My favourite Elizabeth Taylor moment

You simply don’t make it any more than Elizabeth Taylor did in pictures. She was a star. THE star. An amazing talent, an endless character, a luminous beauty. News of her death today naturally swept the world in seconds.

In a career that began when she was just 9 years old (in Universal’s 1942 comedy There’s One Born Every Minute), Taylor was a staple of Hollywood glamour throughout her entire life. She oozed talent with every performance, and certainly had enough somersaults in her private life the keep the press interested (who could forget the Eddie Fisher episode?!).

What is there to say about a legend like Elizabeth Taylor? The lady possessed qualities that almost seem unfair; talent, confidence, beauty, kindness. She can even be credited with saving the life of Montgomery Clift; after the actor crashed his car into a telephone pole after leaving her house, Taylor raced to his aid and removed one of Clift’s teeth that had become stuck in his throat, causing him to choke.

Of all the wonderful contributions to film by Ms. Taylor, one sticks out more than any other for me – 1966′s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Starring alongside her then husband Richard Burton, Taylor puts on a show that still now leaves me feeling like I’ve never actually seen real acting until this film. As Martha, she’s a tumultuous, nasty, broiling tiger snake itching to spew venom on her “flop” Associate Professor of a husband, George. The film was adapted from the play by Edward Albee and marked the debut of director Mike Nichols (a brilliant director – his next film would be The Graduate, and he’s still going with such individualistic pieces such as the 2002 HBO miniseries Angels in America, and 2004′s Closer).

While the play takes place entirely within the confines of Martha and George’s house, the film does take a couple of steps outside; to a roadhouse (staffed by the film’s Gaffer and his wife), the inside of a car, and Martha and George’s yard. It’s always an interesting question when adapting theatre; do you deviate for the film medium? I’m not entirely sure that the excursion to the roadhouse necessarily adds anything in particular, it’s still a very claustrophobic film. It’s really the script and acting that keep this picture moving swiftly.

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film Dial M for Murder is another example of a film that works perfectly in its native stage setting.

There is a plethora of scenes that could be called “the scene” of this film, it’s impossible to pick just one as the best. But I’m going to try anyway. This moment has Taylor’s Martha seemingly inching towards the edge (one of many occasions) as she expresses her disgust and disappointment in her “flop” of a husband. Watch the film. If you already have, watch it again. You will surely find another scene that you love even more than this one.