Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper

It was a very candid look into her life. Well done. But gosh the whole family is a bit sad and cold. At the end of the film. Anderson said he was visiting his brother's grave for the first time since the funeral'. This had been almost 30 years. Why? Definite lack of closeness in this family. So sad.

Greetings again from the darkness. Rather than the usual biographic approach, this is quite a personal and intimate conversation piece as the "poor little rich girl", Gloria Vanderbilt, recollects her life of fame with her journalist son, Anderson Cooper. Expert documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus (Oscar nominated for What Happened Miss Simone, 2015, and The Farm: Angola, USA, 1999) delivers what amounts to video memoirs as Mr. Cooper guides his 91 year old mother down Memory Lane.

This is an HBO documentary, and it will have a theatrical run in addition to multiple showings on the cable behemoth. Some may view it as an ego piece … two persons of privilege reminiscing about their "tough" lives, but it's a stark reminder that no amount of money can prevent the heart from breaking, or the lasting effects of grief.

Gloria Vanderbilt turns out to be a relatively pragmatic lady who, with age and experience, has come to accept the unusual path her life has taken … from a basically parentless childhood, to being at the center of custody battle that created a national media frenzy, to four marriages (the first at age 17), to a personal and social life that bears mention of such names as Frank Sinatra, Richard Avedon, Charlie Chaplin, Truman Capote, Sidney Lumet and Errol Flynn. Along the way, she has been constantly involved with art … whether in the form of painting, writing, sculpting, acting – or designing the iconic jeans of the 1970's that bore her name.

She kicks off the film by quoting Faulkner: "The past isn't over, it's not ever over." It's the perfect beginning, as the hook here is that her son Anderson Cooper has spent a couple of years going through her storage units, and is now depending on her to fill in the historical life gaps created by her letters, photographs and paintings. Much of the discussion focuses on young Gloria's beloved nanny, as well as the custody case featuring Aunt Gertrude (who founded the Whitney Museum).

Hers may not be a life that altered the course of mankind, but now 92 year old Gloria Vanderbilt has experienced the highest highs and lowest lows, and is willing to discuss the fascinating specifics … thanks to the coaxing by her little boy.

My girl put on a movie for us - Nothing Left Unsaid - this quietly tumultuous Sunday. She has this innate sense of depth that is beyond any ocean I have ever sailed upon. Her dark beauty of mind, body, and soul that is simple in its complexity and steps forth to me already behind any walls I have raised about the keep of my castle self.

And there buried in the movie, a poignant tour de force, the Rolling Stones song that always wrecks me, far more than "Out of Time (from yet another movie soundtrack). But until now, only did so in the most private way. And never in such a backdrop. Who would have thought I could relate to the losses and regrets (and art) of Gloria Vanderbilt, and yes, even her youngest son, Anderson Cooper.

There are parallels here. A tightrope in crossing through life, perhaps. Her reflection that once you realize life is a tragedy, you can begin to live your life seems telling.

Someone once told me there are stages to grief, and wondered that I wasn't traveling through them in a timely manner after my brother passed. That approach confused me. By the time my Mom passed eighteen years later, I had finally figured out that grief doesn't care what stage you're in. It always has an undefinable intensity that you are either sharply aware of or that you have muted for a time, to do other things that life asks of you. You change in how you handle it, but it doesn't change.

Such a story, hopefully enough to overcome the shallow sense that would question how a "poor little rich girl" could be just as human in her losses and regrets as the anyone else. And more so in her expression of it in words, and most definitely in her art. This honest film has an undefinable intensity that you need to see if you subscribe to having a human heart.

The story of her life is full of great moments. Exquisite taste and superbly elegant. I highly admire Anderson Cooper because of his bright mind and full of content. Always his tv work is a guarantee of seriousness and full of insights. I would never miss anything by any chance a work made by Anderson. He is a contemporaneous tv icon and wishing he lives long long in good shape to see him working hard as as of now, really hope that.

I was really delighted listening the music of this documentary and the amazing amount of memories collected either physically and memorable accumulated and conserved.

Long life to Anderson!

I always thought I knew who Gloria Vanderbilt was and a bit of her history. I also learned early on that Anderson Cooper was her son. I did not know the continual tragedies she survived in her life, or how optimistic she was about life in spite of it all. After reading her It Seemed Important at the Time: A Romance Memoir I became more curious and learned about this documentary. So touching. Also very heart wrenching to hear her talk of her son, Carters suicide right before her eyes. It brought tears to my eyes. All I can say is she had a zeal for life that was almost childlike yet love was all she really wanted & wanted to give. Anderson was lucky to have known so much about her through their mutual communication before she passed. She was a remarkable woman.