New Documentary Shows Just How Much Elizabeth Taylor Was ‘Slut Shamed’
The new HBO documentary Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and shares the scandalous story of Elizabeth Taylor‘s life and career, in her own voice with newly unearthed audio interviews with the late star. While times were indeed different, director Nanette Burstein is still shocked at how badly Taylor was treated and how she was often “slut shamed” because of her personal relationships.
Burstein explained, “Just how much she was slut-shamed and the just the level of being the first modern celebrity. I don’t think I quite understood the paparazzi insanity of her life.” In the documentary, Taylor, in her own words, shares that she was “met with such opposition from everyone” when she wanted to marry her Cleopatra co-star Richard Burton after having an affair with him. Even the Pope denounced the relationship!
Remind With all of the bad press, they decided to end their relationship but agreed to co-star in the film The V.I.P.s a year later just so they could see each other. At the time, Taylor was married to her fourth husband Eddie Fisher (she later admitted that she hugely regretted her marriage to Fisher) while Burton was married to Sybil Williams. Despite all of the drama, Taylor always seemed very confident, so Burstein was surprised to find out just how insecure Taylor was at times in her life.
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Eventually, Taylor and Burton did wed and were married from 1964 to 1974. They remarried just a year later before divorcing for good in 1976. Their affair and eventual marriage turned the tide for celebrities and their lives to come as their professional and personal lives became entwined and fair game for the media and fans.
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If you’re interested in learning more about Taylor and her life, watch the documentary when it premieres on HBO on August 3, 2024.
Elizabeth Taylor
April 2017
Dedicated to the life and loves of the violet-eyed beauty Elizabeth Taylor.
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