X Y e Zi

X,Y&Z stars that romantic trio of Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, and Susannah York. I'm thinking Richard Burton must have been working on another project so Michael Caine was substituted in a part that seemed clearly written for Burton.

Caine and Taylor are a pair of married somethings who are starting to look a lot like George and Martha from Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf. That would be another 20 years or so. At the moment they still have a lot of life and lovers to experience.

But for reasons not fully explained Taylor resents York, a widow with two small children far more than any of the others Caine has had. She no doubts sees a slightly younger version of herself. It really is because while the two women are having a most civilized lunch to amicably dispose of the matter of Caine, York says something to Taylor that really reminds her of herself. Something that later Taylor uses to her advantage. At the end we don't really know what's in store for this triangle.

Caine and Taylor have the showier roles, but York gives a nice understated performance. Not one hint of the end I will reveal, but it really does kind of blow Caine's mind.

I'm sure this had Richard Burton in mind originally. Watch and see if you don't agree.

Elizabeth Taylor's bitch character is so captivating, enthralling, and compelling that I felt compelled to do my part in making it known that this film, along with Reflections in a Golden Eye, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, illustrate a kind of woman who rarely gets her due in Hollywood film making. These three films are fantastic vehicles which capture, what I view as, an underappreciated angle of the feminine soul.

There's an intangible and honest quality to Elizabeth Taylor's character that is rarely captured by any actress. The character she plays in these three films make for great entertainment, storytelling, and are true to core sensual feminine qualities.

Off the top of my head, outside of Gone Girl and the Wicked Lady; there are too few archetypal female characters of this kind who exude this exclusively unique feminine character. It is an interesting archetype. An archetype which many of us have met, known, and had relationships with. They should have more stories written about them.

Elizabeth Taylor is just amazing. She goes for this superficial, primitive bitch with every weapon in her arsenal. Her Zee is like Martha's - Taylor's character in Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf - disgraceful twin. The one who probably never read anything, dropped out of school. She was probably disowned by her intellectual father and she went all out. Her performance is free of any literary constrictions - I mean this is not by Edward Albee - she can jump and roll at her own speed, at her own volume. Michael Caine feels like a pussycat next to her and Susannah York? She makes sense in a rather senseless character. An added charm is the appearance of the spectacular Margaret Leighton.

An obvious companion piece to "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" this Liz Taylor tour-de-force could be considered that classic's sequel...or "When George and Martha Tuned in and Dropped Out".

La Liz plays Zee Blakely, unhappy wife to an unhappy husband, played by the brilliant Michael Caine. They go to a swinging 60s party (even though this is 1972...the Brits just didn't want to let the decade go...yet!) and Caine meets the lovely Susannah York who he immediately flirts with and ultimately gets involved with. Sparks fly as Liz inserts herself into their relationship...in more ways than one!

A must-see for Liz's performance, as bold and brave as any actress (or actor) gets. Caine keeps pace and matches her at several points but poor Susannah has little to do but watch from the sidelines. Not familiar with the source material (book) but some changes were made for obvious reasons (I mean, free love and all but is STILL is 1972!).

Can't believe in my decades of watching I've never seen this one...thanks to TMC for unearthing it for their "Summer Camp"...frankly the ONLY camping I'm interested in! 😂

NOT for everyone and the ending is a bit "wonky" as the Brits say but a great movie for a Sunday brunch during Pride month!

X, Y and Zee is one of those rare films that can be perceived differently now than when it was originally released and be more enjoyable. However, one has to be in the right frame of mind. As a straight drama, it can be trite, uneven and a bit preposterous. But viewed as a kind of fascinating cultural time capsule with an over-the-top performance by Elizabeth Taylor as the scorned wife of a philandering Michael Caine, it can actually be quite entertaining and even hilarious. Never has any woman tried so hard to keep her man in the face of dire circumstances while simultaneously wreaking havoc on just about everyone. X, Y and Zee is a strange little film, but if you're a Taylor fan and don't mind overlooking a few flaws, you might find it quite entertaining and amusing. One thing for sure...this film belongs to Taylor; without her, it would be nothing.