Film Lens
Martha & Ethel is a documentary that presents the lives of two women in their 80s: Martha, a German-Catholic, and Ethel, an African-American. Both women worked as nannies for affluent families in New York and were connected to the director Jyll Johnstone and co-producer Barbara Ettinger. The film examines their backgrounds and the impact they had on the lives of the children they cared for, who reflect on their experiences with Martha and Ethel as adults.
The film premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. It received a Directors Guild of America nomination but lost to Steve James for his film Hoop Dreams. Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, the film has maintained a positive reception, including a 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of August 2009.
Why Watch
- •Meet Martha and Ethel, two unique women in their 80s.
- •Find out how nannies shaped the lives of their employers' children.
- •See the film that received a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Did You Know
•Martha & Ethel premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.
•The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
•Roger Ebert rated the film three stars.
•The film has a runtime of 78 minutes.
Perfect For
Documentary enthusiastsFans of personal storiesCultural history buffs