Elizabeth Taylor in "Raintree County" (1957)

Elizabeth Taylor in "Raintree County" (image from JSR Pages)

REVIEW:
"Raintree County" sets the pattern for Elizabeth Taylor: Oscar nominations year after year, big-budget productions, great dramatic roles, blockbusters, big salaries. From now on every film she plays in is a box-office hit and her private life seems to mirror her onscreen persona. But while Elizabeth Taylor's professional life is highly successful, her private life faces a new failure: the crumbling marriage to Michael Wilding.

"Raintree County" is a super production of epic proportions, the most expensive film up to that date, being one of the last M.G.M. films of such lavish sets and huge cast and crew.

FILM TITLE
"RAINTREE COUNTY" (U.S.A./M.G.M./1957)

PROMO
"A love story during the Civil War" (M.G.M.)

OVERVIEW
Designed as the "Gone With the Wind" for the cinemascope generation, "Raintree County" was a huge success. Elizabeth Taylor is the beautiful Southern pacifist who falls in love with Montgomery Clift in Indiana. The fact that Monty Clift is engaged to Eva Marie Saint, does not stop Liz Taylor to get what she wants. So, Liz Taylor does all kinds of maneuvers to win Clift's affections. When the American Civil War breaks out, Clift, a convinced abolitionist, joins Abraham Lincoln, to the horror of southern Taylor. While Clift is at war, Taylor falls into a depression that pushes her to madness. When the war ends, Clift tries to accommodate with Taylor's madness for the sake of their child. But the stress is too high for both of them, leading the whole story to tragedy...

CAST
Montgomery Clift (John Wickliffe Shawnessy) Elizabeth Taylor (Susanna Drake), Eva Marie Saint (Nell Gaither), Nigel Patrick (Prof. Jerusalem Webster Stiles), Lee Marvin (Orville 'Flash' Perkins), Rod Taylor (Garwood B. Jones), Agnes Moorehead (Ellen Shawnessy).
DIRECTED BY
Edward Dmytryk.
SCREENPLAY
Millard Kaufman, after the novel by Ross Lockridge, Jr.
PRODUCED BY
David Lewis, Millard Kaufman, Thomas D. Tannenbaum.
PRODUCTION DATES
between April-August 1956.
RELEASED
October 1957.
COLOR
Technicolor.
DURATION
187 minutes.
GENRE
drama, war, psychodrama.

NOMINATED at
- Oscar for Best Actress (Elizabeth Taylor); Oscar for Best Art Direction (William A. Horning, Urie McCleary, Edwin B. Willis, Hugh Hunt), Oscar for Best Costume Design (Walter Plunkett), Oscar for Best Soundtrack (Johnny Green);
- Golden Globe for Best Actor (Nigel Patrick);
- Golden Laurel for Best Supporting Actress (Agnes Moorehead); Golden Laurel for Best Supporting Actor (Lee Marvin); Golden Laurel for Best Film Music (Johnny Green).
AWARDS
- Golden Laurel for Best Actress (Elizabeth Taylor).

TRIVIA
- During filming, Montgomery Clift had a terrible car accident returning home from a party at the house of Elizabeth Taylor. Monty's friend, Kevin McCarthy, witnessed the accident and ran back home to Elizabeth Taylor and her then husband, Michael Wilding. They, along with Rock Hudson, immediately ran to the scene. Elizabeth Taylor entered the car through the back door, climbed up to the front seat and saved Monty Clift's life, lifting him and pulling out his broken teeth that suffocated him. Rock Hudson was able to pull him out of the car and then he and Elizabeth Taylor protected Monty from the paparazzi, who came immediately to the scene. After 9 weeks of recovery, Clift returned to the set. His beautiful face was now a thing of the past. The left side of his face was almost immobile, from the undergone plastic surgery, necessary after the accident.
- Montgomery Clift will become addicted to drugs and alcohol, enduring with great pain the consequences of the surgery. At some point M.G.M. considered the question of his replacement, but Elizabeth Taylor was against it;
- Elizabeth Taylor got acquainted with the great American producer Mike Todd during filming; they will get married in 1957.

Watch TRAILER here.

Watch MAKING OF RAINTREE COUNTY here.

Elizabeth Taylor in "Giant" (1956)

Elizabeth Taylor in "Giant" (image from JSR Pages)

REVIEW:
"Giant" is one of the greatest films ever and it turned Elizabeth Taylor from star into superstar and established her as one of the world's greatest actresses of the young generation, in the same "league" with Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly. The reunion with the great director George Stevens, gave young Elizabeth Taylor the oportunity to "grab" an overwhelming dramatic role: the interpretation of a woman throughout her entire life, from adolescence to young married mother and, finally, to grandmother age. "Giant" is a huge film in all respects: a modern epic, a blockbuster with major actors, being on the list of the best films of all time.

"Giant" tells of the rise and development of modern Texas, the transition from cowboys to wealthy oilmen, the lives of several strong Texans, the story of beautiful Leslie Benedict, a saga that spans over several generations.

FILM TITLE
"GIANT"/(U.S.A./Warner Bros/1956)

PROMO
An epic film, as big as Texas! Is the new "Gone With the Wind! (Warner).

OVERVIEW
Bick Benedict (Rock Hudson), the owner of a farm of 600 acres in Texas, is visiting a farm in Maryland to buy a horse. The owner's daughter - young, beautiful and intelligent Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor) - falls in love with him. Bick and Leslie get married and leave back to his farm in Texas. Here, until the arrival of Leslie, the real mistress of the house was Bick's sister, Luz Benedict (Mercedes MacCambridge), a true Texan, known and respected throughout the land. Jett Rink (James Dean) is an ambitious and unabashed tenant who works at the farm because of Luz. Leslie begins to impose herself and take over the role of the mistress of the land and gets involved in modernizing the huge ranch. Jett is in love with Leslie, who chooses to consider him just a good friend. After Luz dies, dropped by the horse brought from Maryland, Jett receives (by Luz's will) a portion of the land that he refuses to sell, hoping to become rich. And he will be rich, discovering oil! The entire Texas will change with the discovery of oil. Years pass and we see the Benedicts with their grown up children (two girls and a boy), already at an age when they leave their parents for education or to start a family on their own...Even if their parents have other plans for them, their children are not willing to accept them. This fact leads to the conflict between generations and between mentalities. Leslie's daughter falls in love with Jett Rink (now a big rich man), but he still loves her mother, Leslie Benedict.

CAST
Elizabeth Taylor (Leslie Benedict), Rock Hudson (Bicke Benedict), James Dean (Jett Rinks), Carroll Baker (Luz Benedict II), Mercedes MacCambridge (Luz Benedict), Dennis Hopper (Jordan Benedict), Sal Mineo (Angel Obregon).
DIRECTED BY
George Stevens.
SCREENPLAY
Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat, after bestseller "Giant" by Edna Ferber.
PRODUCED BY
George Stevens, Henry Ginsberg.
PRODUCTION DATES
from May to October 1955.
RELEASED
November 1956
COLOR
Warnercolor.
DURATION
201 minutes.
GENRE
drama.

NOMINATED at
- Oscar for Best Actor (James Dean), Oscar for Best Actor (Rock Hudson), Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (Mercedes MacCambridge) Oscar for Best Art Direction (Boris Leven, Ralph S. Hurst), Oscar for Best Costumes (Moss Mabry), Oscar for Best Editing (William Hornbeck, Philip W. Anderson, Fred Bohanan), Oscar for Best Music (Dimitri Tiomkin), Oscar for Best Picture (George Stevens, Henry Ginsberg), Oscar for Best Screenplay (Fred Guiol, Ivan Moffat);
- Golden Globe for Best Film, Golden Globe for Best Director;
- WGA Award for Best Screenplay.
AWARDS
- Oscar for Best Director (George Stevens);
- David di Donatello for Best Picture;
- WGA Award for Best Director.

TRIVIA
- memorable lines between Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean (Leslie Benedict: "Money is not everything in life, Jett" / Jett Rink: "Not when you have it!");
- Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, William Holden and even John Wayne were considered for the role of Bick Benedict;
- Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly were the first choices for the role of Leslie Benedict. Rock Hudson tells that George Stevens asked him: "Who would you like to play with ?". The 29-year-old actor replied without hesitation: "With Liz Taylor!"
- Alan Ladd and Richard Burton...were alternatives to the role of Jett Rink;
- also, George Stevens wanted Montgomery Clift (for the role of Jett Rink), but the director was tired of the actor's personal problems;
- finally, George Stevens accepted James Dean, although he disagreed the young actor in every aspect;
- a special friendship was bound between Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor, on the one hand and between Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean on the other hand;
- Rock Hudson and James Dean could not stand each other;
- Elizabeth Taylor brought both her children on the set;
- Carroll Baker, who is the daughter of Elizabeth Taylor in the film, in real life she was older than Taylor!
- James Dean died in a car accident before the end of the production;
- after the death of James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor had a nervous breakdown that led to stopping the production for two weeks.

Watch TRAILER here.

Elizabeth Taylor in "The Last Time I Saw Paris" (1954)

Elizabeth Taylor in "The Last Time I Saw Paris" (image from JSR Pages)

REVIEW:
In 1954 Elizabeth Taylor was cast in four films for M.G.M. During the production at "The Last Time I Saw Paris", Elizabeth Taylor became pregnant again. This was a great cause of joy but also of concern: although Elizabeth Taylor was the greatest star of M.G.M. she would be again put out of salary because of the birth of her second son.

Without the great illuminating presence of Elizabeth Taylor, "The Last Time I Saw Paris" would have been long forgotten, although it is an extremely well done film. Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald and turned into a real melodrama, Richard Brooks's film is full of color, romance and tragedy. Helen Rose has the chance to dress Elizabeth Taylor sumptuously. Moreover, the director manages to guide Elizabeth Taylor so well that critics said it was her best part since "A Place In The Sun". In contrast, none of the cast could live up to Taylor's performance, not even Van Johnson or Donna Reed. Good taste, lavish sets, color, tears, good story: the perfect Hollywood recipe for success!

FILM TITLE
"THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS" (U.S.A/M.G.M./1954)

PROMO
"A drama about life and disillusionment" (M.G.M.).

OVERVIEW
Charles (Van Johnson) returns to Paris, overwhelmed with memories he had after the end of World War II when he met Helen (Elizabeth Taylor), with whom he lived a great love story... Charles, who was an American reporter, came to Paris to write about the Victory Day. In Paris he meets beautiful Helen, for whom he falls hopelessly in love. Charles and Helen get married, and Charles remained in Paris on a modest salary as a journalist, dreaming to become a succesful novelist. Unfortunately, all publishers refuse him and Charles is ready to give up writing. An American relative of Helen dies and leaves her a huge fortune in Texas. As they enjoy the pleasures of wealth, Charles loose both literary ambitions and Helen's love. His self-destruction will lead to an unexpected tragedy...

CAST
Elizabeth Taylor (Helen Ellswirth), Van Johnson (Charles Wills), Walter Pidgeon (James Ellswirth), Donna Reed (Marion Ellswirth), Eva Gabor (Lorraine Quarl), Roger Moore (Paul Lane).
DIRECTED BY
Richard Brooks.
SCREENPLAY
Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Richard Brooks, after the short story "Babylon Revisited" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
PRODUCED BY
Jack Cummings.
PRODUCTION DATES
between April-May 1954.
RELEASED
November 1954
COLOR
Technicolor.
DURATION
116 minutes.
GENRE
drama, after-war, love, tragedy.

TRIVIA
- M.G.M. forgot to renew the copyright for this movie;
- Hence, being in the public domain since 1982, this is the most viewed film on cable television;
- Roger Moore's debut in American cinema;
- Van Johnson's last role for M.G.M.

Watch TRAILER here.

Elizabeth Taylor in "Rhapsody" (1954)

Elizabeth Taylor in "Rhapsody" (image from JSR Pages)

REVIEW:
Once again Elizabeth Taylor is cast as a young rich beautiful girl. Seen today, all these films made by ​​M.G.M. in the early 50's survive only because an illuminating Elizabeth Taylor is up there on the screen. It's amazing how the M.G.M. bosses did not know how to take advantage of the young Taylor's dramatic talent; instead, they prefered to distribute her in commercial hits which were easily forgotten in the long term. In fact, the studios successfully applied their old method: the public comes to see the star and nothing else matters. Although Elizabeth Taylor was already a well-known beauty, it seemed that her great beauty was counterproductive to the actress' ambitions: she was generally considered too beautiful to be able to play dramatic composition roles...And yet, she gave herself totally to every role she ever had. In "Rhapsody", Elizabeth Taylor is flawless. Soon she will be able to act on her own terms and she will "catch" more and more dramatic and consistent roles. The only actress who dared to fight with the Hollywood mogul Louis B. Mayer, had no intention to become a Hollywood puppet!

FILM TITLE
"RHAPSODY" (U.S.A./M.G.M./1954)

PROMO
"Beauty abounds in this film, especially as concerns Miss Taylor, who shines from every angle you look at her" (New York Times)
"A rhapsody of love on the great masters' divine music, a feast for the sight and hearing: the most beautiful woman in the world and the humanity's greatest composers" (MGM promo)

OVERVIEW
A romantic drama, soaked by a divine music. Young, beautiful and rich Louise Durant (Elizabeth Taylor) tells her father who lives in the family villa on the French Riviera that she wants to go to Zurich to study piano and - at the same time - to be with her boyfriend, Paul Bronte (Vittorio Gassman), whom she will marry, although he still does not know ... Paul goes to the Conservatory in Zurich to deepen his violin studies. Louise rents an apartment from Frau Sigerist and meets James Guest (John Ericson), an American who studies piano. Professor Schuman immediately realizes that Louise is a mediocre talent, and she is forced to confess the truth: the only reason for her to study at the Conservatory is because she wants to be close to Paul. The teacher tells her that musicians are not always great lovers and informs her that he chose Paul to play the violin as a soloist in a Tchaikovsky concert. The long hours of training for the concert exasperate the independent Louise, who begins to understand that the violinist loves his art above all, and that she, Louise, ... will always be the second fiddle. By contrast, the pianist loves Louise first and then his art... The story goes on with countless twists, with unpredictable things that change (marriage, concerts, suicide attempts) and Louise eventually has to choose which of the two men she wants. A true Hollywood majestic film with a magnificent music.

CAST
Elizabeth Taylor (Louise Durant), Vittorio Gassman (Paul Bronte), John Ericson (James Guest), Louis Calhern (Nicholas Durant), Michael Chekhov (Prof. Schuman).
DIRECTED BY
Charles Vidor.
SCREENPLAY
Ruth Goetz, Augustus Goetz, Michael Kanin, Fay Kanin, after the novel by Henry Handel Richardson.
PRODUCED BY
Lawrence Weingarten.
MUSIC
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov, Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy, Felix Mendelssohn, Pablo Sarasate.
PRODUCTION DATES
between June to August 1953.
RELEASED
April 1954.
COLOR
Technicolor.
DURATION
115 minutes.
GENRE
drama, romance, music, adventure, adults.

TRIVIA
- Elizabeth Taylor began shooting immediately after she finished production at "Elephant Walk;
- the film was a great box-office worldwide success.

Watch TRAILER here.

Elizabeth Taylor in "Elephant Walk" (1954)

Elizabeth Taylor in "Elephant Walk" (image from JSR Pages)

REVIEW:
With a husband without work (M.G.M. could not find any role that Michael Wilding would accept) and with a newborn child (Michael Wilding Jr.), Elizabeth Taylor is forced to act in four movies within one year. M.G.M. was ruthless with the actors who refused to act or were unavailable (as Taylor during pregnancy), so that both Taylor and Wilding were "suspended", put out of salary for almost a year. Thus "the girl who had everything" was more than eager to get back to work. On the production for "Elephant Walk", Paramount Pictures had almost faced a nightmare: the leading actress, famous Vivien Leigh, had a nervous breakdown on set and was hospitalized in psychiatric facilities. She could only be replaced by Elizabeth Taylor due to the striking similarity between the two English stars. At the same time, only Liz Taylor could ensure the commercial success of the film. Paramount turned to M.G.M. to "borrow" Elizabeth Taylor. M.G.M. asked no more and no less than $150,000 (an astronomical sum at the time). "Elephant Walk" would be the most expensive film ever produced by Paramount Pictures until then. The paradox is that Paramount wanted Elizabeth Taylor in the first place, but she had to refuse the role because of her pregnancy...

FILM TITLE
"ELEPHANT WALK" (U.S.A/Paramount/1954)

PROMO
"One man claims the plantation, two men claim the woman who lives on the plantation" (Paramount).

OVERVIEW
Elizabeth Taylor (Ruth), Peter Finch (John Wiley) and Dana Andrews (Dick Carver) star in this action-packed drama that takes place in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Taylor, more beautiful than ever, plays a newly-married, who accompanies Finch to his tea plantation, called "Elephant Walk". Here she will fall in love with Andrews, the supervisor. But this love triangle is overshadowed by other events: a cholera epidemic breaks out, the drought burns the soil and the elephants, crazy with thirst, devastate the plantation. This famous scene is a triumph of the cinema art and industry: the huge bungalow is converted into ruins by the running elephants, crossing the polished floors, destroying the walls and the kerosene lamps, causing a terrible nightmare.

CAST
Elizabeth Taylor (Ruth Wiley), Dana Andrews (Dick Carver), Peter Finch (John Wiley), Abraham Sofaer (Appuhamy), Abner Biberman (Dr. Pereira), Noel Drayton (Atkinson).
DIRECTED BY
William Dieterle.
SCREENPLAY
John Lee Mahin, from the novel by Robert Standish.
PRODUCED BY
Irving Asher.
PRODUCTION DATES
between February to May 1953.
RELEASED
April 1954.
COLOR
Technicolor.
DURATION103 minutes.
GENRE
adventure, drama, romance.

TRIVIA
- during filming, Taylor was hurt by a piece of metal that has reached an eye because of a wind made machine;
- the scenes that had Vivien Leigh in the remote plans remained in the released film;
- Vivien Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor had about the same height;
- possessed by anxiety and bouts of depersonalization, Vivien Leigh was fired. The actor who played her husband in the film, Peter Finch, was in fact her lover (at that time she was married to Laurence Olivier).
- there is a great similarity between this film and "Rebecca" by Alfred Hitchcock;
- Katharine Hepburn, Olivia de Havilland, Claire Bloom and Jean Simmons were considered for the role.

Watch TRAILER here.

Elizabeth Taylor in "The Girl Who Had Everything" (1953)

Elizabeth Taylor in "The Girl Who Had Everything" (image from JSR Pages)

REVIEW:
Elizabeth Taylor at the age of 20, at the height of her beauty, again distributed by M.G.M. in a film produced strictly to make money. Her role was not intended to gain artistic recognition. The film' title is almost inspired by the real life of the actress. In 1952 Elizabeth Taylor was supposed to be the girl who had everything: beauty, glory, a new contract with M.G.M., a new husband...she was soon to become a mother and was able to convince M.G.M. to continue to pay her own mother, Sara Taylor, as her assistant. Moreover, her starpower forced M.G.M. to get Michael Wilding (her then-husbund) under contract, just to keep her happy. But maybe things were not quite exactly as they seemed. Elizabeth Taylor's idol and raw model was Anna Magnani, the great Italian actress, and nobody would have imagined that Elizabeth Taylor wanted to play composition roles and get rid of her image as a sex-symbol. Instead, M.G.M. was always ready to cast her in a new film in which she was supposed to be only beautiful. Bette Davis would later say that if she had the beauty of Elizabeth Taylor, she could have never managed to become a good actress, the way Taylor succeeded.

FILM TITLE
"THE GIRL WHO HAD EVERYTHING" (U.S.A./M.G.M./1953)

PROMO
A rich and beautiful high society girl falls for a mobster! (M.G.M.).

OVERVIEW
Watching the television news with Steve, her father (William Powell), the attention of beautiful, rich and independent Jean Latimer (Elizabeth Taylor) is irresistibly attracted to the main character in the breaking news: Victor Raimondi (Fernando Lamas), suspected for cheating the I.R.S., the gangster that was to be soon investigated by the U.S. Senate. Jean asks her father, who is a famous and powerful lawyer to represent Raimondi and, indeed, due to her father's defense, the Senate committee acquitts Raimondi. In fact, the lawyer who had done all the job was her father's associate, the future husband of Jean Latimer, Vance Court (Gig Young). From now on "the girl who had everything" must deal with many conflicting situations: her father's battle with alcoholism, the love between her and the gangster who'd escaped the law and the bitter situation between her and her fiance...Her father had warned her that he had proof that Raimondi was indeed a criminal and a killer, so his daughter has to solve a dilemma: what comes first, law or love?

CAST
Elizabeth Taylor (Jean Latimer), Fernando Lamas (Victor Raimondi), William Powell (Steve Latimer), Gig Young (Vance Court), James Whitmore.
DIRECTED BY
Richard Thorpe.
SCREENPLAY
Art Cohn, from the novel "A Free Soul" by Adela Rogers St. Johns.
PRODUCED BY
Armand Deutsch.
PRODUCTION DATES
between July-August 1952.
RELEASED
March 1953.
DURATION
69 minutes.
GENRE
drama, gangsters.

TRIVIA
- Fernando Lamas was the father of Lorenzo Lamas;
- William Powell's last appearance in an M.G.M. film;
- before the start of the production, Elizabeth Taylor, already married to British actor Michael Wilding, announced she was pregnant, which led to the speeding of her shooting scenes;
- screenwriter Art Cohn and Mike Todd, the future husband of Elizabeth Taylor, both died in a plane crash in 1958;
- the title used until the premiere: A Life of Her Own.

Watch TRAILER here.

Elizabeth Taylor in "Ivanhoe" (1952)

Elizabeth Taylor in "Ivanhoe" (image from JSR Pages)

REVIEW:
"Ivanhoe" is an American blockbuster, produced entirely in England. M.G.M. brings together again the two Taylors (Robert and Elizabeth), this time with a huge public success.

To counter-attack the television and bring the viewers back in the theaters, M.G.M. counted on blockbusters starring big celebrities, full of color and action. With "Ivanhoe" the challange succeeded: the film was the biggest box-office success of 1952.

FILM TITLE
"IVANHOE" (U.S.A./M.G.M./1952)

PROMO
Ivanhoe's story in Technicolor! (M.G.M.)

OVERVIEW
Middle Ages in England, Saxons and Normans, Richard the Lionheart and his brother Prince John, Robin Hood, the Crusades, knights, tournaments, Ivanhoe and Rebecca - the beautiful Jewish woman ... who hasn't read Walter Scott's famous novel? The film faithfully follows the classic novel's action. In the late 12th century, the Saxons and the conquering Normans still hate each others. Unpopular Prince John roules England when his brother, Richard the Lionheart left for the 3rd Crusade. On the way home, Richard is arrested by the Austrians, and John does not want to pay the ransom. Ivanhoe, returnes to England and comes to the castle of his father, Cedric, disguised as a minstrel, but he is recognized by his servant, Wamba. After Ivanhoe reunites with Rowena, his girlfriend, he reveals his identity to his father and asks for ransom money for the King, but he is refused. To raise money, he appeals to Isaac, the Jew, whose beautiful daughter, Rebecca falls for Ivanhoe ... Next situations with countless twists, sword fights, all in crescendo, leaving the viewer breathless until the return of the King in England.

CAST
Robert Taylor (Ivanhoe), Elizabeth Taylor (Rebecca), Joan Fontaine (Rowena), George Sanders (De Bois-Gulibert).
DIRECTED BY
Richard Thorpe.
SCREENPLAY
Marguerite Roberts, Noel Langley and Aeneas MacKenzie, after Walter Scott's famous novel.
PRODUCED BY
Pandro S. Berman.
COLOR FILM
Technicolor.
DURATION
106 minutes.
GENRE
action, drama, history, romance.
PRODUCTION DATES
between July - September 1951.
RELEASED
July 1952.

NOMINATED at
- Oscar for Best Picture, Oscar for Best Cinematography (Freddie Young), Oscar for Best Music (Miklos Rozsa);
- Golden Globe for Best Music, Golden Globe for Best Film;
- DGA Award For Best Director (Richard Thorpe).

TRIVIA
- Elizabeth Taylor considered that the role of Rebecca was so inconsistent that she could have played it on the phone!

Watch TRAILER here