Burton and Taylor

2013 1h 23m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 58

DramaTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Legendary acting duo and married couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor prepare for a 1983 theatrical production of the play "Private Lives."

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Dominic West
Richard Burton
Helena Bonham Carter
Elizabeth Taylor
Sarah Hadland
Kathryn Walker
Lenora Crichlow
Chen Sam
Stanley Townsend
Milton Katselas
Lucille Sharp
Liza Todd Burton
Isabella Brazier-Jones
Maria Burton
William Hope
John Cullum

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Laxton
Writers: William Ivory
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Laxton, shot by David Katznelson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Lunn. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stuart Gazzard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dominic West and Helena Bonham Carter and Sarah Hadland carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt2709784 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 58 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Laxton directs. David Katznelson behind the camera. John Lunn scores. Stuart Gazzard cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 13 years ago.
3Directed by Richard Laxton, shot by David Katznelson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Lunn. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Stuart Gazzard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Dominic West and Helena Bonham Carter and Sarah Hadland carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt2709784 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 58 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: David Katznelson
Original score: John Lunn
Editing: Stuart Gazzard
Production design: John Stevenson
Costume design: Susannah Buxton
Makeup / hair: Romaine Bowman
Runtime: 83 min · 1h 23m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Burton and Taylor (2013)

Also by

Richard Laxton

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-06-12
★ 6/10
For a mere $70,000 a week (each), the now sober Richard Burton (Dominic West) is convinced by the not so sober, pill-popping, Elizabeth Taylor (Helena Bonham Carter) to reunite and star in a version of Noêl Coward's "Private Lives". He has other irons in the fire, not least an impending new wife and an opportunity of a lifetime to play "Lear" so isn't so keen but she is persuasive. After almost false-starting on night one, they duly turn up and though the critics absolutely loathe it, the fans initially throughly enjoy what they see as the real lives of these two stars being enthusiastically and acerbically presented using the stage as a conduit for their bickering. Burton is narked that it's his ex-wife fans want to see whilst she selfishly keeps on hitting the bottle. When the audiences do start to dwindle and the show is halted, the pair face the nearest thing either can imagine to a fait accompli - but do they care? It is entertaining at times with both actors looking like they are enjoying this once in a lifetime opportunity to play this torrid partnership with gusto and a tiny bit of venom. Despite their best endeavours, though, it looks like the producers were more concerned about it's rating, and the thing has a sterile tameness that lets it down a bit. They are going through the motions of a vitriolic and addictive relationship but it just doesn't land enough punches - physically or metaphorically. It's watchable, but nothing special at all.

Production companies