Albert Maysles, the filmmaker perhaps best known for directing the documentaries Grey Gardens and Gimme Shelter, has died at 88. Maysles was one of the pioneers of cinéma vérité — a style of documentary filmmaking that eschews editorializing and narration, and endeavors to record the flow of real life unfolding naturally. In a recent TEDx talk, he spoke of the responsibility of the documentarian to allow the camera to become a pure observer, capturing direct experience without interference, inflection, or judgment.

TEDx Talk: “The Gift of Documentary”

Trailer for Salesman (1968)

Trailer for Gimme Shelter (1970)

Trailer for Grey Gardens (1976)

Photo: Uniondocs, via Flickr