Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles star in “Jane Eyre”: The Ultimate Gothic Romance

Jane Eyre (1943) is a gothic romance directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine. Based on the classic novel by Charlotte Bronte, the screenplay was written by John Houseman, Aldous Huxley, and Robert Stevenson. Bernard Herrmann wrote the film score.

The plot concerns Jane Eyre, an orphan educated at Lowood, a charity institution for young girls run with brutal discipline by Mr. Brocklehurst. When Jane reaches adulthood, she advertises for a job as a governess. Edward Rochester hires her through his housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax, who at first, Jane believes to be the mistress of the house. Jane enjoys her job as governess to Adele, Mr. Rochester’s ward. Despite Mr. Rochester’s sometimes-surly behavior, Jane finds herself drawn to him. As their relationship becomes love, a secret from Rochester’s past threatens to doom them both.

Jane Eyre was filmed entirely on the sound stages at 20th Century-Fox.

Robert Stevenson (1905 – 1986) was an English film director, screenwriter, and actor. Producer David O. Selznick brought him to Hollywood where he loaned out his services as a director to other studios. In Hollywood, Stevenson directed Tom Brown’s School Days (1940), Back Street (1941) starring Charles Boyer and Margaret Sullavan, Joan of Paris (1942) starring Michele Morgan, and Dishonored Lady starring Hedy Lamarr (1947). Stevenson also directed many episodes of top television series including Gunsmoke, Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Stevenson really hit his stride when he began working for the Walt Disney Studios. At Disney, he directed Johnny Tremain (1957), Old Yeller (1957), Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959), Kidnapped (1960), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), In Search of the Castaways (1962), The Love Bug (1968), and two of my favorites, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964) and The Monkey’s Uncle (1965). None of the above Disney classics could compare, however, to the huge success of Mary Poppins (1964) which went on to win five Oscars. Stevenson directed Hayley Mills in That Darn Cat! (1965), her last movie under contract with Disney. In 1977, Variety reported that Stevenson was “the most commercially successful director in the history of films. Stevenson became an American citizen during World War II and was in the U.S. Army Signal Corps with director Frank Capra.

Orson Welles (1915- 1985) was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, with Citizen Kane (1941) considered by many to be the greatest film of all time. Welles got his start on the stage. He formed the Mercury Theatre with John Houseman in 1937. Many of the actors from his repertory theatre starred in his first two films. Welles had a reputation for being difficult and undisciplined which contributed to his low output of films. In spite of all that, his reputation as a Hollywood genius remains untarnished.

Joan Fontaine (1917 – 2013) was a British-American actress who starred in more than 45 films during Hollywood’s “Golden Age.” After secondary roles in Gunga Din (1939) and The Women (1939), her fortunes turned with her starring role in Alfred Hitchcock’s first American film, Rebecca (1940). She was nominated for Best Actress for her role in that film but lost to Ginger Rogers. The next year, she worked with Hitchcock again in Suspicion and this time won the Best Actress Oscar, beating out her older sister Olivia de Havilland. She received a third and final nomination for The Constant Nymph (1943). Other popular Fontaine films include This Above All (1942), From This Day Forward (1946), Ivy (1947), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), The Emperor Waltz (1948), and Ivanhoe (1952). After the late-1950s, she appeared less in films and more on stage and television. Fontaine and her sister are the only siblings to have won major acting Academy Awards.

Helen (Elizabeth Taylor) has her hair cut by Mr. Brocklehurst much to
Jane’s (Peggy Ann Garner ) dismay.

Others in the cast include Margaret O’Brien as Adele, Peggy Ann Garner as the young Jane, Agnes Moorehead as Mrs. Reed, John Sutton as Dr. Rivers, Henry Daniell as Mr. Brocklehurst, Edith Barrett as Mrs. Fairfax, and Sara Allgood as Bessie. An eleven-year-old Elizabeth Taylor plays Jane’s childhood friend at Lowood. So unknown was Taylor at this time that she didn’t receive on-screen billing. Both Taylor and Margaret O’Brien were loaned from their home studio, M-G-M to Fox for their work in Jane Eyre.

Jane Eyre trivia:

• Director Robert Stevenson was a member of the Bronte Society.
• Composer Bernard Herrmann would go onto writing an operatic version of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.
• Character actress Ethel Griffies (Grace Poole) played the same character in the 1934 film version.
• Olivia de Havilland portrayed Charlotte Bronte (author of Jane Eyre) in Devotion (1946).

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

Click HERE to join us on Zoom for a discussion of the film on August  5, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and link to the Zoom meeting.

Questions for discussion:

1. Why do you think there have been literally dozens of film and television adaptations of Charlotte Bronte’s novel?
2. Have you seen other film adaptations of Jane Eyre? How do they compare and contrast to the 1943 version?
3. Were Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles well cast as Jane and Mr. Rochester?
4. Did anything about the film or its production surprise you?
5. Did you have a favorite character actor in the film?

Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles star in “Jane Eyre”

Jane Eyre (1943) is a gothic romance directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine. Based on the classic novel by Charlotte Bronte, the screenplay was written by John Houseman, Aldous Huxley, and Robert Stevenson. Bernard Herrmann wrote the film score.

The plot concerns Jane Eyre, an orphan educated at Lowood, a charity institution for young girls run with brutal discipline by Mr. Brocklehurst. When Jane reaches adulthood, she advertises for a job as a governess. Edward Rochester hires her through his housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax, who at first, Jane believes to be the mistress of the house. Jane enjoys her job as governess to Adele, Mr. Rochester’s ward. In spite of Mr. Rochester’s sometimes-surly behavior, Jane finds herself drawn to him. As their relationship eventually grows into love, a secret from Rochester’s past threatens to doom them both.

Jane Eyre was filmed entirely on the sound stages at 20th Century-Fox.

Robert Stevenson (1905 – 1986) was an English film director, screenwriter, and actor. Producer David O. Selznick brought him to Hollywood where he loaned out his services as a director to other studios. In Hollywood, Stevenson directed Tom Brown’s School Days (1940), Back Street (1941) starring Charles Boyer and Margaret Sullavan, Joan of Paris (1942) starring Michele Morgan, and Dishonored Lady starring Hedy Lamarr (1947). Stevenson also directed many episodes of top television series including Gunsmoke, Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Stevenson really hit his stride when he began working for the Walt Disney Studios. At Disney, he directed Johnny Tremain (1957), Old Yeller (1957), Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959), Kidnapped (1960), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), In Search of the Castaways (1962), The Love Bug (1968), and two of my favorites, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964) and The Monkey’s Uncle (1965). None of the above Disney classics could compare, however, to the huge success of Mary Poppins (1964) which went on to win five Oscars. Stevenson directed Hayley Mills in That Darn Cat! (1965), her last movie under contract with Disney. In 1977, Variety reported that Stevenson was “the most commercially successful director in the history of films. Stevenson became an American citizen during World War II and was in the U.S. Army Signal Corps with director Frank Capra.

Orson Welles (1915- 1985) was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, with Citizen Kane (1941) considered by many to be the greatest film of all time. Welles got his start on the stage. He formed the Mercury Theatre with John Houseman in 1937. Many of the actors from his repertory theatre starred in his first two films. Welles had a reputation for being difficult and undisciplined which contributed to his low output of films. In spite of all that, his reputation as a Hollywood genius remains untarnished.

Joan Fontaine (1917 – 2013) was a British-American actress who starred in more than 45 films during Hollywood’s “Golden Age.” After secondary roles in Gunga Din (1939) and The Women (1939), her fortunes turned with her starring role in Alfred Hitchcock’s first American film, Rebecca (1940). She was nominated for Best Actress for her role in that film but lost to Ginger Rogers. The next year, she worked with Hitchcock again in Suspicion and this time won the Best Actress Oscar, beating out her older sister Olivia de Havilland. She received a third and final nomination for The Constant Nymph (1943). Other popular Fontaine films include This Above All (1942), From This Day Forward (1946), Ivy (1947), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), The Emperor Waltz (1948), and Ivanhoe (1952). After the late-1950s, she appeared less in films and more on stage and television. Fontaine and her sister are the only siblings to have won major acting Academy Awards.

Helen (Elizabeth Taylor) has her hair cut by Mr. Brocklehurst much to
Jane’s (Peggy Ann Garner ) dismay.

Others in the cast include Margaret O’Brien as Adele, Peggy Ann Garner as the young Jane, Agnes Moorehead as Mrs. Reed, John Sutton as Dr. Rivers, Henry Daniell as Mr. Brocklehurst, Edith Barrett as Mrs. Fairfax, and Sara Allgood as Bessie. An eleven-year-old Elizabeth Taylor plays Jane’s childhood friend at Lowood. So unknown was Taylor at this time that she didn’t receive on-screen billing. Both Taylor and Margaret O’Brien were loaned from their home studio, M-G-M to Fox for their work in Jane Eyre.

Jane Eyre trivia:

• Director Robert Stevenson was a member of the Bronte Society.
• Composer Bernard Herrmann would go onto writing an operatic version of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.
• Character actress Ethel Griffies (Grace Poole) played the same character in the 1934 film version.
• Olivia de Havilland portrayed Charlotte Bronte (author of Jane Eyre) in Devotion (1946).

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

To join us on Zoom for a discussion of the film on January 12, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and link to the Zoom meeting.

Questions for discussion:

1. Why do you think there have been literally dozens of film and television adaptations of Charlotte Bronte’s novel?
2. Have you seen other film adaptations of Jane Eyre? How do they compare and contrast to the 1943 version?
3. Were Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles well cast as Jane and Mr. Rochester?
4. Did anything about the film or its production surprise you?
5. Did you have a favorite character actor in the film?

“The Reckless Moment”—an overlooked film noir gem

Max Ophuls, a renowned German director who only made four films in the United States, directed The Reckless Moment (1949). It starred Joan Bennett and James Mason. It was only Mason’s third American film.

The plot involves Lucia Harper (Bennett), who is trying to keep Ted Darby (Shepperd Strudwick), a low-life criminal, from seeing her teenage daughter, Bea (Geraldine Brooks). He tells Lucia that he’s willing to stop seeing Bea for a price. Lucia is confident that when she tells her daughter Darby’s true feelings, the relationship will come to an end. This is film noir, so no situation gets resolved that easily. Without giving anything away, let’s just say things go horribly wrong, exposing Lucia’s daughter and family to some pretty despicable characters.

Joan Bennett in a pivotal scene from The Reckless Moment

The Backstory
Director Ophuls (1931-1957) was born in Germany, where his film career began. After it was clear the Nazis would take power in Germany, Ophuls, a jew, moved to France in 1933, where he became a French citizen in 1938. After the fall of France, he traveled through Switzerland and Italy, eventually ending up in the United States. In Hollywood, Ophuls directed Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in The Exile (1947), Joan Fontaine and Louis Jordan in Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), and Caught starring James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Robert Ryan. The Reckless Moment would be his last Hollywood film before he returned to France, where he directed major successes La Ronde (1950) and The Earrings of Madame de…(1953), starring Charles Boyer and Danielle Darrieux.

Joan Bennett (1910–1990) began her film career during the early sound era. A natural blonde, Bennett dyed her hair as a plot device in the film Trade Winds (1938). As a brunette, Bennett projected a sultry persona that had her compared to brunette beauty Hedy Lamarr. During this period, she starred in two costume epics. She played Princess Maria Theresa in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) and Grand Duchess Zona of Lichtenburg in The Son of Monte Cristo (1940).

Joan Bennett in a still from one of her screen tests for Gone with the Wind. This is the famous paddock scene.

Almost Scarlett O’Hara
Bennett was one of two finalists for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), along with Paulette Goddard, who appeared to be the front-runner. There was concern that Goddard’s marriage to Charley Chaplin wasn’t legal, which made Bennett’s prospects to play Scarlett almost certain until Vivian Leigh showed up to watch the filming of the burning of Atlanta scenes on the Selznick backlot. Despite that disappointment, Bennett had a distinguished film career. She worked with many of the top directors of the period, including George Cukor, Mitchell Leisen, Tay Garnett, Henry Hathaway, and Vincente Minnelli. She had a very successful collaboration with the director Fritz Lang. With Lang, she starred in the classics Man Hunt (1940), The Woman in the Window (1944), and Scarlet Street (1945). She worked with the French director Jean Renoir in The Woman on the Beach and with director Zoltan Korda in The Macomber Affair (both 1947), co-starring Gregory Peck. In 1950, she became the perfect wife and mother in Father of the Bride (1950) and its sequel, Father’s Little Dividend (1951), both directed by Minnelli. A scandal after the release of Dividend pretty much ended Bennett’s film career. She continued to act on stage and on television, where she became a pop culture icon playing Elizabeth Collins Stoddard on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows (1966-1971).

James Mason (1909-1984) was an English actor who was a popular film star in Great Britain before he came to Hollywood. Mason was a top box office star in the UK with hits like The Seventh Veil, The Wicked Lady (both 1945), and Odd Man Out (1947).

Barbara Stanwyck and James Mason in East Side, West Side (1949)

Hollywood Calling
Mason went to Hollywood to make Caught (1949), directed by Ophuls. He made three other films in 1949: Madame Bovary, East Side, West Side, and The Reckless Moment. In 1951, he entered into an agreement with 20th Century Fox, where they signed a seven-year contract. At Fox, he starred as General Rommel in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) directed by Henry Hathaway. It was a commercial and financial success. He reprised the role in The Desert Rats (1953), co-starring a young Richard Burton, with direction by Robert Wise. In 1954, he played the evil Sir Brack in Prince Valiant and Captain Nemo in Disney’s 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea. That same year, he starred in the role he is probably most identified with, Norman Maine in A Star Is Born, co-starring Judy Garland. For his performance in that film, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He continued to act through the fifties and sixties in a variety of films, including North by Northwest, Journey to the Center of the Earth (both 1959), The Marriage-Go-Round (1961), Lolita (1962), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Georgy Girl (1966), and Mayerling (1968). During the 1970s and 1980s, Mason continued to act in film and on television. In 1982, Mason was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in The Verdict, starring Paul Newman.

Joan Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor Trivia
Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor share the same birthday: February 27.
Bennett played Amy March in Little Women 1933.
Taylor played Amy in Little Women 1949.
Both Bennett and Taylor were grandmothers at 39.
Both Bennett and Taylor gave birth to one of their children on their birthdays.
Bennett and Taylor played mother and daughter, respectively, in Father of the Bride and Father’s Little Dividend.

You can read more about Joan Bennett by clicking here.

Classic Movie Man’s Top Posts of 2011

The Year in Review
As 2011 comes to a close, I thought it would be fun to revisit the top-ten posts of the year. We lost some classic movie legends, including Elizabeth Taylor and Farley Granger. This year, Classic Movie Man taught another film class at Facets Film School: Elegant and Madcap: The Incredible Versatility of Irene Dunne. It was great fun introducing this remarkable actress and movie star to folks who were not familiar with her body of work.

Below are the top-ten Classic Movie Man posts for 2011. Are any of your favorites on this list?

Number 10—Classic Movie Man’s Guilty Pleasure: “Devotion” This fictionalization of the lives of the Brontë sisters was short on the facts (according to critics of the day), but is great melodrama with Ida Lupino as Emily and Olivia de Haviland as Charlotte. Paul Henried, Nancy Coleman, and Arthur Kennedy round out the talented cast. The film score by Erich Wolfgand Korngold is lush and beautiful, as is the movie’s overall production.

Number 9—Jeanne Crain: More Than Just a Pretty Face. A personal favorite of mine, Crain was one of the most popular movie stars during the late-1940s to early-1950s. So popular was Crain that when she passed away in 2003, Turner Classic Movies’ Robert Osborn called her “the Julia Roberts of the day.” She appeared in some great films, including A Letter to Three Wives, Apartment for Peggy, and Pinky, the latter earning Crain her only Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Fred MacMurray

Number 8—Farley Granger, star of Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train.” Granger was a product of the Hollywood dream factory. Plucked from obscurity and signed to a movie contract by Samuel Goldwyn, he was featured in some popular films during the mid-1940s like The Purple Heart and The North Star. While under contract to Goldwyn, Granger’s best roles were a result of being loaned out to other studios. Two of his most famous films, Rope and Strangers on a Train both directed by Alfred Hitchcock, were made on loan to Warner Bros.

Number 7—Fred MacMurray: Nice-Guy Movie Star. Mostly remembered today for his iconic TV role as Steven Douglas in My Three Sons, MacMurray had a substantial movie career. In fact, MacMurray was the highest paid movie star in the world in 1943.

Number 6—Ida Lupino: A Lasting Legacy in Hollywood. Lupino not only was a great movie star, but she was a writer, director, and producer of independent films in the late-1940s and 50s. She was one of the only women directors working in Hollywood, directing classic TV episodes of The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Untouchables. In 1966, Lupino finally got a big budget production to direct: The classic comedy The Trouble With Angels starring Rosalind Russell and Halley Mills.

Number 5—Classic Movie Man’s Guilty Pleasure: “Elephant Walk.” This action-adventure melodrama starred a very young Elizabeth Taylor, Dana Andrews, and Peter Finch. Released in 1954, the main action takes place on a Ceylon tea plantation run by Finch. Feeling neglected, Taylor turns to overseer Andrews. Some great color cinematography and those stampeding elephants make this a fun movie to watch.

A lovely studio portrait of the very lovely Joan Bennett

Number 4—“Jane Eyre”: A Golden Age Classic. One of my favorite classic films, I thought a review was in order when a new version by director Cary Fukunaga released this past spring. Featuring beatuiful black and white cinematography and a wonderful performance from Joan Fontaine as Jane. Orson Welles is a little over-the-top as Rochester, but it doesn’t take anything away from the overall production. It also features a young unbilled Elizabeth Taylor as Jane’s doomed childhood friend Helen.

Number 3—Joan Bennett: Almost Scarlet O’Hara, But Always a Star. Bennett almost snagged the role of Scarlet O’Hara, but she got over that disappointment fairly quickly. She starred in musicals, comedies, and dramas, becoming one of the screen’s great femme fatales. Bennett gave terrific performances in three films directed by Fritz Lang: Man Hunt, Scarlet Street, and The Woman in the Window. After her movie glory days were over, she became a pop-culture icon as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard in daytime TV’s Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. She was also one of the few actresses who could realistically play mother to Elizabeth Taylor (she physically looked as beautiful). She did this twice in Father of the Bride and Father’s Little Dividend.

Elizabeth Taylor

Number 2—This Island Earth: 1950s Science Fiction Classic. One of the best flying saucer flicks, the film benefits from a decent script, great special effects, and more than competent performances by the three lead performers: Rex Reason, Faith Domergue, and Jeff Morrow.

Number 1—Elizabeth Taylor: Born To Be a Star. With Taylor’s passing, an era passed with her. One of the last great movie stars to come out of the studio system, she epitomized Hollywood style and glamour. Her beautiful looks notwithstanding, Taylor gave some memorable screen performances and won two Best Actress Academy Awards during her long career. As famous for her well-publicized off-screen life, she was the quintessential movie star.

Thanks for reading the Classic Movie Man blog in 2011. I hope you’ll continue to read and follow this blog into 2012 and beyond!

Elizabeth Taylor: Born To Be a Star

Storybook Childhood

Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) was born to be a star. Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born to American parents in Hampstead Garden Suburb, just northwest of London, England. Her early life was idyllic. On the family’s farm, Taylor developed a love for animals, especially horses. Taylor’s father was a successful art dealer and had planned to remain in England, but when war clouds appeared over Europe in the late 1930s, the Taylors decided to move back to the United States, eventually settling in California.

Elizabeth Taylor had a genetic mutation that gave her a double set of eyelashes.

Hollywood Calling
It didn’t take long for little Elizabeth to get noticed by Hollywood. Taylor signed a contract with Universal Studios and made her movie debut at nine years old alongside Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer in There’s One Born Every Minute (1942). Taylor was a natural on screen, but Universal decided not to renew her contract. However, it didn’t take long for M-G-M to sign her up just one year later.

Taylor with Lassie; Lassie made more money than her human costar.

Child Star
M-G-M cast Taylor opposite another child star under contract, Roddy McDowall, in Lassie Come Home (1943). The film was enough of a box office success for the studio to groom Taylor for movie stardom. Next, M-G-M loaned her out to Twentieth Century Fox to play the doomed Helen in the 1943 production of Jane Eyre. She was unbilled in the Gothic classic, but she didn’t go unnoticed.

Mickey Rooney, Taylor, and Anne Revere in National Velvet

National Velvet brings International Fame
Taylor’s career moved into high gear after she fought to secure the role of Velvet Brown in National Velvet. Like the title character, she loved horses and she could ride. National Velvet opened at Radio City Hall on December 14, 1944. The Clarence Brown production was a showcase for Taylor. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times had this to say: “Mr. Brown has also drawn some excellent performances from his cast, especially from little Elizabeth Taylor, who plays the role of the horse-loving girl. Her face is alive with youthful spirit, her voice has the softness of sweet song and her whole manner in this picture is one of refreshing grace.” And like Crowther,  America fell in love with the beautiful young actress.

From Girl to Woman
Moving from child to adult roles seemed to be effortless for Taylor. Although many of her early “adult” roles were in forgettable films, the public couldn’t get enough of Taylor and M-G-M capitalized on her growing popularity. Taylor starred in two pictures meant to make her a major adult star, Conspirator (1949) costarring Robert Taylor (no relation) and The Big Hangover (1950) opposite Van Johnson. Both films were not well received and flopped at the box office. Her next film, Father of the Bride (1950) would prove to be a breakthrough. Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett played Taylor’s parents who are overwhelmed with the wedding plans of their only daughter. As the soon-to-be-married Kay Banks, Taylor was radiant. The movie was a huge hit, big enough to warrant a sequel the following year, Father’s Little Dividend (1951).

Hollywood Wedding
In real life, Taylor, still a teenager, married hotel heir Nicky Hilton in 1950, in a wedding to rival anything Hollywood had seen before or since. But the marriage would barely last a year, with allegations that Hilton was abusive and a womanizer. Although her personal life was far from perfect, superstardom for Taylor was on the horizon.

George Stevens used extreme closeups of both Taylor and Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun.

A Place in Movie History
On loan to Paramount, Taylor played Angela Vickers in the George Stevens production of A Place in the Sun (1951). The movie costarred Montgomery Clift and Shelley Winters. Many thought Taylor would be out of her league amongst such acting talent. But when Taylor showed up on screen wearing a form-fitting Edith Head gown to watch Clift’s character, George Eastman, shoot pool, she became a movie icon. The gown she wore in the film was copied and worn by countless young girls at senior proms across the country. Taylor’s beauty, never questioned, was now coupled with a dramatic acting technique that surprised the critics. A.H Weller in his review of the film for The New York Times said, “Elizabeth Taylor's delineation of the rich and beauteous Angela also is the top effort of her career. It is a shaded, tender performance and one in which her passionate and genuine romance avoids the bathos common to young love as it sometimes comes to the screen.” In spite of the film’s success, Taylor’s home studio continued to put her in films that were merely showcases for her beauty.

Taylor in the Edith Head designed dress that every girl had to have for her senior prom from A Place in the Sun

A "Giant" Role
In 1952, Taylor married for the second time to British actor, Michael Wilding. From 1952 to 1954, Taylor starred in seven movies and gave birth to two children. In 1955, director George Stevens would come calling once again and cast Taylor in one of her best film roles: Leslie Benedict in Giant (1956).

Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean in Giant

"A Woman of Spirit and Sensitivity"
On loan to Warner Bros., Taylor was top-billed over Rock Hudson and James Dean, two of Hollywood’s most popular leading men at the time. The epic production required Taylor to age from a young woman to a middle-aged grandmother. Once again, the critics acknowledged her acting ability and once again, The New York Times critic Bosley Crowther took notice. Crowther said, “Elizabeth Taylor as the ranchman’s lovely wife, from whose point of observation we actually view what goes on, makes a woman of spirit and sensitivity who acquires tolerance and grows old gracefully.”

Civil War Epic
After the success of Giant, M-G-M cast Taylor as Susana Drake in the Civil War epic, Raintree County (1957). Paired once again with Montgomery Clift, the studio pulled out all the stops thinking they had another  Gone with the Wind on their hands. Academy Award winner Eva Marie Saint rounded out the all-star cast. Taylor’s performance would earn her the first of five Best Actress nominations, but the film failed to connect with moviegoers and was a box office failure. In spite of this, the public was fascinated by the raven-haired beauty.

Tragedy and Triumph
Taylor’s personal life continued to fascinate the public. In 1957, she divorced Michael Wilding and married producer Mike Todd. The only one of her eight marriages that did not end in divorce, Todd was killed in a plane crash while Taylor was filming Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). In spite of her grief (there were suicide watches on the set), she pulled herself together and received another Best Actress nomination for her role as Maggie “the Cat” Pollitt. She didn’t win the award, but the movie was a critical and box office success.

More Successes
Her next film role was in Suddenly Last Summer (1959), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, with Taylor on loan out to Columbia. Some critics thought the movie confusing, but it was another hit for Taylor and she received her third consecutive Best Actress nomination. Soon, Taylor’s personal life was about to take a turn that no one could have expected.

Taylor at her most alluring in Suddenly Last Summer

Scandal!
After Todd’s death, his best friend, singer Eddie Fisher, consoled Taylor. Soon afterward an affair developed that created a scandal of international proportions. Fisher was married to Taylor's fellow M-G-M player, Debbie Reynolds. Reynolds and Fisher had two small children at the time, Carrie and Todd. Fisher left Reynolds to marry Taylor in 1959, which did little to quell the tabloids and the public’s outrage. Mobs picketed Fisher’s concerts and Taylor’s films. At the time of the affair, Fisher was one of the country’s most popular male vocalists. He and Reynolds were America’s sweethearts and popular subjects in fan magazines. Although the scandal was distressing for Taylor, who was labeled a “home wrecker” by the press, it all but killed Fisher’s career.

Oscar Winner
Hoping to capitalize on the scandal, M-G-M cast Taylor as Gloria Wandrous, a high-class prostitute, in BUtterfield 8 (1960). Taylor hated the part and only after the studio agreed to cast Fisher in a supporting role did she agree to star in it. In spite of Taylor’s disdain for the film, it was a critical and popular success. Even the high-minded Crowther from The New York Times admitted “Miss Taylor lends a certain fascination to the film.” The film fulfilled her contract with M-G-M. With her contract obligations complete, Taylor took some time off from the movies. For Taylor’s performance (one she supposedly despised) she won her first Academy Award for Best Actress of 1961.

Taylor in Cleopatra

Queen of the Nile
In 1960, Twentieth Century Fox was preparing a new version of Cleopatra. The male leads were cast: Peter Finch (Taylor’s costar in 1954’s Elephant Walk) as Julius Caesar and Stephen Boyd, fresh from his success in Ben-Hur as Mark Antony. The studio was searching for an actress to play the lead and the production dragged. Both Finch and Boyd dropped out. When Taylor was contacted by Fox to play the lead, she asked for $1,000,000 and a percentage of the gross, not thinking she’d be taken seriously. To Taylor’s surprise, they agreed to her terms, which made her the highest paid actress, up to that time, and she was off to England to begin shooting.

Doomed from the Start
The production was plagued from the start. Sets were built, but the weather would not cooperate, so the cast and crew relocated to Italy where the climate was closer to that of Egypt. With all these stops and starts, the costs just ballooned. The film cost so much money that Fox almost went bankrupt. But the real excitement was yet to come.

Cast Shakeup
Rex Harrison replaced Peter Finch and Richard Burton replaced Stephen Boyd. During Taylor’s scenes with Burton, it was apparent that a romance was developing. As if the director, Mankiewicz didn’t have enough problems with the out-of-control production, he now had to contend with a brewing scandal. Fisher watched his marriage to Taylor crumble before him and returned to the States. Because both Taylor and Burton were married to other people, the press had a field day. The two most famous movie actors in the world were involved in a very pubic extramarital affair, causing turmoil on the set. Amidst all the publicity, the film was finally completed and ready for its premier at New York City’s Rivoli on June 12, 1963, running just over four hours, excluding intermission.

Epic or Epic Failure?
If the film hadn’t cost a reported $40,000,000 and the running time was half as long, it might have realized a profit upon its initial release. The movie was packing in the crowds, but its length impacted the number of daily showings. The reviews were mixed, with some critics calling it a colossal mess and others declaring it a masterful epic. Crowther, obviously taken with the production had this to say in his review: “Forget the fantastic sum that Cleopatra is reported to have cost. Forget the length of time it took to make it and all the tattle of troubles they had, including the behavior of two of its spotlighted stars. The memorable thing about this picture, which opened last night at the Rivoli, is that it is a surpassing entertainment, one of the great epic films of our day.”

George Segal and Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf

Dick and Liz
In 1964 Taylor and Burton wed and became the most famous married couple in the world. Wherever they went, the press followed. They made several more films together, some more successful than others. In 1966, Taylor and Burton played combative spouses in the Mike Nichols production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. For the role, Taylor gained weight and played down her looks. Both she and Burton were nominated for Oscars, but only Taylor brought home the golden statue, her second, in 1967. In spite of the Oscar, better film roles didn’t come Taylor’s way.

Richard Burton and Taylor's relationship was a tabloid publisher's dream.

Divorce, Remarriage, Divorce
The tempestuous relationship between Taylor and Burton came to an end in 1974 when they divorced. But in 1975, they married once again, but it barely lasted a year and they divorced once again in 1976. Taylor and Burton went their separate ways, with both continuing to make films and appear on stage. In 1983 Taylor and Burton starred together in Private Lives, but many critics thought they had become caricatures of their former selves. Still Taylor fascinated the public with her celebrity lifestyle.

Crusader and Business Woman
Two more marriages followed: John Warner (1976-1982) and Larry Fortensky (1991-1996). The latter, she met at the Betty Ford clinic. As her film career faded, Taylor became active in the battle to find a cure for HIV/AIDS, raising millions of dollars for the cause. She also kept her name in the public eye with two popular perfume fragrances, Passion and White Diamonds, bestsellers to this day.

Fragile Health
In the last years of her life, Taylor’s health, which was always fragile, kept her out of the limelight. In spite of her poor health, she was still a champion for the causes she believed in. On March 23, 2011, Taylor left this world.

Taylor at her most glamorous, as most of us will remember her

The Last Movie Star
Often called the last movie star, Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor represented quintessential Hollywood glamour. Through her films we have a record of her extraordinary beauty and talent. With her passing, so ends our connection to Hollywood’s Golden Age. We will not see her like again in this lifetime. And she will be missed.


My Five Favorite Elizabeth Taylor Films

5. National Velvet (1944) As Velvet Brown, a young Elizabeth Taylor burst with youthful energy and excitement.
4. Father of the Bride (1950) Taylor’s portrayal of Kay Banks endeared her to the public and proved that she had the potential to be a major adult movie star.
3. A Place in the Sun (1951) This film made Taylor a certified superstar. Her portrayal of Angela Vickers amazed the public and film critics alike.
2. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) The role of Maggie “the Cat” Pollitt was a tough role for any actress, but Taylor pulled out all the stops and earned an Academy Award nomination.
1. Giant (1956) George Stevens’ epic film based on the Edna Ferber novel was a showcase for Taylor’s extraordinary beauty as Leslie Benedict, but also showed a dramatic range that had her age from young woman to grandmother.