By Lindsay Larin

llarin@bellevuereporter.com

Bellevue-based film producer Sue Gilbert’s childhood mirrored the pages of a fairy-tale story. Gilbert grew up playing on the lush green lawns of Greenaway island, her family estate off the coast of Connecticut. She and her five siblings were born into the privileged world of old money, where wealth and values were often one and the same.

Now, nearly a half century later, Gilbert has revisited her family history in her new documentary, Beyond Greenaway: The Legacy.

The film examines three generations of Gilbert’s family, tracing their upbringing’s influence on their lifestyles and values. The documentary uses old family video and photographs, original interviews with Gilbert’s parents, recent footage of sibling interviews, and scenes from Greenaway, the award-winning documentary Gilbert shot almost 30 years ago when she returned home to portray her parents and their vanishing way of life.

“This film goes beyond the discussion of wealth and money. My purpose was to examine the topics of class, money, politics, values, and religion – in relation to family,” she explained. “This film speaks to the heart of multigenerational conflicts, individuality and the collective of family.”

Gilbert produced the original film, Greenaway, in 1982. The film captured candid interviews with both her parents and was released soon after her mother passed away.

“My parents were from a different world. They were born in 1907 and held onto a lot of tradition, strong political views and the idea of social class,” Gilbert said. “My mother was such a character and I wanted to share her, and the love my father had for her, with the world.”

For the new documentary, Gilbert visited her five grown siblings and their children to ask the same questions she originally asked of her parents nearly 30 years ago. She then inter-cut the old footage with the new to explore family dynamics and the influence of wealth on a changing generation.

“The film is about people questioning their own values,” Gilbert explained. “In this film, it’s very clear what my parents’ values are. So now, how do the six of us siblings take those values and make them our own? Do we emulate them? Do we reject them or just grow past them?”

According to Gilbert, living on Greenaway island was a grand way to grow up. The wealth her family possessed originated from oil and gas development in late 1800s and continued with her dad’s work as an investment banker. The mansion on Greenaway contained more than 20 rooms, servant quarters, a large household staff, governesses, and an eight-car garage.

“This might seem normal by today’s mogul standards, but in the fifties this was considered very unusual,” Gilbert explained, who didn’t grasp the extent of her family’s wealth until she took a school trip with her fourth grade class to the local phone company.

During the school trip, each student had the opportunity to read off their address and the phone company would tell them if they had one or two phone lines at their home. It turns out Gilbert’s home had five.

“I remember feeling so embarrassed because all the other kids were just staring at me. I wanted to disappear. I guess it can still feel like that even today,” she added.

“When people find out you’re wealthy, they tend to view you differently and have expectations. This film is like my coming out.”

Gilbert said her large inheritance doesn’t change who she is or who her family is.

“We are like any other family with real issues, real problems and real love for one another,” she said.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.

To learn more about Beyond Greenaway: The Legacy or to purchase a copy of the film, visit http://beyondgreenaway.com/.