Burton and Taylor (2013) – “We loved with a love that was more than love

Director: Richard Laxton
Writer: William Ivory
Stars: Dominic West, Helena Bonham Carter, Greg Hicks

BBC’s Burton and Taylor came to wash the sins of Lifetime’s Liz&Dick. We’ve got a glimpse of what we were going to see. A photograph of Bonham Carter and West, after that there was a long period of silence. Unlike the buzz and the marketing stunts offered for Lohan’s foray into the life of Elizabeth Taylor, BBC kept a low profile and let the cast do the talking.

We’re presented with the Burton and Taylor reunion for 1983′ Private Lives theater gig that kept the world on its toes and gave the critics the chance to ridicule and mock the cast – especially the stars. What the specialists thought as a cheap device to gain more money and make a mockery out of talent, the crowd loved and came back for more. We feel the moral struggles, Burton’s irritation seeing the spectators laugh and participate like nosy neighbors watching from across the fence inside Taylor’s bedroom. The hunger for knowing what the rich and famous are doing isn’t a novelty, is old as time and here to stay. If Taylor knew how to cope and use it in her advantage, Burton wanted a clean show, deliver art for those who understand and desire art not for the masses lurking for the glamour and drama.

The minimalism of this movie fits like a glove for Bonham Carter and West. They mix humor with sarcasm, sadness with hope and resignation with forgiveness. The tragedy of Hollywood’s greatest couple has the love that consumed them. They were made for each other and destined to be apart because of their temper. They were alike yet they fought to show they were not. When they were separated they sought to be back in each others arms. The fans loved every moment and with the media presenting their every move, the projects they took were shadowed by their real life.

The year is 1983, the times had changed from the golden years of Hollywood to the decadence and glam of the ’80s. The old school actors were getting old, roles were coming slowly or barely. Doing a play meant survival and show you weren’t dead. Some even did it for the love of the material they were given.

One of the best ideas of this movie was to have a glimpse and not a full chronological tale. Although it left me wanting for a series, receiving a brief flashback was a welcomed small dose given with style by Bonham Carter and West. There’s turmoil, there’s fighting and bickering. The relationship of Taylor and Burton is stripped bare and presented before our eyes and we’re no longer distant. Above all quotes, all photos, all the smiles and memories, we’re enlightened. Nobody was perfect, flaws were untouched, wounds were not healed and love stayed the same, pure and consuming.

Unable to stay, unwilling to leave. James Horner’s haunting tune from Titanic gives the best description of what we receive from two great actors. For Helena Bonham Carter this is a great role. Many said that Lohan had luck with her looks in landing Taylor’s part, Bonham Carter is Elizabeth Taylor, there will be one Dame with violent eyes and one actress who tried to give justice when given this role. Helena Bonham Carter. There’s humor and sadness, anger and mischief. And then there’s the look in her eyes, the twitch of her lip when she says her lines. Adoration, sadness, desperation and acceptance when Richard Burton/Dominic West is beside her.

West embraces the role. I find it hard for any male actor to be able to replicate an accent or the way another fellow actor spoke. Some come as jests yet being to able to achieve a balance between your craft and what is required from you is not easy, West may not be the perfect Burton, more morose at times and less explosive but the heart is there, the sentiments and understanding of what is required of him is sensed.

The script written by William Ivory offers drama and comic relief. The movie is centered around the staging works of Private Lives and the pacing of the story works without having the sensation you’re going to get bored. It’s a moment in time given on screen not a showcase of the lives and achievements of the two. It’s intimate and well balanced. You laugh, you feel, you understand and you remember one of the most beautiful love stories Hollywood had.