Movie of the Week: September 30, 2024: Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes

“I was a child actress thrown into the adult world, but in my own world I was a terrified little girl.” ~ Dame Elizabeth Taylor

A fascinating new documentary, Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes, provides a rare and intimate glimpse into the Hollywood legend’s professional and personal life, told in her own words and accompanied by photos, home movies, and clips from some of her unforgettable roles. Directed by Nanette Burstein, the film features candid discussion by Taylor of her career, her loves, and the industry where she made her name.

Born in London to American parents, Taylor moved to Los Angeles in 1939 at the age of seven. As a young actress, she was contracted by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and featured in National Velvet, a film that grossed over $4 million and catapulted the 12-year-old actress to stardom. She continued her acting career into adulthood, spanning a remarkable six decades in the industry and appearing in such notable films as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Place in the Sun, and Butterfield 8. She later noted, “I fought against the studios, started to make my own deals. I was quite the businesswoman.”

Taylor was married eight times to seven men; two of those marriages were to Welsh actor Richard Burton. The pair fell in love on the set of the epic Cleopatra, with Burton stating, “I fell in love at once, she was like a mirage of beauty of the ages, irresistible like the pull of gravity.”

The recently discovered “lost tapes” of over 40 hours of interviews with Taylor allow a fresh perspective and unprecedented access to the star’s life, revealing the groundbreaking icon’s colorful personal life and great tenacity. Taylor may have had a lavish jet-set lifestyle and possessed a much-admired collection of precious jewelry, but she was also recognized for her award-winning humanitarian efforts.

We recommend this captivating documentary about the life of the enchanting and remarkable Dame Elizabeth Taylor.

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Related:

Elizabeth Taylor (website)

The Best Elizabeth Taylor Movies

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