Elizabeth Taylor's scandalous affair unveiled in new documentary
She was in a relationship with her fourth husband when she began an affair with the actor Richard Burton, who was also married at the time. Their relationship was a significant scandal, provoking condemnation from the Vatican towards Elizabeth Taylor, who was already a mother at the time...
A story ideal for a movie, and so it has been made. More than 13 years after the death of Elizabeth Taylor, a documentary film has been produced about her fascinating, adventure-filled, and romantic life. "Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes" is now available on Max. With its premiere, previously unpublished interview recordings with the star of films like "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" have come to light. For the first time, a segment of an interview has been revealed where Taylor talked about her father's harsh reaction to her affair with Richard Burton.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were even condemned by the Vatican
As you might recall, Elizabeth Taylor walked down the aisle more than once or twice. She was married eight times, had seven divorces, and one widowhood. Her first marriage was particularly challenging, as she was young and experienced domestic violence at the hands of Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr. Her second husband was Michael Wilding, with whom she had two sons. Her third husband was Michael Todd, with whom she had a daughter named Elizabeth. However, their life together was tragically cut short when Michael died in a plane crash. Just a year later, the actress married Eddie Fisher.
Would their marriage have lasted if she hadn't met Richard Burton on the set of "Cleopatra"? Now, one can only speculate. It was 1963, and Elizabeth played the titular role while Burton portrayed Mark Antony. Like the characters in this story were connected by complicated but passionate feelings, a bit of forbidden love, Taylor and Burton succumbed to their passions. They barely kept it a secret. There is a story that after filming ended, Burton stayed at the residence of Elizabeth and her husband, Eddie. When Eddie called home and heard Burton's voice, he asked what was happening. He replied, "What do you think I'm doing? "I'm f**king your wife."
To put it diplomatically, there was a lot of heat surrounding the lovers. Both were officially still married. It was said that Burton's wife tried to commit suicide and that Eddie Fisher overdosed. The press wrote extensively about the relationship, portraying it as a scandal, as can be heard in Max's new documentary; even Vatican publicists took up the topic.
"The Vatican newspaper had come out with an item saying that I was so despicable [of a] woman that my own children should be taken away from me," Taylor recalls in the film. "[It’s] an attack that really — well, it made me vomit," she recounts. The Vatican publication declared that the star's affair was a sign of "erotic vagabondage" and "an affront to the home hearth." Even several American politicians got involved, publicly declaring that the lovers should not be allowed back into the USA (they were filming in Italy at the time).
The actress recalled in recordings now used in the documentary that someone threatened to assassinate her and plant a bomb in the studio where she worked. The FBI had to get involved. Taylor noted, "The Italian FBI were out there for five days [while we filmed]. It was really a horrendous week."
As it has now come to light, even her family was involved. The film uses a never-before-published interview with the star by reporter Richard Meryman. She recalled the explosion of the scandal surrounding the affair and how her father reacted to the news. He didn’t mince his words. Francis Lenn Taylor called his daughter a "wh*re." Asked in the interview whether she believes she will have to pay for her sins in hell, she said she thinks we have to pay for them while we're still alive. You have to atone now, not after death.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were together for 10 years. They separated in 1974, reconciled in 1975, and were together for another year. Following Burton, Taylor had two more husbands.
