As a new BBC4 drama examines the turbulent relationship between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, we take a look at how it played out in the pages of the Guardian and Observer
Though Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were once one of Hollywood's hottest couples, their relationship was controversial from the start. When they met on the set of Cleopatra in 1962, they were both married to other people, and their 'immoral' behaviour so incensed the film's producers, Twentieth Century Fox, that the company sued the couple for $50m, while the Us State Department considered revoking Burton's work visa. Cleopatra opened to poor reviews, although Alistair Cooke blamed that on snobbery.
Despite all the drama, their wedding in March 1964 barely warranted a mention on the Guardian's front page. Theirs was a tempestuous marriage. In an article for the Observer Review in 1971, Burton summed up their bond, writing: "I love Elizabeth to the point of idolatry.
Though Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were once one of Hollywood's hottest couples, their relationship was controversial from the start. When they met on the set of Cleopatra in 1962, they were both married to other people, and their 'immoral' behaviour so incensed the film's producers, Twentieth Century Fox, that the company sued the couple for $50m, while the Us State Department considered revoking Burton's work visa. Cleopatra opened to poor reviews, although Alistair Cooke blamed that on snobbery.
Despite all the drama, their wedding in March 1964 barely warranted a mention on the Guardian's front page. Theirs was a tempestuous marriage. In an article for the Observer Review in 1971, Burton summed up their bond, writing: "I love Elizabeth to the point of idolatry.
- 7/23/2013
- by Katy Stoddard
- The Guardian - Film News
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