Jeanne-Claude over a three-decade period, from 1974 when Christo's Valley Curtain was nominated for an Academy Award to 2005 when The Gates headlined New York's Tribeca Film Festival.

David Maysles, the younger brother, died of a stroke on January 3, 1987, in New York. Albert Maysles graduated in 1949 with a BA from Syracuse University and later earned a masters degree at Boston University. Albert has continued to make films on his own since his brother's death. Jean-Luc Godard once called Albert Maysles "the best American cameraman". In 2005 Maysles was given a lifetime achievement award at the Czech film festival AFO (Academia Film Olomouc). He is working on his own autobiographical documentary.

Sign up to watch Free David Maysles Movies

Movies Made By David Maysles (29)

Muhammad and Larry (2009)

In October of 1980 Muhammad Ali was preparing to fight for an unprecedented fourth heavyweight title against his friend and former sparring partner Larry Holmes. To say that the great Ali was in the twilight of his career would be generous; most of his adm ...

Watch Now

The Gates (2008)

A documentary on New York City's biggest public art project ever, an installation called "The Gates" by Christo and Jeanne Claude. ...

Watch Now

The Beales of Grey Gardens (2006)

Mother and daughter - Big Edie and Little Edie Beale - live with six cats in a crumbling house in East Hampton. Little Edie, in her 50s, who wears scarves and bright colors, sings, mugs for the camera, and talks to Al and David Maysles, the filmmakers. Big ...

Watch Now

Christo in Paris (1990)

Documentary about conceptual artist Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude's attempt to "wrap" the Pont-Neuf in Paris. ...

Watch Now

Islands (1987)

The Maysles' third film about the artists sees them trying to get three projects off the ground: wrapping the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris; wrapping the Reichstag; and surrounding eleven man-made islands in Florida with pink plastic sheets. As the ...

Watch Now

Horowitz: The Last Romantic (1985)

A stimulating study which features concert footage and interviews with the master pianist. Includes many of his favorite pieces. ...

Watch Now

Ozawa (1985)

This intimate portrait of the legendary conductor Seiji Ozawa focuses on the Japanese master and teacher's career, his advocacy of modern composers and the behind-the-scenes world of the symphony orchestra. ...

Watch Now

Muhammad and Larry (1980)

Through the poetic lens of visionary filmmakers Albert and David Maysles, Muhammad and Larry explores the unique and poignant relationship between two great boxers and two remarkable men who were more than just competitors. They were once teacher and stude ...

Watch Now

Running Fence (1977)

Second in the series by the Maysles brothers documenting the monuments/sculptures of Christo, whose art projects are landscape-scaled, and more "pop" performance art designed to question how we relate to art in the public sphere, especially when it's as ob ...

Watch Now

Grey Gardens (1976)

Edie Bouvier Beale and her mother, Edith, two aging, eccentric relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, are the sole inhabitants of a Long Island estate. The women reveal themselves to be misfits with outsized, engaging personalities. Much of the conversation ...

Watch Now

The Burks of Georgia (1976)

The Maysles profile a poor white Georgian family struggling to survive with the realities of thirteen children. ...

Watch Now

Christo's Valley Curtain (1974)

This Oscar-nominated documentary follows Christo and Jeanne-Claude as they conceive and execute Valley Curtain, an immense orange fabric installation stretched across a Colorado mountain pass. Filmed in a direct-cinema style, "Christo's Valley Curtain" obs ...

Watch Now

Gimme Shelter (1970)

A detailed chronicle of the famous 1969 tour of the United States by the British rock band The Rolling Stones, which culminated with the disastrous and tragic concert held on December 6 at the Altamont Speedway Free Festival, an event of historical signifi ...

Watch Now

Salesman (1969)

This documentary from Albert and David Maysles follows the bitter rivalry of four door-to-door salesmen working for the Mid-American Bible Company: Paul "The Badger" Brennan, Charles "The Gipper" McDevitt, James "The Rabbit" Baker and Raymond "The Bull" Ma ...

Watch Now

Journey to Jerusalem (1968)

This color documentary chronicles the musical concert on Mount Scopus in Israel a mere three weeks after the Six Day War. Leonard Bernstein and Isaac Stern join the Yoi Yisrael Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, and the Tel Aviv Philharmonic ...

Watch Now

Experiment on 114th Street (1968)

A 1968 documentary made under the aegis of the United States Office of Economic Opportunity, chronicling the early stages of the 114th Street Rehabilitation Project in Harlem. ...

Watch Now

Meet Marlon Brando (1966)

Filmed during a studio-organized press junket, "Meet Marlon Brando" observes Marlon Brando as he fields a succession of television interviews meant to promote Morituri. Rather than comply, Brando deflects questions with irony, flirtation, and philosophical ...

Watch Now

Salvador Dalí's Fantastic Dream (1966)

Produced by 20th Century Fox, this Maysles Brothers short was intended to help promote the release of Disney's Fantastic Voyage (1966) for which Salvador Dali was artistic consultant. Shot in and around New York, the film features a cameo by a bikini clad ...

Watch Now

Orson Welles in Spain (1966)

Orson Welles presents a proposed film project to prospective investors in Spain. Speaking to an audience of wealthy arts patrons, Welles outlines his vision for an improvised, documentary-style fiction set in the world of bullfighting, centered on a solita ...

Watch Now

With Love from Truman (1966)

At his Long Island beach house, and on the occasion of the publication of his masterful nonfiction novel In Cold Blood, reporter Karen Dennison interviews celebrated writer Truman Capote, who displays his exuberant personality, makes witty jokes, shares hi ...

Watch Now

Cut Piece (1965)

Filmed at New York's Carnegie Hall, Cut Piece documents one of Yoko Ono's most powerful conceptual pieces. Performed by the artist herself, Ono sits motionless on the stage after inviting the audience to come up and cut away her clothing in a denouement of ...

Watch Now

IBM: A Self Portrait (1964)

Told in the Maysles' intimatible style, IBM: A SELF PORTRAIT captures the future corporate juggernaut at an early stage of their development. The emphasis here is on the human ingenuity behind the technology industry-- the colorful technicians and executiv ...

Watch Now

What's Happening! The Beatles in the USA (1964)

New York, USA, February 1964. Five grueling days in the life of George, John, Paul and Ringo, the Fab Four, The Beatles: the hysterical fan reception at JFK airport; several press conferences; in their rooms at the Plaza Hotel; in the backstage at the Ed S ...

Watch Now

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The Beatles in New York (1964)

The American documentary makers - The Maysles Brothers, were given exclusive access to almost every minute of The Beatles first American visit. The first 3 days of film footage shot in New York was rushed over to Granada Television in London who quickly e ...

Watch Now

Showman (1963)

Albert and David Maysles (Gimme Shelter) directed this 53-minute documentary about movie tycoon Joseph E. Levine (1963). Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012. ...

Watch Now

That's Me (1963)

That's Me is a 1963 American short comedy film directed by Walker Stuart. It's written by and stars Alan Arkin and Andrew Duncan. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film. ...

Watch Now

Anastasia (1962)

The life of Anastasia Stevens, an American dancer at the Bolshoi Ballet, at the height of the Cold War. An early work by the Maysles brothers for the NBC television network, produced by acclaimed screenwriter Bo Goldman. ...

Watch Now

The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)

An American showgirl becomes entangled in political intrigue when the Prince Regent of a foreign country attempts to seduce her. ...

Watch Now

Bus Stop (1956)

Cowboys Beauregard Decker and Virgil Blessing attend a rodeo in Phoenix, where Decker falls in love with beautiful cafe singer Cherie. He wants to take Cherie back to his native Montana and marry her, but she dreams of traveling to Hollywood and becoming f ...

Watch Now

Movies Starring David Maysles (6)

Wild Blue Yonder (2007)

A portrait of the late documentarian David Maysles by his daughter, Celia. ...

Watch Now

Albert Maysles: The Poetic Eye (2006)

It delves into the character and life of Albert Maysles, who, with his brother David, created some of the most well known and iconic documentaries of the 20th century. ...

Watch Now

The Beales of Grey Gardens (2006)

Mother and daughter - Big Edie and Little Edie Beale - live with six cats in a crumbling house in East Hampton. Little Edie, in her 50s, who wears scarves and bright colors, sings, mugs for the camera, and talks to Al and David Maysles, the filmmakers. Big ...

Watch Now

Grey Gardens (1976)

Edie Bouvier Beale and her mother, Edith, two aging, eccentric relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, are the sole inhabitants of a Long Island estate. The women reveal themselves to be misfits with outsized, engaging personalities. Much of the conversation ...

Watch Now

Gimme Shelter (1970)

A detailed chronicle of the famous 1969 tour of the United States by the British rock band The Rolling Stones, which culminated with the disastrous and tragic concert held on December 6 at the Altamont Speedway Free Festival, an event of historical signifi ...

Watch Now

The Maysles Brothers (1969)

The Newsweek critic, Jack Kroll, interviews Albert and David Maysles about their new film, Salesman (1968). ...

Watch Now