Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes

As "Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes" (2024 releas4e; 101 min.) opens, we are told that Taylor did extensive audio interviews with a reporter starting in 1964 and that these tapes were finally unearthed. We then go to "1942" as we are reminded of Taylor's upbringing in Beverly Hills, and how she became a child star actress. At this point we are 10 minutes into the documetnary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest biopic documentary from director Nanette Burstein ("Hillary"). Here she revisits the life and times of one of Hollywood's greatest stars ever, Elizabeth Taylor, at one point the highest-paid star in Hollywood. While there are some other talking heads, it is mostly Taylor herself reflecting on her life and career, how marriages came and fell apart, and again and again ("I was infatuated with love", comments Taylor. The video footage including many of Taylor's private stash of 8mm film and polaroid photos, in particular to full color footage) reminds us that this indeed was a very different era. One thing that I kept thinking is that they don't make movie starts like that anymore. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I will leave that in the middle.

"Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes" premiered at this year's Cannes film festival to good critical acclaim. The movie is currently rate 80% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Last weekend it started airing on HNBO and streaming on Max, where I caught it last night. Whether you are of a certain age and is reminded of Hollywood of a certain age, or you are a younger person not necessarily all that familiar with Elizabeth Taylor, I think this documentary serves young(er) and old(er) alike quite well. I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

Academy Award® nominee Nanette Burstein builds an insightful and moving documentary of one of the greatest Hollywood icons that ever existed using what could be very obvious resources for a project like this, recorded interviews, photographs and files footage.

However, she uses all these resources and her expertise properly, creating an intimate and gracious 100 minutes journey worthy of an acclaimed actress as Elizabeth Taylor.

We find out what we've all been knowing all along but we happen to disregard very often, behind the glamorous legend, she was just a person.

A person with insecurities, a person who made mistakes, and a person trying to learn and improve...

Elizabeth Taylor's achievements didn't only occur in her amazing career (5 Academy Awards® nominations - twice winner - and becoming the first actor ever earning 1 million dollars for a movie) but in her personal life, being her one of the first public figures talking openly about subjects that were taboo over that time, drugs and alcohol addiction, rehab process and AIDS.

As fascinating as once was Elizabeth Taylor, this documentary is an exceptional tribute for her and an outstanding addition to this genre.

Elizabeth Taylor brings to mind many things: her glamor, her numerous marriages, her calling attention to AIDS, and so on. But who was she as a person?

Nanette Burstein's "Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes" sets out to answer this question. Featuring a recently unearthed 1964 interview with Liz. The actress talks about her career, her personal life, and other things. Although Taylor doesn't mention it in the interview, the documentary notes her friendship with gay actors Montgomery Clift and Rock Hudson; it sounds as though she was more comfortable around gay men than straight men, and she made sure to cover for her gay friends. As to Liz's serial marriages, I guess that we could chalk this up to her fame sweeping over her at a young age, or maybe that Hollywood was trying to boost her image (not counting her marriage to Mike Todd, which ended with his death in a plane crash). The documentary doesn't mention Taylor's friendship with Michael Jackson; I guess that his reputation has suffered too much to reference.

What emerges is an actress who was more than the sum of her parts. Whatever you think of Elizabeth Taylor's movies or about her as a person, you can't deny the impact that she had on popular culture. I think it's safe to say that her legacy will live on forever.

Elizabeth Taylor was the real deal, a bonafide movie star, a consummate rule breaker, and a striking beauty who made both classic films and unadulterated bombs and led a notorious personal life that was endless fodder for the gossip columnists until her death in 2011. This 2024 documentary offers a new glimpse into her storied life through archival audio from 1964 interview sessions with biographer Richard Meryman never before released. Providing a wealth of film clips and newsreel footage to complement the tapes, documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein wisely lets the treasure trove of material speak for itself as she tracks the subject's life from preternatural child star to leading AIDS research activist. The mythos and facts about Taylor are well familiar to anyone who has seen her best work and read the tabloids over the years. Burstein reminds us how vibrant she was in her prime.

This documentary is a fascinating and revealing depiction that takes a deeply personal look at a brilliant actress. The film takes a very powerful approach to telling the story in an inventive documentary style.

It's an absorbing and engaging, an extraordinary film that is very insightful, honest and really quite emotional - one of the most powerful documentaries that I've seen in years.

In essence, this film delivers a riveting and all-encompassing testament to Taylor's legacy. By the end, you feel like you really knew her. For fans of Elizabeth Taylor, this is a must-see.

Highly recommended.