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Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes – Stream Nanette Burstein’s doc About the Hollywood star
Last updated August 1, 2024
Elizabeth Taylor’s legacy as a Hollywood icon, activist, and sex symbol is vividly brought to life in the documentary Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes. Directed by Nanette Burstein, it had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and was also featured at Tribeca 2024.
The heart of the documentary is Taylor’s 1964 interview with journalist and biographer Richard Meryman. With 40 hours of newly discovered audio and access to personal photos, home movies, archival interviews, and news footage, the film presents the most intimate portrait of Taylor to date. From her debut in 1943’s “Lassie Come Home” to classics like “Giant,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Butterfield 8,” and “Cleopatra,” Taylor narrates her own filmography posthumously.
The documentary also delves into Taylor’s personal life, with a focus on her tumultuous fifth marriage to Richard Burton. By using Taylor’s own voice to tell her story, “The Lost Tapes” invites viewers to rediscover not just a megastar of Hollywood’s Golden Age but a complex woman who managed lifelong fame, personal identity, and public scrutiny from a young age.
Curious about Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes? Our article covers everything you need to know about watching this movie online. We will guide you on how to watch it online, offer tips for evading any restrictions with a good VPN, and provide all the essential details like the release date, cast details, trailer, and more.
How to Watch Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes
Viewers can access Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes on HBO, Max, Hulu, DirecTV Stream, and Crave on Saturday, August 3, 2024, at 8 pm ET. It will be available to stream on Binge the next day. The documentary will also air on Foxtel Now on Tuesday, August 6, 2024.
- Max: The ad-supported version costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. The ad-free plan is $16.99 per month or $169.99 per year, and the Ultimate Ad-Free plan is $20.99 monthly or $209.99 annually.
- Hulu: You can get Max as a Premium add-on service on Hulu for $15.99 monthly, with a 7-day free trial. This is on top of the platform’s subscription fee of $7.99 monthly (for Hulu With Ads plan). For new users, Hulu offers a 30-day free trial.
- DirecTV Stream: This service also offers Max as a premium add-on for $15.99 a month. This is in addition to the starting subscription fee of $79.99 a month (Entertainment plan) for the first year, and you can get Max free for 2 months as well.
- Crave: You can stream the title on Crave on the same day as the US. Choose from its three available plans: Basic (with ads) for CA $9.99 monthly, Standard (with ads) for CA $14.99 monthly, or Premium (ad-free) for CA $22 per month. The annual plan starts from CA $99 with taxes.
- Binge: Binge’s subscription starts from AU $10 a month. The plus point is that new subscribers can watch the documentary for free via its 7-day free trial.
- Foxtel Now: Foxtel Now costs $25 monthly with a 10-day free trial.
We suggest streaming the title on Max since it is an HBO and Max Original. The platform offers hit movies, original series, and exclusive documentaries at an affordable price point.
Cast
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Roddy McDowall
- Debbie Reynolds
- George Hamilton
- Richard Burton
- Marion Rosenberg
- John Heyman
- Samuel Marx
- Tim Mendelson
Trailer
Which film Festivals Showcased Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes?
The film made a sensational debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, captivating audiences with its intimate portrayal of Elizabeth Taylor. Its journey continued with a compelling screening at the Tribeca Festival on June 11, followed by a highlight appearance at the Nantucket Film Festival in the same month.
Facts About Elizabeth Taylor
- Life and Death on Set: While filming BUtterfield 8 (1960), Elizabeth Taylor faced a life-threatening illness and was actually pronounced dead at one point, adding a harrowing chapter to her storied career.
- Hollywood's Top Earner: In 1963, Elizabeth Taylor shattered financial records. While the highest-paid American executive earned $650,000 and President John F. Kennedy made $150,000, Taylor raked in a staggering $2.4 million.
- Health Battles: Taylor underwent a tubal ligation at the young age of 25 and faced a hysterectomy at 36, highlighting her resilience in the face of personal health struggles.
- Million-Dollar Milestone: She made history as the first actress to earn $1,000,000 for a single movie role with her iconic performance in Cleopatra (1963).
- Tragic First Marriage: Taylor's first husband, Conrad Hilton Jr., was physically abusive, a tragic consequence of his drug problems, marking a turbulent start to her romantic life.
- People Magazine Star: With 14 solo covers in People magazine, Elizabeth Taylor is second only to Princess Diana in cover appearances as of 1996.
- Nickname Pet Peeve: Despite her global fame, Taylor disliked being called "Liz," preferring her full name.
- Divorce Settlement: In 1951, Taylor received a $500,000 divorce settlement from Conrad Hilton Jr., a significant sum that underscored the end of her tumultuous first marriage.
How did Elizabeth Taylor get into Movies?
Elizabeth's stunning beauty caught the eye of a family friend, who recommended she take a screen test. Her undeniable talent shone through, leading Universal Pictures to sign her. At just ten years old, Elizabeth made her screen debut in There's One Born Every Minute (1942). However, Universal dropped her contract after that single film.
Undeterred, Elizabeth soon caught the attention of MGM. Her first film with the studio, Lassie Come Home (1943), showcased her star quality. MGM was so impressed that they signed her for a full year, cementing her path to stardom.
Did Elizabeth Taylor Attempt Suicide?
During her tumultuous marriage to Eddie Fisher, Elizabeth Taylor faced deep despair. After mourning the tragic loss of her beloved Mike Todd, she wed Fisher in 1959, just three hours after his divorce from Debbie Reynolds was finalized.
In the revealing new documentary, Taylor candidly admits, "I never loved Eddie. I liked him. I felt sorry for him. And I liked talking to him. But he was not Mike."
Her misery during this period ran so deep that she attempted suicide by taking sleeping pills. "I was fed up with living," she confesses. This poignant chapter in Taylor's life, marked by heartbreak and desperation, sheds light on the profound struggles behind her glamorous public persona.
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