The Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton Film Collection

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Lino
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#1 Post by Lino » Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:07 am

According to the recently released news, there will be a set containing movies in which Taylor and Burton worked together. Some further news:
According to Variety, a 2 disc special edition of WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF will be the centerpiece for the Taylor/Burton collection
Other possible titles include "The Comedians" "The VIPS" and "The Sandpiper", all owned by Warner.

Now, if only Universal would move their asses and release Boom! already - maybe they will take a hint from Warners. Fingers crossed.

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Matt
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#2 Post by Matt » Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:47 pm

The current edition of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has just gone out of print.

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porquenegar
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#3 Post by porquenegar » Thu Jun 22, 2006 9:40 pm

Saw the VIPs recently and hated it but I would snap up Who's Afraid... in a second.

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#4 Post by jackson_browne » Mon Jun 26, 2006 4:28 pm

Will these films be available individually as well as in the box set? I'm not sure what the current trend is on Warner's other box sets. The reason is that I am very interested in picking up Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe, but don't care as much about the other films in the set. I was wondering whether to buy it now before stores stop carrying it or to wait and buy it when the rerelease comes out.

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Lino
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#5 Post by Lino » Mon Jun 26, 2006 4:47 pm

Your best bet is to wait and see what Warner plans to do with this collection of films. I personally can't imagine seeing them not giving buyers the chance to buy each film individually (so far, very few set of titles are only available as boxsets, like The Thin Man Collection or The Busby Berkeley one).

Besides, I'm pretty sure the new edition of Virginia Woolf will be miles better than the present one.

viciousliar
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#6 Post by viciousliar » Mon Jun 26, 2006 5:09 pm

Myra Breckinridge wrote: Besides, I'm pretty sure the new edition of Virginia Woolf will be miles better than the present one.
Well, that would seem fairly obvious, since the film won an Oscar for best B&W photography(in the last year the Academy had split categories for B&W and color films). And the new version would be anamorphic - the source elements are pristine - since it's just 40 years old, and the debut release belonged to the very first batch of DVDs that WB issued, in 1997, and it looked impressive for its time, by all standards. This was bound to be the centerpiece of a potential collection(Taylor is dying, too - if WB is lucky, time might be on their side when they launch this collection, cashing in on a mass hysteria approximating the one that followed the death of Princess Diana - another of the top runners in the gay icon category, of course. So, sure as hell - WB will pull out all the stops for a new, sparkling transfer. :D

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Lino
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#7 Post by Lino » Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:40 am

From USAToday.com:

DVD
A Burton-Taylor set in time for Christmas

One of filmdom's most famous couples is being honored with a DVD gift set due Dec. 5.

The highlight of The Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton Film Collection ($50) is a lavish two-disc special edition of 1966's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a taboo-toppling film about a bitter, boozed-up couple that won five Oscars. The disc, also available separately for $27, includes commentary by directors Mike Nichols and Steven Soderbergh and three new featurettes.

Also included in the set: The Sandpiper, The V.I.P.s and The Comedians, none of which have been available on DVD.

"Compared to the tabloid duos of today, there was no more captivating couple than Liz and Dick, " says Warner Bros.' George Feltenstein. "They were the superstars of their day, with explosive chemistry."

— Thomas K. Arnold

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Matt
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#8 Post by Matt » Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:30 am

"Compared to the tabloid duos of today, there was no more captivating couple than Liz and Dick, " says Warner Bros.' George Feltenstein. "They were the superstars of their day, with explosive chemistry."
If only they could call it "The Liz and Dick Collection" and have a picture on the box cover of them wearing cardigan sweaters and sipping tea, smiling at the camera.

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Lino
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#9 Post by Lino » Mon Aug 21, 2006 6:06 pm

More info here.

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skuhn8
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#10 Post by skuhn8 » Tue Aug 22, 2006 1:51 pm

2-disc woolf is a godsend, VIPs is pretty interesting and I've always had a love for Sandpipers far far beyond it's more apparent merits...though I suspect part of it is the familiar locale. I just love that movie the way that Night of the Iguana grabs me by the testes and takes me for a wild ride.

What's the word on Comedians? Does this rank high with forum members?

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tryavna
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#11 Post by tryavna » Tue Aug 22, 2006 2:42 pm

skuhn8 wrote:What's the word on Comedians? Does this rank high with forum members?
I have a soft spot for The Comedians, for some reason. It has a fantastic cast: Burton, Taylor, Lilian Gish, Alec Guinness, Peter Ustinov, James Earl Jones, etc. And it stays fairly true to the plot and tone of the novel. In fact, it captures the mood of tired resignation that characterizes so many of Graham Greene's later novels better than most adaptations of his work, and I suppose that's to the credit of Peter Glenville, who was a talented director but made only a handful of films.

Unfortunately, there are some serious problems with the film, too. I find that Taylor is simply miscast and isn't too convincing with her accent. And the film also goes on too long. It's certainly worth seeing, but it's probably going to leave you with mixed feelings about its successfulness.

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#12 Post by Gigi M. » Thu Aug 24, 2006 8:52 am


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Jeff
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#13 Post by Jeff » Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:00 pm

Gordon wrote:The new 2-disc of Virginia Woolf is absolutely superb. This is the first time that I have seen the film on video, so I'm not sure if it is a new transfer, but frankly, it looks stunning. Kodak had just brought out a new faster black ans white negative stock (Eastman 4-X, I believe) and thus it allowed Haskell Wexler to shoot those wonderful low contrast, richly black scenes by the swing, the likes of which had never been seen before and caused much fretting. Wexler's commentary from the previous release is retained and it's fascinating and he doesn't just concentrate on the tech side, but all aspects of the film. The new featurettes are pretty good, too, with the ever-present Schickel stating the obvious as usual, though. Sandy Dennis' screen test - shot in 2.35:1 it seems - is amazingly powerful, what a great actress; she's often overlooked in favour of Dick and Liz in this film, but her work is as impressive and brave as Taylor's. Nichol's and Soderbergh join forces again for a lively, insightful and entertaining commentary. Soderbergh mentions that they have recorded two tracks before, but I only know if their track for Catch-22, so what's the other? Could they perhaps have recorded one for the 40th Anniversary SE of The Graduate?

The 1976 documentary on Taylor is sycophantic, but Peter Lawford sleazing it with Rock Hudson, but Richard Brooks comes across as a forthright dude. He must have been preparing, Looking for Mr Goodbar at the time as he complains about the lack of positive roles for women at the time, with only "loser" roles having power and Diane Keaton's Theresa Dunn would certainly fit that bill. I badly want to see that film - why haven't Paramount gotten around to it?

This new edition is definitely worth an upgrade. It's a powerful, hilarious and tragic film and unlike most 'controversial groundbreakers', it still seems dangerous and powerful, with masterful acting, cinematography end editing - what a debut! The Citizen Kane of the 60s, which opened up a new dimension in American Cinema. Apparently. Wink

I'm off the hump the hostess...

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Lino
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#14 Post by Lino » Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:24 pm


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Gordon
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#15 Post by Gordon » Wed Dec 06, 2006 5:17 pm

I created a seperate thread for Virginia Woolf, as it is a genuine classic, whereas the rest of the films in the set are camp fun at best. Now my text looks clumsy, lacking italics and winking smiley. Meddling fools! :wink:

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Lino
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#16 Post by Lino » Sat Dec 09, 2006 1:43 pm

Image

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skuhn8
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#17 Post by skuhn8 » Sat Dec 09, 2006 2:15 pm

Except for Woolf not a lot of love put into this package spec. features-wise but top of my priorities nonetheless. With winter coming on here can't wait to watch sandpipers with the beautiful Big Sur seascape.

I'm really surprised there are no other commentaries other than Woolf, for instance on VIPs which is a pretty curious production a la Yellow Rolls Royce, with doubtless many interesting background tidbits...would help boost the interest in this title as all in all I think it's quite a bore.

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Lino
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#18 Post by Lino » Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:00 am


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hearthesilence
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Re: The Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton Film Collection

#19 Post by hearthesilence » Sun May 02, 2021 8:36 pm

I also saw Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? again for the first time in years, and I was surprised to find that I didn't like the film very much. Taylor's performance feels too self-conscious, and there's something about it that doesn't sit naturally or organically with the rest of the production, whereas Segal and especially Burton feel wholly natural in their parts. (Dennis's performance feels too mannered, but I think her choices make some sense even if I wasn't completely sold on them.) And Nichols's filmmaking can be a bit clumsy - it can feel like the type of work expected by someone new to filmmaking, with choices that feel too ham-fisted even if you can understand the motivation behind them. The Graduate feels like an improvement in this regard - he's still unafraid to experiment, but the cuts and shots do elevate things rather than getting in the way. (There is one shot that he seems to favor a lot, and it rarely works for me - it's when the camera moves in or zooms in very quick. In The Graduate, it famously works in the climax, but it feels ham-fisted elsewhere like when he does it here with a reaction shot on Dennis, and IIRC when he reveals the fate of Kathy Bates's character in Primary Colors.) Being more familiar with the play may have allowed these observations to rise to the surface - the film was originally the first time I ever saw this work in any form, so everything great about it was new to me and took up most of my attention.

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Re: The Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton Film Collection

#20 Post by therewillbeblus » Sun May 02, 2021 9:22 pm

hearthesilence wrote:
Sun May 02, 2021 8:36 pm
Taylor's performance feels too self-conscious, and there's something about it that doesn't sit naturally or organically with the rest of the production, whereas Segal and especially Burton feel wholly natural in their parts. (Dennis's performance feels too mannered, but I think her choices make some sense even if I wasn't completely sold on them.)
I think Taylor’s perf works because, although both she and Burton take their turns playing up the theatrics of their routine, he’s grown tired of it while she’s fighting tooth and nail to keep it alive. Burton appears more relaxed in his part, and “natural” or authentically human, because he is showing more of those relatable expressions of humanity in characteristics we identify with: exhaustion, apathy, anger, condescension. Taylor exhibits these too but is so desperate to hold onto self-delusion that she’s in full-ham mode, even when expressing authentic emotions. They’re almost always hidden behind another sheet of glass, while Burton has shed the majority of that armor already, demonstrating a surrendering soft demeanor that we can access.

So I think I what you mean, but I also think it’s intentional and fitting for the character, who is so incapable of facing ‘reality’ that she’s incessantly inorganic within her social environment. And yet she’s also permanently self-conscious, trapped in a state that is self-alienating, and just aware enough to remain in psychological purgatory destined to be inhibited from that elusive comfort of fully embracing the lie. She’s the most depressing character in the film, which is no coincidence that she’s the toughest one to access. At least Burton is coming to terms with his depression, can take a step back and make their Sisyphean wasteful existence tangible. Taylor can’t, so we can’t make her psychology tangible either- and over the course of the film we paradoxically align with her over this absence of knowledge. Nobody ‘knows’ her, not even herself. Ugh.

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