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Elizabeth Taylor's Greatest Performances

Too many for a poll.

But I'll start "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"

by Anonymousreply 224November 22, 2018 9:24 AM

I can't stand her but she was perfect for Secret Ceremony

by Anonymousreply 1February 20, 2018 4:17 AM

GLADIATOR!!!!!!!!

by Anonymousreply 2February 20, 2018 4:18 AM

"Shit on your mother!"

by Anonymousreply 3February 20, 2018 4:21 AM

Big fan, but how Elizabeth Taylor threads do we need?

by Anonymousreply 4February 20, 2018 4:23 AM

Ash Wednesday!

by Anonymousreply 5February 20, 2018 4:26 AM

Too many for a poll? Really?

National Velvet, A Place in the Sun, Giant, Raintree County, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Suddenly Last Summer, Butterfield 8, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the White Diamonds commercial.

So those are her five Oscar nominations, three of her best films, one joke choice and there’s still room to spare.

by Anonymousreply 6February 20, 2018 4:26 AM

R6 wins the thread. Are we done, here?

by Anonymousreply 7February 20, 2018 4:40 AM

Elizabeth's greatest performance was marrying and putting up with a man who was clearly using her for political reasons - John Warner. She even became her fattest ever while wedded to him. She tried to make the marriage work but eventually it and she became unglued.

She later stated that one day she and John were out riding horses when she fell off hers and landed on the ground hard. Her back was really hurting and she asked John to help her up. He told her that she had only fallen off a horse and to get up herself. La Liz finally had enough.

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by Anonymousreply 8February 20, 2018 5:08 AM

This is how fat she became with John Warner. I'm surprised that she let all of this happen. She usually had the upper hand with her husbands.

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by Anonymousreply 9February 20, 2018 5:12 AM

My favorite

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by Anonymousreply 10February 20, 2018 8:57 AM

Hammersmith Is Out

by Anonymousreply 11February 20, 2018 9:07 AM

[quote] Too many for a poll.

No, no. I don't think there are.

by Anonymousreply 12February 20, 2018 9:14 AM

Rhapsody

by Anonymousreply 13February 20, 2018 9:36 AM

Virginia Woolf. Both she and Richard Burton were very good and kept my interest in an otherwise barren movie. George Segal and Sandy Dennis were also good and I thought Segal was hot.

by Anonymousreply 14February 20, 2018 9:53 AM

Woolf. She was terrifying. That rage was real.

by Anonymousreply 15February 20, 2018 11:45 AM

Yeah the rage was real but is that acting? When is it just scenery chewing? She puts me to sleep.

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by Anonymousreply 16February 20, 2018 3:33 PM

NOT the best.

Even Liz knew that she was a ridiculous Cleopatra.

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by Anonymousreply 17February 20, 2018 8:10 PM

Liz's Cleo was the most iconic screen Cleos and for good reason. She was the only actress up to that point to attempt the Pharaoh look and it worked for her exotic features.

Her performance in Taming of the Shrew appeared larger than life at first, but was really layered and nuanced. It should have gotten her another Oscars nod.

by Anonymousreply 18March 24, 2018 9:07 PM

La Liz was the top Oscar contender for Cat. She would have won if not for the Eddie Fisher scandal.

by Anonymousreply 19March 24, 2018 9:24 PM

I liked her in Cleopatra, which I only ever saw on TV and Netflix. So as much as the film as a whole is not good, the costumes and set design were fabulous, for the time. Spectacle in and of itself was big, back then. Yes, a better and tighter script would have been better--it was like 3 hours long!

Having said that, Virginia Woolf, A Place in the Sun, and (not often mentioned) Suddenly Last Summer are three terrific Taylor performances.

by Anonymousreply 20March 24, 2018 9:25 PM

Love Is Better Than Ever

by Anonymousreply 21March 24, 2018 9:37 PM

Are there boot legs available of her in that 80s revival of Little Foxes?

by Anonymousreply 22March 24, 2018 9:46 PM

[r20] Agreed about Cleopatra. It was good for the glamor spectacle movie that it was. That's why people will always recall Liz's image when talking Cleopatra even today.

Someone upthread mentioned Rhapsody and I agree. There was a scene where she took sleeping pills while getting a hunch about the guy leaving her. That was some great acting, especially considering how Rhapsody was only supposed to be a glamor movie.

Speaking of Liz and glamor movie, I find her performance in Ash Wednesday to be excellent and hugely underrated. No wonder she got a Golden Globes nod and a Fav Actress Award out of it.

by Anonymousreply 23March 24, 2018 9:50 PM

r22 There is a youtube video of it here.

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by Anonymousreply 24March 24, 2018 9:51 PM

Mama, I was the slut of all time!

by Anonymousreply 25March 24, 2018 9:54 PM

Butterfield 8 may not have been Oscar win worthy for that strong year, but it was definitely nomination worthy at the very least.

by Anonymousreply 26March 24, 2018 9:55 PM

I always like the long wordless opening of the film, where she's waking up, etc.

by Anonymousreply 27March 24, 2018 9:59 PM

Elephant Walk. She is so natural in those scenes where a drought affects the plantation and she labors earnestly to support her stressed husband.

by Anonymousreply 28March 24, 2018 10:04 PM

Butterfield 8 earned just as much as that other call girl movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's, back in the day.

by Anonymousreply 29March 24, 2018 10:07 PM

"Cynthia." Was she ever as unself-conscious again?

by Anonymousreply 30March 24, 2018 10:14 PM

The Girl who had Everything. Her performance as the worldly rich girl here is even more natural than in A Place in the Sun.

by Anonymousreply 31March 24, 2018 10:25 PM

Taylor had this rare ability to give great performances in glamor melodrama . Even in her 40s she could get an acting nod for Ash Wednesday. She would have done more glamor films in the 60s and 70s if not for Burton bashing the genre as shallow. Personally I think Butorn wanted to destroy Taylor's glamorous public image due to his own insecurity as a husband. He actually fought her to ridiculous lengths on doing Ash, which led to their first divorce.

by Anonymousreply 32March 24, 2018 10:39 PM

R30, she is utterly charming in that. It's also the closest she ever got to being a gawky teen. I think James Lydon, who gave her a first screen kiss, is still around.

by Anonymousreply 33March 25, 2018 8:41 AM

How come no one mentioned Giant? She played this early feminist and social justice advocate with just the right balance of toughness and sensitivity. And her mannerism as an older mom is utterly convincing despite her young age then.

by Anonymousreply 34March 25, 2018 6:18 PM

She was the most Elizabeth in Boom!. It summed up all of the elements of her stardom: Ego, Grandeur, Beauty, Over acting, and Fabulous locations, Clothes, and Jewels. Plus Burton and Noel Coward. It is the best bad film of all time!

by Anonymousreply 35March 25, 2018 6:24 PM

Liz played what was supposed to be a female queer queen in Boom ("Sissy" GoForth) and she was perfect. The hair and costumes flirted with vulgarity in such a glamorous way that she remained appealing despite her weight gain.

A pic of a candid from when her brother visits her on the set.

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by Anonymousreply 36March 25, 2018 6:39 PM

We were decoys!

by Anonymousreply 37March 25, 2018 6:47 PM

She does that complicated smile at the end so well ("She's here Doctor. Miss Catherine is here.") it makes up for the more overwrought moments from earlier.

by Anonymousreply 38March 25, 2018 8:24 PM

Exactly, r38, complicated smile is a perfect description. Michelle Pfeiffer does that too.

by Anonymousreply 39March 25, 2018 9:54 PM

"The hair and costumes flirted with vulgarity..."

I'd say it was more like an all-out affair.

by Anonymousreply 40March 25, 2018 11:04 PM

r39 It's a smile that encompasses Cathrine's jaded acceptance of the horrid past event she got put through, and her gratitude towards the Doctor for helping her move forward into this hopeful if uncertain future. It takes a deep-level understanding of both story and character to pull something like this off, and Liz nails it. She totally earned her Golden Globe and Golden Laurel wins for this film, and the Oscar nomination too.

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by Anonymousreply 41March 25, 2018 11:29 PM

r40 And what an affair it was . . .

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by Anonymousreply 42March 25, 2018 11:34 PM

She was a very good actress. I saw her a few years ago in a very weird film with robert Taylor. He is a communist traitor and she is his bride. I think she must have been 16 at the most. She was very good. I was surprised how good she was in fact. She was great in 'place in the sun' 'cat' 'virginia woolf' but I go with 'boom' and ' secret ceremony'. She could be atrociously bad but there was always something worth watching. She was quite interesting in ' divorce his/hers' 'ash wednesday' 'the driver's seat' 'the only game in town' 'giant' 'the last time I saw Paris ', 'ivanohe' 'the raintree county' 'taming of the shrew' and 'the sandpiper' I even saw 'under milk Wood 'in a arthouse cinema in London 20 yrs ago. That was BAD. She is not my favorite actress, but she delivers for sure. I think she never really reached the level of a Vivian Leigh or a Katharine Hepburn, but to be fair, no one did.

by Anonymousreply 43March 25, 2018 11:47 PM

Vivian was actually the first choice for Mrs. Violet Venable in Suddenly Last Summer. To think we almost got to see Vivian and Liz -- so similar yet so different -- on screen together . . .

by Anonymousreply 44March 26, 2018 12:31 AM

The Flintstones

by Anonymousreply 45March 26, 2018 12:52 AM

Her bitchy but endearingly naive wife in Reflections of Golden Eye is well done and consistent throughout. In fact many of the fellow cast is great here. Too bad the direction is so weak that the entire movie suffers because of him. How the hell did a famed director like John Huston approve that contrived camera shifting at the ending?

by Anonymousreply 46March 26, 2018 4:20 PM

R44. I think you mean Vivien. Vivien Leigh right?

She said herself that if she ever should have won it should have been for “Suddenly, Last Summer” and “Virginia Woolf.”

The sympathy from Mike Todd should have got her the award back to back for “Tin Roof” and “Last Summer”, but as she said you don’t win when you’re being a bad girl.

by Anonymousreply 47March 26, 2018 4:49 PM

Yep! Vivien. Vivien Leigh would have made a great Mrs. Venable.

As for Liz, it's interest how her best and worst-received films are all based off Tennessee Williams plays -- Cat, Suddenly, Boom. It is almost like TW both made and broke her acting legacy.

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by Anonymousreply 48March 26, 2018 5:35 PM

R48. Interesting point. I’ve never even seen the last one. Her career in the 1970s was kind of sad compared to what it was 10 years before that. The miss Marple movie she did is particularly disappointing. Especially at the end when they use a double that’s thinner in a wide shot. I think she was married to John Warner at the time

Leigh would have made a great Violet. I agree with you there. Question. Do you think Leigh would have been put in supporting? The consensus (before mind shut down their boards) seemed to be that V. Venable is supporting and Catherine the female lead.

I say they both would have been nominated in Best Actress. Hepburn and Leigh were stars not supporting players. I know it’s trivial but it’s always bugged me.

I don’t think she chewing scenery in the last scene. I don’t see how you could do that scene without being overwrought as someone about suggested.

by Anonymousreply 49March 26, 2018 8:52 PM

r49 I agree that the overwrought climax in the monologue is unavoidable because of that high-strung plot.

KH was nominated for Best Actress alongside Liz. I think Leigh, with her stardom, would definitely have put in Best Actress category instead of supporting.

by Anonymousreply 50March 26, 2018 9:35 PM

r49 I also think Liz gave some great performances even into the 1970s. She was good in Hammersmith and Nightwatch, and even got two Golden Globes Nom and one win for Ash Wednesday.

by Anonymousreply 51March 26, 2018 9:42 PM

1) No I meant ViviAn Leigh. Her real name was Vivian Hartley, then she married Herbert Leigh Holman and took the stage surname 'leigh' because they wanted to call her ' April Morn'if you can believe it. And Vivian Holman was meh. Her agent thought ViviAn was to masculine and forced her to go by the name Vivien. Nobody really called her Vivien, Maureen o'sullivan who was a school friend called her Vivian, Mia Farrow refers to her as Vivian leigh. The clap🎬 of her GWTW test reads Vivian Leigh. 2) Leigh didn't like Taylor, and she might have been the first choice for the part, but there is no way she would ever considered playing it. If you think she would have taken supporting credit behind Taylor you are out of your mind. Seriously. You need a reality check.Like Natalie Wood hoped she would play her mother in ' this property is condemned'. Dream on gurlfriend. Leigh was a fucking MEGASTAR.The biggest ticket seller in the biz.She was the queen of the film and stage world on both sides of the pond. When Warren Beatty kept her waiting the first day of the shooting of 'the Roman spring of mrs Stone', she waited for him on a chair at the center of the set, smoking, in full light. When he finally arrived she said in front of the director, the producer, the crew and the cast 'Warren dear, I am the star of this movie. Without me there is no movie. If you keep me waiting one more time, I pull out of it and there is no more film'. She put out the fag on the floor and walked off. And that was it. 3) Taylor was very good in 'reflection in a golden eye', I forgot that one, but I don't think she and Leigh would have worked well together. Their acting styles were completely different. Leigh was a Master of the camera and a virtuoso actress. Taylor was wholehearted and amateurish, half MGM talk-in-your-breath school of acting, half 'Monty clift/james Dean-method' enthusiast. She improved greatly when she met Burton. In fact, although she claimed never to have taken acting class, she secretly took lessons with actors of the Comédie-francaise in Paris, during the filming of 'the taming of the shrew ', another very good performance. I know because Jacques Dacqmine, who worked with her on the great monologues of Phédre, told me. 4) the only part she should have played with Leigh was Bonnie Blue Butler in GWTW, and it's a great shame that Sarah Taylor declined the part. She felt Elizabeth was too young to enter an acting career, and reconsidered a few years later. That would have been a great match, and would have made sense, Taylor being, in a way, Leigh's natural 'heiress'. Great beauty, quite similar, and a very talented actress.

by Anonymousreply 52March 26, 2018 11:47 PM

There's a lot to "unpack" there, r52, as they say.

And it's a Taylor thread, but I will say this, if that story about Leigh calling out Warren Beatty in full view of the crew on the set of "Roman Spring" is true, I love her more than ever.

by Anonymousreply 53March 26, 2018 11:56 PM

Someone said way upthread that Taylor was beautiful and Egyptian looking in Cleopatra. I think she is at her most blowsy and puffy and bad skinned in that terrible film. She wasn't even 29 years old and she couldn't look more like shite. Someone else did play Cleo as an exotic first and better, more exquisitely refined and cat like in gorgeous color. A great actress and the most beautiful creature ever on film, Vivien Leigh.

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by Anonymousreply 54March 27, 2018 12:11 AM

I much prefer Leigh as an actress, but Taylor WAS stunning in cleo. R53 I have another one for you. Warren dropped the powder puff during a makeup re touch in between takes, and wanted the makeup artist to pick it up for him. Leigh stopped her and said,' no honey, Warren will pick it up himself, and we will wait for him to do so before we resume shooting '. :)

by Anonymousreply 55March 27, 2018 12:18 AM

Don't compare Lady Olivier to that no neck monster.

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by Anonymousreply 56March 27, 2018 12:20 AM

There's no need to pit one against the other. They are very different actresses from different generations and for different taste. They looked quite strikingly alike sometimes, played the same parts, and Taylor replaced Leigh in 'elephant walk', but its like comparing Laurence Olivier and Richard Burton.

by Anonymousreply 57March 27, 2018 12:28 AM

I like Elizabeth in shitty movies. Her shitty movies are dating better than her high class movies.

I am not alone in this. The shitty BUtterfield 8 got her a deserved Oscar. Completely watchable shitty movie.

by Anonymousreply 58March 27, 2018 12:37 AM

True. She was better in crap movies. Like Zee &co, or Hammersmith is out. She and Mia in the crapfest 'secret ceremony ' are a sight to behold. They seem determine to out-overract each other out of the frame. I think it's my favorite Taylor film. Remember when she eats the full english breakfast that Mia served her for 5 solid minutes and then BURPS. Like the most gigantic BURP of the history of film ? That's what I call entertainment.

by Anonymousreply 59March 27, 2018 12:47 AM

There's no need for you to be both blind AND crazy R57 but your virulent posts here and on the Farrah Fawcett thread prove you to be doubly afflicted.

by Anonymousreply 60March 27, 2018 12:48 AM

My virulent posts ? What are you talking about R60?

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by Anonymousreply 61March 27, 2018 12:51 AM

r54 I love Leigh but she did not go as far with her Pharaoh makeup as Taylor did. Also, Taylor naturally had darker features, which was how she ended up the more "Egyptian-looking" of the 2.

And the filming took years so Taylor was between 29 and 31 going by her official stated age. If Margaret O Brien and Esther Williams are to be believed, then MGM shaved 2 years off Taylor's age, making her 31-33 there.

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by Anonymousreply 62March 27, 2018 12:52 AM

When did Liz Taylor ever look like this? You can't compare anything about her work to Burton or Olivier. To Shelly Winters and Joan Collins maybe. Stop being dumb.

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by Anonymousreply 63March 27, 2018 12:56 AM

Honey, I said comparing the two was like comparing Olivier and burton, or apples and oranges, I never wrote that Taylor could be compared to Olivier and Burton !! And what are you ranting about ?? I praised both actresses ! I don't like Farah Fawcett so what ? Can't have I an opinion? Pointless bitchery much ? And how do you know I posted in both threads ? I thought DL was anonymous

by Anonymousreply 64March 27, 2018 1:00 AM

Liz Cleo.

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by Anonymousreply 65March 27, 2018 1:01 AM

^no neck monster with bad skin

by Anonymousreply 66March 27, 2018 1:04 AM

r66 Which MUST be why when most people think Cleopatra they think of Liz.

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by Anonymousreply 67March 27, 2018 1:07 AM

As I said Taylor could never touch Leigh, even after the nose job, but there is no denying she was a most beautiful woman. Remember 'a place in the sun '?

by Anonymousreply 68March 27, 2018 1:07 AM

My favorite scene from "Raintree County", the strange & ponderous film for which Elizabeth Taylor received her first Oscar nomination. (scene ends at 1:00)

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by Anonymousreply 69March 27, 2018 1:11 AM

Tell mama

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by Anonymousreply 70March 27, 2018 1:11 AM

Get to the good stuff bitch. Taylor can't compare to Leigh as Cleopatra. You know the difference in the material right? Taylor's selfishness and excess shows in every frame of that grotesque movie. She's bloated on booze and power and the grossness of her personal acquisitiveness. Leigh and Taylor both had gorgeous coloring, dark hair and lashes, beautiful colored eyes and a heart shaped face with (Taylor's somewhat) delicate features. Still Elizabeth managed to look like a gypsy whore and Vivien like the finest porcelain. Even as a girl next door beauty, Vivien was more naturally beautiful. Add makeup and lights and forget it. Taylor looked good surrounded by lots of dog poop, margaritas and yachts, neglected children. She was kind of nautical - a thick shapeless barge with a lot of attention up front. Flashing her emergency lights.

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by Anonymousreply 71March 27, 2018 1:38 AM

It's ridiculous now. I am Leigh 's biggest fan, every body agrees here that she was the greater beauty and the superior actress, why do you go on ? Are you high?

by Anonymousreply 72March 27, 2018 1:42 AM

R48, she was also in a TV Sweet Bird of Youth with Mark Harmon.

by Anonymousreply 73March 27, 2018 1:45 AM

r71 is really an anti-Leigh troll who's trying to turn public opinion against Leigh with its overblown statements.

by Anonymousreply 74March 27, 2018 1:46 AM

That's an uphill battle as we're otherwise occupied. Permanently.

by Anonymousreply 75March 27, 2018 1:54 AM

R71, who is a bit hyperbolic and who I seem to have blocked for some past excess, is basically right. Taylor never got near Leigh's Streetcar or Waterloo Bridge.

by Anonymousreply 76March 27, 2018 1:55 AM

Are you all crazy ? Who ever said she did ?

by Anonymousreply 77March 27, 2018 2:01 AM

Don't block my blessings R76. Excess? You can't get enough.

by Anonymousreply 78March 27, 2018 2:09 AM

Catfight R77 catfight.

by Anonymousreply 79March 27, 2018 2:33 AM

Sorry, nobody under 50 remembers Vivian.

Elizabeth is a cultural icon.

by Anonymousreply 80March 27, 2018 2:37 AM

Their loss then.

by Anonymousreply 81March 27, 2018 4:08 AM

I am WAY under 50, and I remember Vivien, I just sold her personal letters, GWTW copy signed by Margaret Mitchell, furniture, diarys, photo albums, inscribed jewelry and even kitchen aprons for several millions £. Bitch be good to me

by Anonymousreply 82March 27, 2018 9:34 AM

Vivien and Taylor were top stars of different eras, where the prevalent acting styles beauty standards and even social norms are different. Is it actually possible to compare who is better in a fair manner?

by Anonymousreply 83March 27, 2018 2:01 PM

There's something about Vivien's nostrils that disturbs me.

by Anonymousreply 84March 27, 2018 2:18 PM

They don't need to be compared. Vivien had the benefits of a lifetime on the stage, so she had far more depth, experience and training, plus she was much more cultured and intelligent, and she had something that Taylor never had: taste. Also she could develop a full range of emotions on levels that other actresses could only hint at.Taylor was voluptuous, sensual and sassy, and she had the boobies. She could do vulgar VERY well. Her career stopped when she hit 40, which is an indicator

by Anonymousreply 85March 27, 2018 2:22 PM

Liz's last well-received acting happened when she was 41, with Ash Wednesday. Her career "stopped" afterwards because the divorce from Burton sent her fleeing to Warner, resulting in that decade-long slump.

Interesting how Liz still remains one of the few actresses who can match Vivien in quality and quantity of nominations and awards.

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by Anonymousreply 86March 27, 2018 3:06 PM

Who’s afraid of Virginia wolf- not many actresses at that time were brave to do such an ugly role. Especially a star as big as Taylor. And she fucking knocks it out the Park.

by Anonymousreply 87March 27, 2018 3:16 PM

I am a 100% oscar winner, bafta winner, etoile d'argent winner, volpi cup winner, and I had no idea miss Taylor had won a best actress in a musical Tony award, but if you say so hunty.

by Anonymousreply 88March 27, 2018 3:16 PM

r88 "100% oscar winner" Leigh was only nominated for Oscars twice while Liz, who also won twice, had five nominations.

Did Leigh win Golden Globes back when she was nominated for Streetcar? I know Liz did win for Suddenly Last Summer, and was nominated for GG many more times. How about Golden Laurel, for which Liz won numerous times? There is also New York City Film Critics Circle Award, David di Donatello Award, Berlin International Film Fest and a whole slew of other wins and nominations throughout Liz's acting career. I probably like Leigh even more than you but how the heck was Liz's award/nomination record in any way inferior?

by Anonymousreply 89March 27, 2018 6:05 PM

r87 Agreed. Liz was one of the few beauty icons of the time confident enough to hag it up on screen - down to the mannerism. I think it's because even at that overweight period of her mid 30s, she still could look like this at events.

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by Anonymousreply 90March 27, 2018 6:34 PM

She was a great STAR. And a spectacular performer her best performances she gave during the Burton phase(s), but young Elizabeth was unforgettable. I am showing 'ivanohe' to my class at the moment. They are 9/10 years old, when Bessie showed up, suddenly there was a deadly silence, I looked at their faces, they were transfixed.. Magic is still working. I had tears in my eyes, remembering myself at their age, thinking she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. They have no idea who she is of course

by Anonymousreply 91March 27, 2018 10:22 PM

In her twenties, even after having kids, Liz was the kind of beautiful that approached nature's wonder.

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by Anonymousreply 92March 27, 2018 11:36 PM

One more young Taylor with kids

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by Anonymousreply 93March 27, 2018 11:46 PM

Cousin Sebastian's face revealed in a candid from Suddenly last Summer. That actor(?) really did resemble an older Monty as per the script.

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by Anonymousreply 94March 28, 2018 12:03 AM

What did sheever see in Michael Wilding?

by Anonymousreply 95March 28, 2018 8:40 PM

A very handsome englishman with a huge cock perhaps ?

by Anonymousreply 96March 28, 2018 8:49 PM

I'll never understand how she could allow herself to become this overweight. She must have been eating constantly. Why didn't Roddy McDowell do something?

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by Anonymousreply 97March 28, 2018 8:59 PM

[R91], MARY!

by Anonymousreply 98March 28, 2018 9:00 PM

Weirdly enough, Taylor's Cleopatra has been running on Cinemax and is currently available On Demand.

It is a long haul, though...more like four hours than three. Back in the day, there was an intermission when it was shown in theaters, I believe.

She looks gorgeous in most scenes, but it is not hard to tell it was a very long shoot. Roddy McDowell as Octavian is fey, but could have been feyer

by Anonymousreply 99March 28, 2018 9:06 PM

Thanks hunty @98, why did you enjoy it? . R97, obviously you never lost your SO. When the love of my life died, I didn't know how to live. For years. After Mike Todd's death, Taylor's life, including the Burton saga, was just a long trainwreck.

by Anonymousreply 100March 28, 2018 9:12 PM

Very sorry for your loss, [R91]/[R100].

I appreciated your post because you’re sharing the magic of Old Hollywood and classic cinema with a young audience.

The way you wrote about their reactions was touching and I think it’s important to introduce new audiences to classic cinema and “old movies”; so few are doing this now....

by Anonymousreply 101March 28, 2018 9:37 PM

For me personally, it’s a three way tie for career best performance from Liz for: “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?”, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, and “Suddendly Last Summer”.

Also really enjoyed her work in “Giant”...

by Anonymousreply 102March 28, 2018 10:31 PM

I'm a schizophrenic nymphomaniac who liked to throw myself naked off of moving trains.

It's no Amfar or the bringing the A.D.S. crisis to the general public and financing the cause, but hey, a legacy is a legacy.

by Anonymousreply 103March 28, 2018 10:40 PM

Glaaa-diator.

by Anonymousreply 104March 28, 2018 10:56 PM

I thought she acted well in Poker Alice. And she really was stunning when thin, even at the rip old age of 56.

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by Anonymousreply 105March 28, 2018 11:25 PM

I DON'T BRAAAAYYY!

by Anonymousreply 106March 28, 2018 11:35 PM

Martha rewarded by the Academy for her efforts

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by Anonymousreply 107March 28, 2018 11:48 PM

The noteworthy performances

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by Anonymousreply 108March 28, 2018 11:50 PM

Burton said she's a better actress than given credit for. Her beauty got in the way.

by Anonymousreply 109March 29, 2018 12:31 AM

Her beauty and her private life both got in the way. The affairs, the vulgarity, the weight fluctuations all detracted from her public image as a serious actress. But Liz, especially after Todd's death, chose to live life like that Chandelier song and so that was how it went down.

by Anonymousreply 110March 29, 2018 1:04 AM

My favorite film of hers is "Night Watch." I'm sure that I'm the only one here who's seen it, but It has the best atmosphere, and Taylor's outfits were designed by Valentino. It's a must see if you're a fan of grand dame guignol.

TCM just started showing it this year, so I suggest you look for it. They aired it again just last week.

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by Anonymousreply 111March 29, 2018 2:57 AM

R98 thanks. Their reaction was a big lesson for me, I will try other age appropriate classic films. I love Vivien to death, but what are the options ? The films where she becomes a whore, the films where she goes mad and kills herself, or the films where she becomes a whore and then goes mad and kills herself ? She might well be the greatest actress in history and the most beautiful, but there is no showing her to children.

by Anonymousreply 112March 29, 2018 8:52 AM

r112 With Liz being an MGM princess in her early career she does have a lot have age appropriate classics. The Bride movies seem perfect.

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by Anonymousreply 113March 29, 2018 2:32 PM

R111, Totally agree. Saw it when first released and really enjoyed it, even though I've always loathed Laurence Harvey, but Elizabeth's performance was excellent. It was originally on Broadway with Joan Hackett and Len Cariou.

by Anonymousreply 114March 29, 2018 2:42 PM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 115March 29, 2018 4:30 PM

I have a question about the ending of Night Watch. SPOILERS ALERT!

Was everything a cunning plot by Taylor to get rid of her husband and his mistress, or was it the husband and mistress trying to get rid of Taylor? The final scene makes it seem that Taylor was the mastermind of it all. Was the gardening neighbor in on it, too?

by Anonymousreply 116March 29, 2018 6:37 PM

r116 As far as I understand Hubby and Mistress try to get rid of Taylor. Taylor, knowing this, goes along but turn their plot to her own advantage, so that she ends up killing them instead -- and walking off successfully.

by Anonymousreply 117March 29, 2018 6:54 PM

I remember Nightwatch. Loved it. I liked Laurence Harvey too.

by Anonymousreply 118March 29, 2018 8:58 PM

R118, If you liked Night Watch, check out Games(1967), with Simone Signoret, James Caan and Katharine Ross.

by Anonymousreply 119March 29, 2018 9:29 PM

I keep on trying to find Hammersmith is Out without success. I've heard good things about it, and Liz won Silver Bear for Best Actress for it.

by Anonymousreply 120March 30, 2018 1:30 AM

It's in her Garish Period.

by Anonymousreply 121March 30, 2018 5:47 AM

She essentially plays in Hammersmith is out, what she would have become if she hadn't been an actress, due to her history of mental illness . A slutty tacky vulgar overweight truckdriver dinner waitress, victimised by a boorish wife beater redneck. She is excellent in it, but the movie is really barely watchable, bad script, very poor production standards, bad direction, and Burton ruins anything he is in anyway. Self conscious ham who obviously LOVES to hear himself recite lines in the most pompous way possible. There is a clip available on youtube... Enough. Trust me, because I paid a hefty fee, I had to sit through the similarly dreadful 'under milk wood '. Spare yourself.

by Anonymousreply 122March 30, 2018 11:54 AM

Liz's greatest ever performance was her telling the press how Richard Burton's been buying her all these expensive jewelry. Fact was she paid for most of not all of it all herself.

No joke. The Auction of a Lifetime documentary had numerous old timers stating how every insider knows Burton did not have Liz's earning power. Burton might have been the one to approach the jewelry dealers but it was Liz who footed the bills. All this was a ploy to elevate Burton from a thespian into that flashy, big-spending megastar he was during the Dick and Liz period. And it worked. Which is why people are still talking about Burton even after their divorce. After his death. Even today.

Taylor made Burton. That was her performance of a lifetime.

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by Anonymousreply 123March 30, 2018 5:35 PM

Has anyone ever seen Elizabeth in "The Driver's Seat"?

by Anonymousreply 124March 30, 2018 5:59 PM

r124 I did. Liz acted very much like the crazy neurotic woman in the script. The script was, however, wildly uneven. Certain happenings in the movie will seem awkward and far-fetched. It's a case of a mediocre movie drowning out what could have otherwise been a good performance.

by Anonymousreply 125March 30, 2018 6:09 PM

It's all on youtube hunty

by Anonymousreply 126March 30, 2018 6:21 PM

The industry trend was not kind to mid-life screen beauties - even the ones with acting chops - in the early 70s. Audrey Hepburn had to retire at age 38 to make way for Mia Farrow's brand of skinny girls, and Debbie Reynolds could no longer find employment in film after age 40. Liz hung on but couldn't really land worthwhile leading roles after her turn in Ash Wednesday. Her cameo in 1979's Winter Kills, however, was I think fun and effective.

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by Anonymousreply 127March 30, 2018 6:25 PM

Hepburn had a depression, she married dotti, who was a phycisian specialized in women 's nervous illnesses, and lived in Rome with him. Their son was classmate with my childhood best friend at lycée Chateaubriand. Dotti aggravated her condition by fucking everything that moved and demanding that she stayed at home like a good italian mamma.Old Hollywood movie stars had to make way to the new ' political ' stars, activists like Fonda, Farrow, Keaton or Redgrave. It was Vietnam war time, the people wanted activism and feminism not glamah. Even Natalie Wood, who was only 30, was not riding very high, if at all.

by Anonymousreply 128March 30, 2018 7:00 PM

Beauties retire in their early forties. Talented actresses become character actresses and go on in the old age. Actresses like Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, lauren Bacall blurred the line, but they remain the exception. to be fair, Taylor had health problems, and even had to appear on stage in her wheelchair, but it is sad that she delivered her most compelling performances in her 'american Magnani' phase, when nobody cared to see her on screen anymore .

by Anonymousreply 129March 30, 2018 7:45 PM

Age is also a tougher issue for film actresses than those on stage. Even the great Vivien, who continued to excel in theater, did not get another film acting nomination, Oscars or otherwise, after Streetcar. She was only 38 then. Her subsequent films like the Deep Blue Sea did not impress the awards circles, nor were they successful at the box office.

For mega stars like Liz and Audrey, there's also another element of difficulty in continuing their careers into mid-life. They cannot really allow themselves to lower their salaries too often, or they'd risk being b-listed. This limits the kind of movies they could part take in. That or their salaries will eat into the film budget and make the whole thing look cheap. Late 70s Liz is a prime example of this. 70s Audrey fared even worse IMHO. Robin and Marianne capitalized on her return to screen and still opened to lukewarm response. Bloodline and They All Laughed both flopped hard.

by Anonymousreply 130March 30, 2018 10:16 PM

They just were out of fashion, and there wasn't a system to support them like the davies, crawfords k.hepburns, etc. The studio system collapsed under their feet. Vivien didn't get awards in films because the american producers understood after streetcar that she didn't give two shits about films and they would lose their investment. In all fairness she should have won for ship of fools. It's a stunning performance. Taylor and A.Hepburn didn't have enough range to continue much further. Natalie Wood understood better the power of television and had a brilliant career on TV in the 70's. The lowest point for her was still a golden globe winner. How many actresses can claim that ? Liz's beauty was such a huge part of her persona, the loss of it overshadowed her equally remarkable talent.

by Anonymousreply 131March 30, 2018 10:32 PM

Pre-Friends, there was a huge gap in celebrity and earning power between big and small screen stars. Natalie in the 1970s was brave in becoming a TV personality, but I can totally understand why Liz and Audrey both hesitated from taking that route until they were officially old broads in the 1980s.

A picture from their glory days.

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by Anonymousreply 132March 30, 2018 10:50 PM

Natalie knew that keeping working, whatever the medium, was key to surviving as an actress. When her child star days died, she turned to TV, did a soap, then a tv film with a newcomer, james Dean, and through him got access to the script of 'rebel'. She earned a fortune with her shares of 'bob and carol and ted and alice', 3 millions$ of 1969, which= over 20 millions $ of today. She didn't need money, she wanted to concentrate on family, and she was a producer for ' Charlie's angels ' ( little known fact, through her partnership with aaron spelling). She was a very clever lady, and would still be acting and producing today, in her late 70's. Liz reluctantly turned to tv, and lowered her standards way too much. She was lucky and surprised by the unexpected triumph of her perfume sells. That saved her, like QVC saved Joan Rivers. Natalie was more acting oriented. This photo has always fascinated me R132.

by Anonymousreply 133March 30, 2018 11:13 PM

She didn't give that many "great" performances. Only a handful, I'd say. I think her best performance was in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". She was at her best in that, probably because she and Burton WERE George and Martha in real life.

by Anonymousreply 134March 30, 2018 11:25 PM

r133 I understand the point you're trying to make. Yet, there exist a huge difference in levels of earning between Liz and Natalie, which speaks of the difference between movie and tv stars. Liz was earning over half million per film since late 1950s around the Tennessee William films. She walked off with $7 million from her Cleo contract because of prolonged shooting, that was in 1963. She was making million dollar or more every movie since, with exception of Taming Shrew and Doctor Faustus, which were Burton's projects. They built a fake Las Vegas for her in Paris for the Only Game in Town 1970. She was earning 20 times Michael Caine's salary in X, Y and Zee 1973 - and her popularity was already fading then. I could understand why movie stars like Liz and Audrey would hesitate to survive as an actress the Natalie way -- at least not until they're old and only acting to remain relevant to the public.

r134 For a top old Hollywood beauty icon she acted exceptionally well. Not saying she can touch divine talents like Davis or MacLaine, of course.

by Anonymousreply 135March 30, 2018 11:48 PM

Natalie was not above product endorsements.

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by Anonymousreply 136March 31, 2018 1:35 AM

R133, Didn't the Wagners sue Aaron Spelling for their share of the "Charlie's Angels" profits?

by Anonymousreply 137March 31, 2018 1:37 AM

Butterfield 8 and Virginia Wolf were a paradox for her . She hated B8 and thought her best performance was VW. I know because I personally discussed this with her as I had an in with Elizabeth in the late 80's. And anyone who knew her never called her Liz, it was always Elizabeth. Thank you Chen Sam and Jose Eber for the times with her. If you have ever met her you know who I an speaking of. Thanks Eddie Peterson as well. She was a great lady and a bawdy one as well , RIP Elizabeth, I still remember your high pitched laugh!

by Anonymousreply 138March 31, 2018 1:55 AM

R135 yes, but for instance Elizabeth was Never suspended. She never fought because she said ' she needed the money'. Natalie holds the record for the most suspended star in hollywood history. She basically went on a strike for years to get access to better scripts, and that cost her, if not the oscar for splendour, at least the funding for 'I never promised you a rose garden' which was her passion project . Studio bosses resented her. She had to fight for everything. Taylor was given free reins by Skouras and even converted to judaism. Natalie didn't accept shares of benefits for a cut in her salary in West side story, when she could have made way over 7 million $ and Taylor demanded a million $ for Cleopatra, as a jest. Wood didn't have the respect Taylor had from the studio bosses BUT She has a much better filmography than Taylor. The best musical ever, the best western ever, classics like splendour, rebel, miracle, etc. She was more focused on quality. Taylor was more greedy. Well that is my opinion. I never met those two ladies. Taylor has very distinct phases in her career, and I would pick 'cat' and ' secret ceremony '. If I had to explain Taylor to a neophyte.

by Anonymousreply 139March 31, 2018 9:03 PM

R139, If Natalie had been cast as Beth Jarrett in Ordinary People, as she very much wanted, wouldn't that have allowed her a "comeback" to starring roles in quality films instead of the schlock she was doing in the last years of her life?

by Anonymousreply 140March 31, 2018 10:17 PM

Redford will burn in hell for that one. She created him, and he denied her. She had a similar part in 'the cracker factory' and was brilliant in it.

by Anonymousreply 141March 31, 2018 10:23 PM

r139 I don't think "greedy" is the right word. Natalie cared just as much about getting what she wanted as Liz, or she would not have been so hated by Studio Bosses. Negotiation technique - how to make demands in a way people will respond positively - is an important life skill, especially in a place like Hollywood. Elizabeth was simply much better at it than Natalie. That's why things turned out so differently for them.

by Anonymousreply 142March 31, 2018 11:35 PM

Maybe R142. But I still think that Taylor came from a well to do family, very well connected, that mayer groomed Taylor into stardom, and she was their hottest property for many years, knew very well how to ' negociate', converted, and had the best jewish lawyers. Natalie came from trash, had no protection, was prostituted by her crazy mother, was a surprise hit, in miracle, was dumped by fox, then fucked her way back to 'rebel', never supported by Wagner the way Liz was by Mayer, and finally rescued by Kazan and a last minute cast in WSS. The story goes that Warner told Kazan that he could have Nat for a bargain price because she was washed up, and the WWS people saw the dailies for Beatty and fell over themselves, saying that's our Maria, that girl! Without recognizing Natalie Wood. I just feel that Taylor had it much easier, she said herself that ' unlike Ava,'she 'never had to fight ' and I think Natalie had more integrity, insisted in going to college and graduate, lived a less materialistic life, and was more ambitious artistically. The studio execs didn't respect her because she had been passed around like candy since her early teens, but I think she fought extremely hard to be a good person, a good human being. She touches me in a way that Taylor doesn't.

by Anonymousreply 143March 31, 2018 11:59 PM

Charlotte's Web! Liz was VERY convincing.

by Anonymousreply 144April 1, 2018 12:38 AM

r143 I'm sorry but you're making it sound like Taylor lost some oppression gymnastic game, and her accomplishments are lesser because of this. That sounds like wacked logic to me. People toughen up out of necessity. If anything, an underprivileged background should have forged Natalie into becoming a better industry survivor than the supposedly pampered Taylor. That didn't happen.

Note how Taylor was not THAT privileged as a child. She came from a middle class background, though they tried to fake upper middle class to fit into Hollywood. This was why Louis B Mayer could insult her and her mother to their faces when Taylor was young. You said Natalie was prostituted by her mother. Well, did you know that Taylor's stage parents drooled at Howard Hughes' offer of a personal studio plus one million in the late 1940s, and pressured Taylor to marry him as a teen? Taylor fought hard against the deal so it never passed.

As for Taylor not choosing college like Natalie. Well, being a grossly overworked teen star means that Taylor could barely math even at 17. She couldn't college even if she try. Early marriage was the only option for her when it comes to fleeing her pimp Mom.

Now for the integrity/materialistic issue. Taylor had the dignity to refuse alimony from the violent Hilton in favor of a quick divorce at 20 yr old. Nor did she play the victim and claim monetary damages even though she could - she was beaten into a miscarriage. Note how the divorce without $ was against both her parents' and the studio's wishes. The studio even punished her by making her do a b movie. Taylor went ahead and did what she had to against the oppositions.

She then married Wilding, 20 yrs her senior and a male depanda. He coerced her into two back to back pregnancies, always complaining when she used her pet dogs to put off having to sleep with with him. She ended up signing a slave contract with MGM, doing up to 4 films a year - some while still pregnant - to support a family that quickly expanded to 4.

Yeah, sounds just like the charmed life of some lucky girl who had it real easy.

At the end of the day, a person's background can only affect them positively/negatively for so long. It's the ones with the superior life skills who will ultimately win at life. Taylor won big and it's not by luck or accident.

by Anonymousreply 145April 1, 2018 1:24 AM

Wood WAS a better industry survivor. She was MURDERED.

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by Anonymousreply 146April 1, 2018 8:54 AM

She transitioned to modern actress. Taylor transitioned to sad relic

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by Anonymousreply 147April 1, 2018 9:00 AM

[qupte]It went on until 9.30. By this time we all thankfully returned to the Bungalow with everybody drunk except me of course (still no drink) and E really sloshed. [...] I went to bed and Elizabeth went to the bathroom. Then I heard her calling me and she was bleeding from her rectum, it turned out she'd had a burst ‘pile’.

Glamorous!

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by Anonymousreply 148April 1, 2018 10:19 AM

R148 is that Burton ? What a cunt. He hated her. What about: '[qupte]It went on until 9.30. By this time we all thankfully returned to the boat. with everybody drunk except me of course (still no drink) and N really sloshed. [...] I went to bed with Chris and Natalie went overboard. Then I heard her calling me and she was bleeding from her wounds, it turned out she'd drowned.'

by Anonymousreply 149April 1, 2018 10:25 AM

One of my earliest memories of Taylor is the reaction of my mother when she picked up the new issue of Life, or Look, or whichever magazine it was that was delivered to our house one afternoon, looked at the cover and said, "Wow, Liz Taylor is FORTY?"

My mom was maybe 28 at the time, a fan of Taylor, and apparently worried that the old gal was nearing the end of her career.

by Anonymousreply 150April 1, 2018 4:18 PM

r146 Poster at r139 chronicled Natalie failing repeatedly at getting studios bosses to cave in to her demands. And that the Academy people did not grant her a supposedly deserved win.

r147 Natalie transitioned to a TV actress; a very fine one, who was a Golden Globes nominee for her TV work.

Elizabeth, who earned over 1 million per film throughout the 1960s and 1970s, who already had that dream list of film awards and nominations, transitioned into her tycoon + humanitarian phrase. Sure her focus was no longer in acting by then, but anyone who called Elizabeth a sad relic in the 80s and 90s will be laughed at. She was riding high on the first true celeb perfume empire, and was getting tribute awards left and right then. For that matter, anyone who deride Elizabeth's accomplishments today are probably just triggered by the billion dollar estate she left behind in death -- an estate earning millions per year in perfumes and royalties even now.

by Anonymousreply 151April 1, 2018 5:00 PM

No. Natalie was not a GG nominee but a winner. And Taylor was a sad case. Have you forgotten the Michael Jackson saga? The larry fortenski joke ? For an actress, selling perfume is sad. And as for the humanitarian work, I prefer mia, sorry. I am sorry for the western victims of AIDS, but put on a condom honey.

by Anonymousreply 152April 1, 2018 5:12 PM

r152 TIL being rich and successful and social is just sad. And if you can afford trophy spouses on your own money you're a joke!

Taylor won GG for film actress for Suddenly Last Summer BTW, and was nominated in the GG film category many more times.

"For an actress, selling perfume is sad."

Really? Sophia Loren, who was younger than Taylor, tried to do the perfume thing early as 1981 -- to lesser success. Taylor did it in 1989 and the millions been rolling into her estate ever since. I can see how some would be "saddened" over how much she's been earning though.

by Anonymousreply 153April 1, 2018 6:03 PM

Because money isn't everything honey, but I understand why you worship Taylor now.

by Anonymousreply 154April 1, 2018 6:30 PM

Speaking of perfume, Natalie's daughter Natasha is marketing "Natalie", which evokes the scent of Natalie's beloved "Jungle Gardenia".

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by Anonymousreply 155April 1, 2018 7:19 PM

Poor Natasha, she will die defending 'daddy Wagner '

by Anonymousreply 156April 1, 2018 7:31 PM

r154 "Art?"

Yes. Because 5 Oscars 2 wins and a long string of other acting wins and nominations from major awards still ain’t no sign of an actress’ artistic accomplishment.

by Anonymousreply 157April 1, 2018 7:59 PM

No R157. SHOCKER. Awards are bought by the studios. It's a sign of ' playing the game'. Just ask Gwyneth and J-law. You really don't have any sense of values do you ? It's all $$$ and awards for you. Taylor is your girl then. I guess you think Streep really is the greatest living actress.

by Anonymousreply 158April 1, 2018 8:20 PM

r158 By your logic all measurable accomplishments are moot. Keep believing that if it makes you feel better about your life.

by Anonymousreply 159April 1, 2018 8:42 PM

Well, if you must insist on the value of awards, consider this: from twice best actress oscar winner to 'general hospital' is not a sign of accomplishment, taste, and discernment. There is a difference between " citizen Kane' and 'Titanic'. Taylor won't stand the test of time, because her films are shite. But she was rich and famous alright. A real floozy.

by Anonymousreply 160April 1, 2018 8:50 PM

r160 "from twice best actress oscar winner to 'general hospital' is not a sign of accomplishment, taste, and discernment." Are you saying that going from a big screen to small screen is a fall from grace?

Taylor had since more than proven herself on the big screen. The Oscars and the nominations are there. Doing non-serious stints on the small screen after age 50 neither detracted from her iconic film stardom nor her proven acting abilities.

And, even in this non-serious stage of her late acting career, she still managed to get a nomination Cable ACE Awards for Between Friends in 1984.

As for Taylor not standing the test of time, we'll see about that. The Giant Documentary highlights her character's significance as an early feminist social justice figure in film. Cat is still recently mentioned by the press - as one of top 3 female-fronted box office success. There's now yet another new play about her and Burton. Her name and image sure ain't disappearing any time soon.

by Anonymousreply 161April 1, 2018 10:26 PM

She did a total of what, five days' work on GH? It was huge at the time. The romance and wedding of Luke and Laura was on the cover of Time or Newsweek, or both, maybe--it was huge. Taylor was a fan and wanted to make a cameo, in part possibly because she had reportedly become friendly with Geary.

It's not like she signed on to be part of the cast. She did some other TV, but selectively in movies or miniseries, as many other film greats have done before and since.

by Anonymousreply 162April 2, 2018 5:30 PM

Ok queens, Taylor 's acting career went from strenght to strenght, her apppearances in masterpieces like GH, the nanny, would be the envy of any serious actress, jewels to her crown really, and she looked more beautiful by the hour, especially from the 70's on, and her life is an inspirational one, the kind that makes Marie Curie's and Mother theresa's a feminist failure....

by Anonymousreply 163April 2, 2018 5:41 PM

ELEPHANT WALK. The look of horror on her face when her manservant is dispatched by those big bull elephants....Streep could not even come close.

by Anonymousreply 164April 2, 2018 5:50 PM

I always suspected the elephants thought she was one of theirs, and came to set her free

by Anonymousreply 165April 2, 2018 5:54 PM

r164 There is a scene right afterwards where Taylor tried to ran through the mansion and out the otherside towards safety . . . only to blanch at facing another incoming herd of elephants. That wide-eyed look of mute horror . . . just brilliant.

r154 Money isn't "everything" but it sure is an indicator of a person's ability to survive and navigate this world. Anyone with a real job will tell you how hard it is to earn any money at all, let alone huge sums like Liz did. It takes hard work and intelligence to get rich and stay there. But r154 won't know that. Nor does it acknowledge any material measures of artistic or humanitarian accomplishments either.

r163 "Taylor 's acting career went from strenght to strenght" Some people can tackle and succeed at more than one profession. Some people reinvent themselves as time go by. Some people also earn the right to age out of physical beauty, since they have other things to fall back on. But r163 couldn't possible understanding any of that Fitting how it also misspelled "strength" twice.

by Anonymousreply 166April 2, 2018 6:23 PM

Hahahahahaha true R166. I did that. But I beg to disagree with you. Money isn't an indicator of someone 's wisdom. That's a very yankee or jewish philosophy. In fact, highly evolved people will stay away from money. And the truth of the matter is, Taylor had more beauty and personality than talent, and was forced to 'reinvent ' herself when she lost her looks. She became even wealthier, so it's easy to see that it was her karma to be rich. Not even God can change your karma

by Anonymousreply 167April 2, 2018 6:41 PM

[quote]And the truth of the matter is, Taylor had more beauty and personality than talent,

Maybe that's true, but given how much she had of the first two, it shouldn't diminish her fair share of the third.

She proved to be a good actor on many occasions, and a great actor on more than a few. And yeah, she was a great beauty in her day and had an over-the-top persona.

Brando got fat, acted in some shit late in life, got crazy, and was never half the humanitarian Taylor became. But his great film performances are still remembered as great, and rightly so.

by Anonymousreply 168April 2, 2018 6:56 PM

Well R168, again I will kindly disagree. everything you say about Taylor is true, but the industry was a bitch to her, and her best performances went largely unseen. Otoh I only found Brando good in 'reflection in a golden eye '.. He was tolerable in streetcar because Vivien Leigh was so extraordinary he could pass. In everything else I saw he was gross and amateurish. I think he must be the most overrated actor of all time. I much prefer Taylor.

by Anonymousreply 169April 2, 2018 7:23 PM

r167 "highly evolved people will stay away from money" If there's ever a thread called "things losers say" this would fit right in. Yeah, deride successful hard working people all you want. I wonder what r167 survives upon? Food and water from the wilderness? Or welfare benefits which are essentially tax payers' MONEY? And someone's gotta be paying for its Internet so it can post this nonsense.

r168 Word. Liz Brando both gave great performances that demonstrated their great acting abilities. What they did or did not do in their older years cannot detract from their well-recorded accomplishments. They've earned their rights to be respected as fine actors forevermore.

by Anonymousreply 170April 2, 2018 7:25 PM

R170 Hard work and money are two different things honey. Are you totally uneducated? And the 'winner/loser' rethoric. You really must travel to the East, sugar, especially India. You are blindly missing the whole point of life. Tragic

by Anonymousreply 171April 2, 2018 7:30 PM

r171 Such an educated non-monetary internet person! On whose money do you travel? Or can you afford to travel at all?

Some people can win the lottery, up to a few times in a life time even. That's karma. But to continuously earn big, every month, every year - and to not lose it back on stupid decisions - takes work and intelligence. That's why they called it EARNINGS - you need to earn t, ultimately. Liz put in the effort for that, which must be so triggering to the lazy jealous nobodies of the world.

by Anonymousreply 172April 2, 2018 7:40 PM

R172, I am sorry, you are too stupid, I cannot continue this conversation. I didn't mean stay away from normal money, I meant E.Taylor kind of wealth. It's always weird when you come accross truly stupid people. the kind that really don't understand simple topics. It's like having a disability isn't it ? You really don't have enough intelligence to sustain a normal conversation. It's good that at least you have a taste for films. Even if it's Taylor level of old Hollywood basic cinema. I hope you find joy in that. I am sorry I challenged your taste or your values. Have a good day, and forget what I said please.

by Anonymousreply 173April 2, 2018 7:56 PM

Snap went the dragons!

by Anonymousreply 174April 2, 2018 9:07 PM

Now that r167’s "highly evolved people will stay away from money" and r171 and its argument that “Hard work and money are two different things” both crumble under counterargument, it becomes “I didn't mean stay away from normal money, I meant E.Taylor kind of wealth” at r173. Holy goal post moving. Note also the delicious doses of “you’re stupid/uneducated” sprinkled throughout all these posts. Whichever place of education it comes from (or was it even educated?) likely never taught it how to use logic to argue anything.

When even people like that is coming to an Elizabeth Taylor thread to argue about her, you know just how relevant an icon she has remained.

by Anonymousreply 175April 2, 2018 9:32 PM

playing a beard/wife role for gay men

by Anonymousreply 176April 2, 2018 9:36 PM

Back in the days when gays were truly discriminated against in the US, beards were lifesavers.

by Anonymousreply 177April 2, 2018 9:37 PM

“Passion I see is catching... I sure hope so”.

by Anonymousreply 178April 2, 2018 9:39 PM

If Taylor was so rich, then why was her house such a dump? It hadn't been updated since the '60s. How could she live in such squalor?

Also, in the trophy room, she has 3 Oscars displayed. How did she get 3 Oscars?

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by Anonymousreply 179April 2, 2018 9:48 PM

r179 Such squalor as to be included in Architectural Digest! Fitting how the likes of you would also be ignorant of her Oscar Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

by Anonymousreply 180April 2, 2018 9:52 PM

Elizabeth should have been received nominations for both A Place in the Sun. She was so in control of the role despite being so young. And that faint scene where she allowed herself to slam to the ground! That's reckless professionalism right there.

by Anonymousreply 181April 3, 2018 12:09 AM

R180 Art from Franz Hals, Hockney, Warhol, Pissarro, Van Gogh and Noel Coward. A Gallé table. Squalor?

by Anonymousreply 182April 3, 2018 2:07 AM

r182 "Squalor" comment a diss at r179's comment. Even without the art, the use of wood, the color scheme (gray-tinted blue and violet!) and the furnishings make the place looks lived in, and not just some cold showroom. Yes, it's antiquated but in a good way. Looks like the perfect setting for some relaxing quality downtime.

by Anonymousreply 183April 3, 2018 2:33 AM

Young Liz apparently had a cameo in Quo Vadis

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by Anonymousreply 184April 15, 2018 5:54 AM

Pre-fame Audrey Hepburn also auditioned for QV.

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by Anonymousreply 185April 15, 2018 5:58 AM

A lot of people, Elizabeth herself included, has expressed dislike for Butterfield 8. But back in the day the film had approximately the same box office earning as the widely-acclaimed Breakfast at Tiffany's. Yes, B8's script is more melodramatic than BaT, but it does tackle the dark side of prostitution/promiscuity, which is something that BaT - also about a prostitute - never did. B8 may not be the more stylish movie - no Givenchy, though Elizabeth also has iconic style moments in it - but it is more on-topic. Elizabeth hated the movie but she did deliver some great scenes in it. In other words, an underrated classic.

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by Anonymousreply 186April 15, 2018 3:58 PM

The film Giant has been having this resurgence in recent years. Elizabeth's pink dress was even featured in a recent Warners Brothers wardrobe exhibit titled "Classics Made Here" .

At the center of the exhibition, a “Leading Ladies” section features five dresses spanning two decades of fashion, from the 1930s to 1950s, worn by Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall and Olivia de Havilland.

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by Anonymousreply 187April 17, 2018 5:51 PM

Giant pink dress on Elizabeth.

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by Anonymousreply 188April 17, 2018 5:52 PM

Giant screen cap.

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by Anonymousreply 189April 17, 2018 5:54 PM

Beau Brummel was the film where Elizabeth said she phoned in the performance due to her disinterest with the material. It is not her greatest performance, but it doesn't look that bad compared to other Old Hollywood period film performances either. Oh, and even after 2 back to back pregnancies, Elizabeth remains stunning on screen.

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by Anonymousreply 190April 19, 2018 3:11 AM

Her Helena Cassadine was divine...when she was sober enough to get her lines out.

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by Anonymousreply 191April 19, 2018 3:24 AM

R145, "depanda" for Michael Wilding is brilliant. A cross between "panda" and "depender". I hope that catches on.

by Anonymousreply 192April 19, 2018 3:37 AM

BEST PERFORMANCE..... cleaning toilets at betty ford

by Anonymousreply 193April 19, 2018 3:55 AM

"And the 'winner/loser' rethoric. You really must travel to the East, sugar, especially India. You are blindly missing the whole point of life. "

r171 needs to be actually go to India itself and be laughed out of its pants. The locals will gladly educate it on how the majority of India puts far, far more importance on material success than Liz or anyone in the western world. The parents there pressure their sons to become high paying professionals regardless of personal interest or dreams. Money is their point of life. Then again, it's not like money-hating r171 could ever afford to do expensive travels on its welfare cheque.

by Anonymousreply 194April 19, 2018 4:19 PM

Wasn't this Elizabeth's greatest performance?

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by Anonymousreply 195April 19, 2018 4:35 PM

My absolute favorite: Here's Lucy!

by Anonymousreply 196April 19, 2018 5:05 PM

Greatest performance: making up again with Debbie Reynolds after ditching Eddie Fisher for Richard Burton.

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by Anonymousreply 197April 19, 2018 5:19 PM

One more

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by Anonymousreply 198April 19, 2018 5:20 PM

Raintree County is the first of Elizabeth's string of back-to-back Oscar Nominations. Even thought the movie drags, Elizabeth gives a riveting performance as a tragic Southern Belle destroyed by the social and racial issues of her times.

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by Anonymousreply 199April 20, 2018 10:37 PM

If we take actress performance independent of overall movie quality, then Elizabeth nails it in The Girl Who had Everything. She is perfect as the rebellious, worldly rich girl determined to choose real romance over having to settle as a housewife. Damn the Code and the forced ending.

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by Anonymousreply 200April 22, 2018 11:02 PM

Does anybody know how much her jewelry collection was worth upon her death?

by Anonymousreply 201April 23, 2018 1:03 AM

r201 It was, according to Forbes, the Most Valuable in Auction History up to 2011, and was worth around $115.9 million.

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by Anonymousreply 202April 23, 2018 1:42 AM

In her TV guest star stage, I think Elizabeth is effective as Madame Conti in “North and South” (1985). The fact that she had remained decorative even in her mid 50s was also an astonishing feat.

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by Anonymousreply 203April 23, 2018 4:36 AM

I went with her to a bakery and she took all the numbers!

by Anonymousreply 204April 23, 2018 4:48 AM

Joan Rivers making fun of Elizabeth highlights the eerie phenomenon of scrawny uglies thinking they are hotter than pretty-faced women who piled on. Fat disappears upon dieting but no surgery could better a long dog face.

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by Anonymousreply 205April 23, 2018 6:15 PM

^^more chins than a chinese phone book

by Anonymousreply 206April 24, 2018 3:44 AM

Making fun of ET was Joan's greatest and only memorable performance.

by Anonymousreply 207April 24, 2018 3:50 AM

In a recent Joan Rivers biography the author discussed how her jokes on Taylor where really revenge. She grew up resenting she couldn't be as beautiful as Taylor so then when Taylor lost her looks Rivers loved to point it out.

by Anonymousreply 208April 24, 2018 3:58 AM

So Joan was just even worse than those delusional fraus? You know, the ones who said they've always wanted to look like ET, and when ET got fat they thought they finally did?

Pic: obese Taylor in Winter Kills, a totally attainable look for all fat middle aged women I'm sure.

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by Anonymousreply 209April 24, 2018 4:10 AM

That is Mini Me Fat Liz. Her weight really did fluxuate all over the place.

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by Anonymousreply 210April 24, 2018 4:22 AM

Rivers also wrote the TV "The Girl Most Likely To" with Stockard Channing, about a homely girl who's teased, gets reconstructive surgery after an accident, then takes revenge on her tormenters, who don't recognize her.

by Anonymousreply 211April 24, 2018 4:24 AM

The weird thing about Joan Rivers' humor was she was never [italic]bad[/italic] looking, even before she went all-in on the plastic surgery.

She was perfectly okay in the looks department, and carefully groomed. (But then, the safest humor for women back then was always to be self-lacerating.)

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by Anonymousreply 212April 24, 2018 4:59 AM

Joan was destined for eternal bitterness the moment she started comparing that horse face to that of any beauty icon, let alone Elizabeth's.

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by Anonymousreply 213April 24, 2018 5:13 AM

Comeon, she looks fine. She's not super attractive...but she's not unattractive, either.

by Anonymousreply 214April 24, 2018 5:29 AM

Right . . .

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by Anonymousreply 215April 24, 2018 5:41 AM

Anyone ever seen the TV movie There Must be A Pony? It was supposed to be Wood's role, but then she died and it went to Taylor. Can't find it anywhere online.

by Anonymousreply 216April 24, 2018 7:56 PM

I don’t think she was very skilled.

by Anonymousreply 217November 11, 2018 12:33 PM

Awful actress

by Anonymousreply 218November 11, 2018 4:23 PM

"National Velvet" would be my favorite because she breaks your heart with her naturalness. Nothing contrived at all. She makes you truly believe in the character. "Ash Wednesday" because after a series of roles in which she sounded like a Fish Wife, she created a character of depth that was layered and made you care. "Here's Lucy" because she is utterly hysterical with double takes and small touches that add to the hilarity. It's a genuine shame that nobody wrote an original comedy for her around that time. She had a comedic touch that was far beyond the laughs sometimes generated by the camp elements of her roles and films. "Virginia Wolff" and "Taming of the Shrew" were both good performances but there was a long dry spell after "Shrew" in which she seemed to not be directed to even remotely give a performance. She used her comedic skills to go effect for a 1982 Bob Hope special, playing a nurse with Burton as the surprise guest patient.

by Anonymousreply 219November 11, 2018 5:14 PM

I remember watching "There Must Be a Pony" when it was shown on tv and liking it a lot. As I recall, Liz spoke with an American accent instead of her sort-of-British one that--much as I love her--can get on my nerves....

NO ONE ever talks about "X,Y and Zee," her move with Michael Caine and Susannah York. My darlings, it's one of her best!!!!!

by Anonymousreply 220November 11, 2018 5:57 PM

I think she was wonderful in the Father of the Bride picS- A Place in the Sun🙁, Cat, Virg Wolf, and Taming of the Shrew. She was the kind of star who was always bigger than her films which is the definition of a great star. You really cannot take eyes off her. Very few like that. In person she was so beautiful it was shocking- I saw her in the 79s in one of her thin phases.

by Anonymousreply 221November 11, 2018 6:23 PM

R200, That movie is incredibly short for a theatrical film.

by Anonymousreply 222November 11, 2018 6:36 PM

"Night Watch" is fun, Elizabeth chewing the scenery while clad in Valentino.

by Anonymousreply 223November 11, 2018 6:38 PM

Her greatest performance was playing Richard Burton's beard/wife

by Anonymousreply 224November 22, 2018 9:24 AM
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