ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE LOST TAPES offers fans a unique and historical dive into an iconic legend’s on and off-screen life. Richard Merryman kept the tape recorder for over forty hours of intimate questioning. This documentary is a wonderfully entertaining look at a woman who commanded each cinema frame with bold and vulnerable choices. Throughout her career, she was a child star who wanted to be known as an actress and not a movie star or a sex goddess.
What struck me as I watched Elizabeth’s body of work and listened to her comments was, at her core, how very insecure she really was. It took a lifetime of therapy, an intervention, and six marriages for Elizabeth to find peace and contentment within her skin finally. Listening to the tapes felt like sitting with an old friend and sharing drinks while being brutally honest about mistakes and triumphs made. The hundreds of photos and dozens of movie clips, weddings, trips, and dinners added to the allure of Elizabeth’s undeniable beauty. It helped to hear honest comments from her life-long friends and the ex-wives she stole husbands from. The film was revealing and quite candid about a woman who was strong-willed and savvy within the show business.
In her later years, she worked tirelessly, heading the research against AIDS. She believed her fame should be put to good use. ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE LOST TAPES is an extraordinary revelation about a stunning “golden age” actress who lived on her terms. “To thine own self be true.” Enjoy the journey with this quintessential star.
It is streaming on Max.
