"'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."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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".
-
Should Labour break manifesto pledge and raise taxes?Today's Big Question There are ‘powerful’ fiscal arguments for an income tax rise but it could mean ‘game over’ for the government
-
Nigerian Modernism: an ‘entrancing, enlightening exhibition’The Week Recommends Tate Modern’s ‘revelatory’ show includes 250 works examining Nigerian art pre- and post independence
-
To the point: the gender divide over exclamation marksTalking Point 'Men harbouring urges to be more exclamative' can finally take a breath – this is what using the punctuation really conveys
-
Nigerian Modernism: an ‘entrancing, enlightening exhibition’
The Week Recommends Tate Modern’s ‘revelatory’ show includes 250 works examining Nigerian art pre- and post independence
-
The Mastermind: Josh O’Connor stars in unconventional art heist movieThe Week Recommends Kelly Reichardt cements her status as the ‘queen of slow cinema’ with her latest film
-
The 8 best dark comedies of the 21st centuryFrom Santa Claus to suicide terrorism, these movies skewered big, taboo subjects
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
-
Film reviews: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Frankenstein, and Blue MoonFeature A rock star on the rise turns inward, a stressed mother begins to unravel, and more
-
Beth Macy’s 6 favorite books about living in a divided nationFeature The journalist recommends works by Nicholas Buccola, Matthew Desmond, and more
-
Everything you need to know about last-minute travelThe Week Recommends You can book an awesome trip with a moment’s notice
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
