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Storyline
Film star Elizabeth Taylor invites her ex-husband - twice over - Richard Burton to her fiftieth birthday party where, as a recovering alcoholic, he refuses to get drunk with her. He does however consider her suggestion that they star in a stage revival of the play 'Private Lives'. As they announce the project the press speculate on a romantic reconciliation. With a new girlfriend and the prospect of playing king Lear Burton is not happy with the project, especially with Taylor's pill-popping and her lack of stage experience, which causes problems at rehearsal. The play opens to a critical trashing but is popular with audiences, chiefly, again to Burton's chagrin, because they want to see Taylor and, when she is ill, numbers dwindle and the show is put on hold. After a two month run , with a projected tour, the curtain comes down and Taylor tells Burton she has always loved him and still does. A year later however his old life-style catches up with him and he is dead. Written by
don @ minifie-1
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Did You Know?
Goofs
Elizabeth Taylor's "beauty spot" was on the right side of her face, whereas on
Helena Bonham Carter's it appears on the left side.
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Soundtracks
Love to Love You Baby
Written by
Pete Bellotte,
Giorgio Moroder, and
Donna Summer
Performed by
Donna Summer
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enteprises
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This film came to my attention when Helena Bonham Carter received both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her titular role as Elizabeth Taylor. Though these were well deserved and Dominic West plays Richard Burton well, their excellent performances and chemistry are the only highlight in this film. The tension from giant egos working together in an artistic project is nothing new, and has certainly been done better in films like My Week with Marilyn, whose plot very similar to Burton and Taylor. Similarly, films about celebrities have to bring something new to the table for them to be interesting, which Burton and Taylor does not. Though Elizabeth Taylor was certainly a major star and a talented actress, her life seems to have been fairly similar to many other stars of her caliber.