Love the movies? How about blu-ray movies? Maybe movie merchandise? Learn more about your favorite movies past, present, and future, whether at the movie theatre, on blu-ray or on DVD. Find some unusual gift ideas for movie fans, including yourself. Join the fun and discover a new movie or two!
THE LOVE LIFE OF ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND RICHARD BURTON
Liz & Dick celebrates the scandal and the marriage of the century. It tells the rocky story of the love between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The story was written by Christopher Monger and stars Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor and Grant Bowler as Richard Burton and premiered as a made-for-television movie on Lifetime on November 25, 2012.
Despite a story that still mesmerizes people today, the movie was not so warmly received. I watched it and would have to agree with the majority of comments that it was not a very successful movie. However, if you are a big fan of either Taylor or Burton, you might want to give it a watch anyway...
The Hollywood Reporter says that "it should come as no great surprise that Lifetime’s Liz & Dick movie starring Lindsay Lohan is spectacularly bad. After all, it’s Lohan, more memorable in the tabloids than she ever was as an actress.
On Huff Post, Maureen Ryan says, "Oh Lord, What Have They Done?" It's easy to come up with a list of a few things a movie about Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton should do and this movie does absolutely none of these things. All it really does is make you sad about what's become of Lindsay Lohan.
The New Yorker says that Lohan is now in the unenviable position of the classic cartoon character who dashes over the edge of the cliff and stays in midair, spinning her legs madly but not falling, and, of all things, the flimsy and inadequate platform called “Liz and Dick”
Finally, Emma G Keller says on The Guardian that Lohan made this Taylor biopic her own elaborating by saying Lindsay Lohan's performance as Elizabeth Taylor was universally panned, but it saw art imitate life to perfection.
The editor of Vanity Fair is quoted as saying, "Try to imagine a star who combines the talent of a Meryl Streep with the beauty of a Nicole Kidman, the sensuality of a Penelope Cruz, and the notoriety of a Lindsay Lohan. Magnify that a hundredfold,...
Elizabeth Taylor was definitely an icon. Living from 1932 to 2011, she only recently left us but, because of her amazing beauty, talent and incredibly long career, she left us with some very memorable movies. This page is dedicated to the BEST...
Elizabeth Taylor was definitely an icon. She left us in 2011 but because of her amazing beauty, talent and incredibly long career, she left us with some very memorable movies.
This page is dedicated to the BEST ELIZABETH TAYLOR MOVIES. It includes some movies that are important for different reasons like There's One Born Every Minute in which Taylor made her acting debut. You will find the Liz Taylor movies that you have heard of like National Velvet, Cleopatra and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. You will also find a few films that are important but perhaps less well known unless, of course, you are an avid fan of 'Liz. Those films include movies like Reflections in a Golden Eye, Beau Brummell and Suddenly Last Summer.
From a collection of what is said to be more than 50 movies, it is hard to pick a single best Elizabeth Taylor movie because best means different things to different people so on this page you will find 18 of the films considered to be key in Liz Taylor's career. I am truly amazed and impressed by the body of work that she left behind. I think you will be, too.
Here is an interesting and well-done video, a nine minute introduction to Elizabeth Taylor's movies.
There's One Born Every Minute (1942)
In the 1942 production, There's One Born Every Minute, Elizabeth Taylor made her screen debut. She was just ten years old when she appeared in this comedy as the spoiled rotten daughter of a man who manufactures pudding, who enters into the mayoral race and who makes a promise that he cannot keep. Unfortunately, it appears that you cannot BUY There's One Born Every Minute in any format. Not one of Taylor's best movies but definitely noteworthy since it was the first.
Lassie, Come Home (1943)
This is a classic movie featuring a couple of faces you might recognize including Roddy McDowall and Elizabeth Taylor, the latter who was already considered a beauty at the age of ten when she appeared in Lassie Come Home. Roddy and Elizabeth help Lassie escape an unkind master. This film is great for many reasons including the fact that we see a young Elizabeth Taylor in it but one must not forget Lassie was a great actor, too. This movie delivers a romantic score, a return to simpler times and a strong message about loyalty.
National Velvet is considered Elizabeth Taylor's break through role. She was just 12 years old when she established herself in the heart of her fans and there she would stay for the rest of her life. This classic film also features Mickey Rooney, Anne Revere (who won an Oscar as the mother), Donald Crisp and Angela Lansbury.
National Velvet tells the story of a young girl who enters her horse in the Grand National Steeplechase. It was considered by many one of the nicest movies of its time and one of Elizabeth Taylor's best movies.
Father of the Bride is a 1950 Vincente Minnelli movie, which stars Spencer Tracy as the father who is trapped in the details of his daughter's wedding and Elizabeth Taylor as the beautiful bride. Tracy was extremely well played and won an Academy Award nomination for his "magnificent, gruffly warm and funny" portrayal of the father and Taylor's beauty as a bride was presented in all of its glory.
Father of the Bride also earned Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and for Screenplay. The story went on to have almost as many versions as Eliazbeth Taylor did weddings...but that's another story.
A Place in the Sun is the 1951 movie that Kenneth Turan, movie critic for the L.A. Times discusses in the video shown above as THE Elizabeth Taylor role he would recommend, if he had to chose just one. He highly praises Taylor's performance in this movie saying that she had a "young honesty and captivating naturalness." He said that this movie featured an extraordinary, standout performance by Taylor and that she was able to handle some extremely close up shots that many actresses would not have been able to handle -- from a beauty and a talent perspective.
The Amazon reviewer says that, "Taylor makes a strong impression, but Winters is awfully good in the less-glamorous role. The tone of the film is oppressive -- the film doesn't exactly breathe with possibility -- but there are lots of good reasons to give this movie a visit." If you decide this is the film to see based on Kenneth Turan's recommendation, be aware that it is not an upbeat movie.
1954 was definitely the busiest year of Elizabeth Taylor's movie career as she appeared in four movies. Some of these are also amongst her hard-to-find movies with one never released on DVD and one that has been discontinued on DVD. Read more...
Starring Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson, The Last Time I Saw Paris is F. Scott Fitzgerald's love story which tells of a G.I. who wants to be a writer who falls in love with alcohol when his book is not well received. Elizabeth tries to protect him from his desire to self-destruct by showering him with love.
Beau Brummell has not been released on DVD (in North American format) and is therefore only available on a somewhat rare VHS videotape or by rental through Amazon by clicking here.
Elephant Walk (1954)
In Elephant Walk Elizabeth Taylor plays a newlywed who goes to a tea plantation and falls in love with someone else. Love does not turn out to be the big problem. Instead, it is the cholera epidemic, drought and thirst driven elephants that cause the big issues. Elephant Walk is now available on DVD or as a video rental from Amazon.
In Rhapsody, Elizabeth Taylor is a young woman who is in love with two men. She goes abroad with a violinist but meets a pianist and must pick between the two. This is a romantic movie filmed partly in Paris, Zurich, St. Moritz and Rome. My kind of movie, well at least the travel part sounds like my kind of movie. I am perfectly content with the one man in my life, LOL.
Suddenly, Last Summer has an impressive lineup which includes Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, Albert Dekker, Mercedes McCambridge and Gary Raymond. The story is that of psychiatric doctor in the 1930s and a female patient who is a lobotomy candidate because she witnessed her male cousin die in Spain the previous summer.
Elizabeth Taylor won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in BUtterfield 8. It featured Taylor and Laurence Harvey and was based on a 1935 John O'Hara novel but the story is said to only slightly resemble the novel.
Taylor plays a model with loose morals who has a chance to change her ways when she meets and spends time with a man who married for money and is unhappy about having done so. They fall for each other but have to defeat some of their own problems.
Amazon calls it a "big boozy melodrama, full of gorgeous clothes, catty comments and emotional showdowns." Taylor is said to do a great job of being overblown and sincere at the same time and her portrayal of the emotions of grief and anger are considered immediate and genuine.
If you are wondering about the title of BUtterfield 8, that is a capital B and a capital U and then the number 8, it apparently comes from the old telephone exchange names in the United States and Canada. Until the 1960s, telephone numbers were often referred to by a name. Wikipedia says that BUtterfield 8 "provided service to ritzy precincts of Manhattan's Upper East Side." Dialing a B and a U are equal to a 2 and an 8 and when you add the 8 already mentioned in the name, you get the number 288.
Considered one of the most lavish films ever made, Cleopatra tells the story of the Queen of the Nile and her lovers, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Richard Burton and Rex Harrison are considered to have given excellent performances but Elizabeth Taylor was definitely the star and this is one of the most glamorous roles she took on during her lengthy acting career.Cleopatra won Oscars for cinematography, sets and special effects. Amazon says, "Bolstered by a talented supporting cast and utterly stunning backdrops, here is a truly epic portrayal of the woman who conquered two of Rome's greatest soldiers, affected the course of history, and became synonymous with beguiling beauty."
1965's The Sandpiper is an Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton movie which also stars Eva Marie Saint and Charles Bronson and is directed by Vincent Minnelli. It's a small town story of illicit love between a single mother and a married minister. The mother shocks a private school system and its Episcopalian priest with her bohemian ways but eventually the woman and the priest are attracted to each other.
Reflections in a Golden Eye starred Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Brian Keith and Julie Harris. It tells the story of these and two other characters including their dark secrets, failures and obsessions. It takes place in a military camp and shares the story of Captain Weldon Penderton and his wife.
Reflections In A Golden Eye was supposed to have featured Montgomery Clift. However, he passed away before the film started and Marlon Brando eventually took the spot.
Wikipedia says that this movie was originally put out with all the scenes tinted golden and with one object colored normally. It was confusing to audiences so it was withdrawn. I think it would be interesting to see that effect today.
Elizabeth Taylor won her second Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is a 1966 movie adapted from a play of the same name featuring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis. It was extremely well received and was nominated for an Academy Award in every category possible (thirteen) and won five of them including the Academy Award for Best Actress for Elizabeth Taylor (her second) and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Sandy Dennis as well as for Best Art Direction, Cinematography and Costume Design.
Elizabeth Taylor was brash, drunk and frustrated as the wife of a university academic. Richard Burton was the history professor who happened to be married to the college president's daughter. George Segal and Sandy Dennis played the younger couple who had no understanding of the psychological games that they were being drawn into.
Amazon Customer K. Harris calls this movie "one of film's greatest performances" and says that it is one you should not miss. She calls Elizabeth Taylor a wonder especially in this role when she is not a beauty but rather a "desperate, vicious, sexual, middle-aged hag." With Richard Burton as a hen-pecked husband, George Segal as the rival and Sandy Dennis as the naïve wife, this is a movie you should NOT miss. Harris closes by saying that this movie is also funny "a wicked, nasty, bitterly hilarious story" and that every adult who loves "awesome entertainment, great writing and magical performances" should see.
A BOXED SET CONTAINING FOUR OF ELIZABETH TAYLOR'S BEST MOVIES: NATIONAL VELVET, FATHER OF THE BRIDE, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF AND BUTTERFIELD 8.
If I were looking to buy a number of her BEST movies, I would consider buying this set, which covers almost thirty years of Elizabeth Taylor's career starting as it does in 1944 with National Velvet and ending in 1960 with Butterfield 8.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Film Collection
THIS BOXED SET INCLUDES WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF SPECIAL EDITION, THE COMEDIANS, THE SANDPIPER AND THE V.I.P.S.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were an amazing pair of British actors. Amazon calls them, "a perfect storm of talent, glamour and offscreen scandal" which describes them and their lives together on and off screen perfectly. (Taylor was married to Burton, twice.)
This four movie set features films from the 1960s, their heyday and includes Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (for which Taylor received an Academy Award), The V.I.P.s, The Sandpiper (which received an oscar for the song The Shadow of Your Smile) and The Comedians.
How would YOU summarize the life of someone as amazing as Elizabeth Taylor? Would you use words like beautiful and talented? If so, you would just be scratching the surface of what made Liz Taylor special. I just stumbled across a lovely video...
With the passing of Elizabeth Taylor on March 23, 2011, there is a heightened interest in everything and anything to do with this beautiful and legendary woman. I have been listening with keen interest to the news about Liz #5, one of Andy Warhol's..
Author's Note: This page first written elsewhere in 2011.
The Christie's auction of Elizabeth Taylor jewelry and clothing draws nearer and I was thrilled to stumble across this video that shares some of Elizabeth Taylor's 50 year collection of haute couture clothing and jewelry.
Miss Taylor had a style of her own and her stunning collection included top designers like Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Hermès, Fendi, Valentino, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada, of which 400 pieces will appear in the Christie's auction, slated to occur from December 13 to December 16, 2011.
The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor is a celebration of the life and times of Elizabeth Taylor hosted by Christies’ auction house. It began on September 15, 2011, with a series of travelling events and exhibitions, and ends with two auctions in New York on December 14 and 15, 2011.
The first day of the auction is devoted to her jewels, often called The Crown Jewels of Hollywood or, as my local newspaper called them this morning, the "fashion equivalent of King Tut's tomb." This auction includes such pieces as La Peregrina, a pearl worn originally by European queens and the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond both worth millions as well as ‘lesser’ pieces including the wedding bands from her marriages to Richard Burton.
The second day of the auction is devoted to Elizabeth Taylor’s collection of one-of-a-kind haute couture gowns, pret-a-porter fashions, coats, capes, handbags, costume jewelry and shoes and will include a couple of wedding gowns. Apparently, her closet opens to reveal an amazing selection of famous clothing items that Taylor chose herself for certain events in her life, like the dress she wore to the Taming of the Shrew royal performance in 1967.
Literally a jeans-and-tee kind of lady myself, I’m not sure why I am fascinated by Elizabeth Taylor’s life. I would really love to attend the auction in New York although simply as a spectator wanting a better look into the late actress’s spectacular collection. It would be nice if some of Elizabeth Taylor’s pieces wound up in a museum of some sort so that they could be shared with the public, which would be true to Taylor’s feeling that she was the only a temporary guardian of these pieces and that they were meant to be shared with everyone.
I enjoyed learning about her jewelry in the book called My Love Affair With Jewelry. If you yourself are interested in learning more about her jewelry collection, the pieces in it and how she came to own them, you can read more about that book by clicking right here. I understand it to be the only book about her life that she wrote herself.
Martin Scorsese is preparing to bring to the big screen a biopic about the love affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. A biopic movie is one that is ABOUT someone's life, in this case, about Taylor and her love affair with Burton.
The movie is based on a book calledFurious Love, which was written by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger. It is said that Taylor did not authorize any of the books that were written about her but that she worked with these authors by sharing the love letters that she exchanged with Burton.
I have seen all kinds of names mentioned with regard to who could play Elizabeth Taylor including Natalie Portman, Angelina Jolie and Catherine Zeta Jones. I guess we'll just have to wait for more news in that regard.
Meanwhile, if you want to know more, pick up a copy of this book, which shares in great detail information about the working and personal lives of one of Hollywood's most famous couples.
Elizabeth Taylor has certainly drawn my attention of late. Yesterday, I finished watching A Date With Judy and thoroughly enjoyed it. For this 1948 MGM movie,Taylor teamed up with an all-star cast that included Wallace Beery, Jane Powell, Carmen Miranda, Xavier Cugat and Robert Stack.
A coming-of-age movie, it featured two young ladies competing for the same man. This sunny musical was perfect for the two young actresses who were ready to move into more mature roles. Taylor is reported to have said, "One minute I was kissing a horse (in National Velvet) and the next I was kissing Robert Stack."
Powell is billed as the star and while she was pretty and talented at acting, singing and dancing, it was hard to take your eyes off of the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor. She was 16 at the time and given the full MGM star treatment including many extremely beautiful gowns.
I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a lighthearted, romantic comedy, to anyone who enjoys Elizabeth Taylor movies and to anyone who simply wants to see a few Elizabeth Taylor movies.
Elizabeth Taylor's departing spurred a lot of interest in her movies. In the last week, I have learned a lot about this iconic actress including the facts that she was beautiful and talented. Both of those facts were evident in The Last Time I Saw Paris, which I rewatched yesterday.
The copy I watched was old and definitely showed the age of the film. However, the sights and sounds of Paris and the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor had no problem capturing my attention. If you love Paris and/or Elizabeth Taylor, I do recommend a trip to Paris via The Last Time I Saw Paris.
This 1954 romantic drama movie stars an impressive lineup of names that you will recognize including Elizabeth Taylor, Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon, Donna Reed, Eva Gabor and a very young Roger Moore. (According to Wikipedia, this was Mooore's Hollywood debut.)
The plot line loosely follows that of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Babylon Revisited and, as the box says, tells the "emotional story of a lost generation and its beautiful people." It tells the tale of two lovers who struggle to be happy and find meaning in the life of post-war Paris. He an American G.I. living in Paris who wants to be a writer. She a wife and mother who yearns for something more and meanwhile lives the party life.
And regarding the blu-ray version? Well, it doesn't exist yet. As a matter of fact, I have not been able to locate any of Elizabeth Taylor's movies on blu-ray.
If you are looking for some of Elizabeth Taylor's best movies, you may want to consider buying a boxed set like the Elizabeth Taylor Signature Collection. It contains four interesting and noteworthy films, including National Velvet, Father of the Bride, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Butterfield 8.
National Velvet is the movie that launched the 12 year old Elizabeth Taylor to stardom, although it was not her first movie. This movie was so well received that it planted Taylor firmly in the hearts of movie goers everywhere.
Father of the Bride features Elizabeth Taylor with another legendary actor, Spencer Tracy. This movie had such a good story that it launched almost as many remakes as Taylor had marriages.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof features Elizabeth Taylor with Paul Newman, a pairing I am anxious to see. Nominated for six Academy Awards, this movie was one of the films that saw Taylor moving on to adult roles.
Finally, Butterfield 8 saw Taylor nominated for and WIN her first of two Academy Awards. It is a story taken from a 1935 book written by John O'Hara, which was in turn based on a true story -- that of a 1920's New York City call girl. Amazon customer reviewer Michael C. Smith sums Taylor's performance up, calling it a PERFECT Oscar scene and adding that Taylor "gave it to us with both barrels blazing."
Individually some of these DVDs are very inexpensive. However, the presence of Butterfield 8 makes this set worth buying because Butterfield 8 alone is selling for about $50 used and even more if you find a new copy. If you are interested in purchasing BUtterfield 8, buying the entire Elizabeth TaylorSignature Movie Collection from Amazon by clicking heremay be the best way to do it because it adds four movies to your collection for not much more than the price of one.
And by the way, I have been unable to find any Elizabeth Taylor movies on blu-ray. If you find one that I've missed, I would be thrilled to hear about it.
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