Born of Eastern-European immigrants on 26th November 1926 in Brookline, Massachusetts, Albert Maysles has remained one of the leading lights of nonfiction filmmaking since the 1960s.
Maysles became a pioneer - along with fellow filmmakers Robert Drew, Richard Leacock, D.A. Pennebaker and his brother David - of the documentary style referred to as Direct Cinema, developing techniques and technology which emphasised a freedom and intimacy previously unseen in American cinema.
Leaving the Drew Associates agency in 1961, he began to make films independently with his brother, working both as director as well as cameraman. The Maysles produced a number of significant documentaries throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s, filming the likes of Muhammad Ali ("Muhammad and Larry", 1980), Jimi Hendrix ("Jimi Plays Monterey", 1986), The Beatles ("What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A", 1964), Marlon Brando ("Meet Marlon Brando", 1963) and Vladimir Horowitz ("Horowitz Plays Mozart", 1987).
Albert Maysles continues to work in documentary filmmaking: preparing DVD releases of both his classic films as well as unseen works; advising and working with other filmmakers (including his children) on projects around the world; writing on the benefits of digital technology over traditional celluloid; planning to film an autobiography; and continuing to shoot new footage, all still operating the camera himself. In 2001, he received the Sundance Film Festival's "Excellence in Cinematography Award" for his work on "LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton" (2001, TV). Jonathan B. Vogels book, "The Direct Cinema of David and Albert Maysles" is published by Southern Illinois University Press in June 2005.
If you are already a Peoples Archive subscriber, we suggest the following stories as good places to start within the collection.
- Starting out in photography: first cameras
- Developing a new way of making documentaries
- Filming The Rolling Stones in "Gimme Shelter": the murder at Altamont
- The experience that began my interest in train journeys
- "Salesman": the idea and finding the right subject
- "LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton"