75
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonWall Street JournalJohn AndersonDocumentarian Nanette Burstein has a wealth of photographic material at her disposal, much of it breathtakingly lovely, and she uses it gracefully and in the noble cause of forward motion.
- 80The New York TimesAlissa WilkinsonThe New York TimesAlissa WilkinsonIt’s not just a fascinating glimpse into a woman who spent her whole life in the spotlight. It’s a chronicle of a moment when everything changed, and a sobering reminder that we often think we know who public figures are, but we rarely really understand.
- 80VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanTaylor’s voice is singular in its expressiveness — she is insolent, mournful, sexy, outraged, dripping with debauched delight, and always casually candid. Her words invest even the most familiar events with a revealing intimacy.
- 80Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydLos Angeles TimesRobert LloydAll in all, Burstein’s film feels big and perceptive, a love letter to a remarkable, interesting and very human human.
- 80The TelegraphAnita SinghThe TelegraphAnita SinghThe tapes – recordings of her 1964 interview sessions with her biographer, Richard Meryman – play out while we’re lavished with clips from Taylor’s films and newsreel of her looking fabulous. The tapes do lend an intimacy.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperChicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperNanette Burstein...provides steady, no-frills direction that includes snippets of Taylor’s movies, a myriad of behind-the-scenes photos and newsreel footage; there’s a nearly endless supply of material, given Taylor starred in some 80 films and offscreen was one of the most photographed and filmed people ever.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterCaryn JamesThe Hollywood ReporterCaryn JamesThe movie star Taylor is the one who most often comes through in the film, but that is engaging enough.
- 70The New YorkerRichard BrodyThe New YorkerRichard BrodyThe method is effective; “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes” is no radical advance in documentary form, but its emphasis on the auditory over the visual subtly suggests the disconnect between a private individual and her public image.
- 60The GuardianLucy ManganThe GuardianLucy ManganHowever partial, though, and however little new material it has to offer, even for the amateur fan like me, the film remains a heady treat. Because it is about Elizabeth Taylor. They don’t make them like they used to – and they probably never will again.