Burton and Taylor

TV Movie
20132013
Not RatedNot Rated
1h 23min

Legendary acting duo and married couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor prepare for a 1983 theatrical production of the play "Private Lives".Legendary acting duo and married couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor prepare for a 1983 theatrical production of the play "Private Lives".Legendary acting duo and married couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor prepare for a 1983 theatrical production of the play "Private Lives".

6.5/10

2.2K

Director
- Richard Laxton
Writers
- William Ivory
- Noël Coward(extracts from the play "Private Lives")
- Alexander Walker(additional research material from the book "Elizabeth")
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
- 2 wins & 17 nominations total

Helena Bonham Carter in Burton and Taylor (2013)

Dominic West in Burton and Taylor (2013)

Director
- Richard Laxton
Writers
- William Ivory
- Noël Coward(extracts from the play "Private Lives")
- Alexander Walker(additional research material from the book "Elizabeth")
All cast & crew

See production, box office, & company info

Film star Elizabeth Taylor invites her ex-husband - twice over - Richard Burton to her 50th 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. —don @ minifie-1

character names as title surnames as title richard burton character elizabeth taylor character year 1983 25 more

Trivia
Robert Hardy, a veteran character actor and an old friend of Burton, described West's performance as "hopeless," saying he "wasn't tough enough, he wasn't dangerous enough, he wasn't Welsh enough." However, he appreciated Bonham-Carter's performance, saying she was "brilliant, absolutely brilliant" because she "got the spirit of her and sounded like her."

Goofs
Burton recalls filming "Cleopatra" with Taylor in Hollywood. Actually, the film was made in Rome.

Quotes
Elizabeth Taylor: Where did my Antony go? Remember? The man who would've risked everything for me - who did! He tossed it all against the rocks so he could be with me. Where did he go, Richard? Tell me where my FUCKING Antony went!

Crazy credits
Epilogue: "Shortly after Private Lives completed its run, Elizabeth Taylor publicly and defiantly entered the Betty Ford clinic. It was the first time a celebrity had been open about going into rehab. Richard returned to Switzerland and enjoyed one of the most contented periods of life, married to Sally Burton. Nine months later, he died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. He never played King Lear. Richard and Elizabeth spoke on the phone every few days in the months leading up to his death."

Connections
Featured in 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2014)

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

Top review

10/10

I am blown away

This movie is a work of art and terribly underrated. Believe me when I tell you that I was at the edge of my seat watching this all while knowing full well how it ends...

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