Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes – intimate portrait of the film star
The life of the Hollywood icon is explored, including her infamous marriages to Richard Burton
![Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HyqEb2sT7qrnBs9U7RPLaS-415-80.jpg)
"'Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes' could have been called 'Elizabeth Taylor: A Lost Era'," said Lucy Mangan in The Guardian. The Sky documentary features excerpts from 40 hours of tapes that were recently found in the archive of the late journalist Richard Meryman, who interviewed the film star extensively as part of research for a book.
The audio is interwoven with archive footage from the time: so we see clips from her films, footage of 1940s and 1950s Hollywood, and watch Taylor at publicity events.
The resulting film is "partial" and "inescapably hagiographic" – Meryman "lets Taylor speak with barely any pushback" – but it remains a "heady treat. Because it is about Elizabeth Taylor. They don't make them like they used to – and they probably never will again."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The film "takes us through Taylor's life, from child stardom in 'Lassie Come Home' to her fundraising for Aids research", said Anita Singh in The Telegraph. Along the way, she is remarkably candid, discussing her struggle to be taken seriously as an actress, and her frustrations with fame ("I became a public utility"). She also talks about her marriages: her and Richard Burton's rows, she recalls, were "like an atom bomb going off".
For the "Taylor enthusiast", there isn't much that's new here, said Alissa Wilkinson in The New York Times. "But that's not really the point." As she talks about her interior life, the film serves as a reminder of the disjunction "between what we think we know about stars — who they are, how they feel — and what's actually going on inside".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
7 recipes for every kind of fall cooking occasion
The Week Recommends Marinated feta; go-to chocolate cake; a fresh way with Brussels: Autumn is not going to know what hit it
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
The world's best astrotourism adventures
The Week Recommends From the depths of the Namib Desert to Finnish Lapland, these remote destinations are ideal for stargazing
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
A foodie guide to St Andrews
The Week Recommends The Scottish seaside town has it all, from cheese toastie shacks to Michelin-starred restaurants
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
A weekend in Polzeath: an outdoor adventure in Cornwall
The Week Recommends This Cornish seaside village offers plenty of fun for surfers and families alike
By Hollie Clemence, The Week UK Published
-
8 touring theater productions to mark on your calendar this fall
The Week Recommends A pop icon, Shakespeare reconsidered and a sublime musical about mortality are all on the boards
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Chicken with Steph's spice
The Week Recommends This Caribbean-inspired recipe is mouthwateringly delicious
By The Week UK Published
-
A peaceful seaside village in Turkey
The Week Recommends Çıralı has been spared the 'scourge' of all-inclusive resort development
By The Week UK Published
-
Slow Horses, series four: 'swaggering' spy thriller returns
The Week Recommends Gary Oldman is 'impeccable' in one of the 'most consistent' shows on TV
By Ellie O'Mahoney, The Week UK Published