Elizabeth Taylor‘s iconography as a Hollywood starlet, activist, and sex symbol is narrated by the late, legendary actress herself in documentary “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes.”
The HBO original film is directed by Nanette Burstein (“Hillary,” “The Kid Stays in the Picture”). The feature had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and screened at Tribeca 2024.
Taylor’s 1964 interview with journalist Richard Meryman is the crux of the documentary. The film uses 40 hours of the newly unearthed audio and has access to personal photos, home movies, archival interviews, and news footage. “The Lost Tapes” is billed as the “most intimate portrait of the actress to date,” as Taylor charts her own filmography from her debut in 1943’s “Lassie Come Home” to “Giant,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Butterfield 8,” and “Cleopatra.”
Taylor’s personal life is also discussed, with her fifth marriage to Richard Burton a centerpiece of the documentary.
The synopsis reads: “The Lost Tapes” allows Elizabeth Taylor’s own voice to narrate her story, inviting audiences to rediscover not just a mega star of Hollywood’s Golden Age but a complex woman who navigated lifelong fame, personal identity, and public scrutiny on a global stage from early childhood. Through newly recovered interviews with Taylor and unprecedented access to the movie star’s personal archive, the film reveals the complex inner life and vulnerability of the Hollywood legend while also challenging audiences to re-contextualize her achievements and her legacy.
The voices of actors Roddy McDowall, Debbie Reynolds, Richard Burton, George Hamilton, producer Sam Marx, agents Marion Rosenberg and John Heyman, longtime assistant and co-Trustee Tim Mendelson, and friends Liz Smith and Doris Brynner are also featured.
“The Lost Tapes” is produced by J.J. Abrams, Sean Stuart, Glen Zipper, Bill Gerber, and Rachel Rusch Rich, with director Burstein executive producing along with Barbara Berkowitz, Tim Mendelson, Quinn Tivey, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez. The documentary hails from Zipper Bros, Gerber Pictures, Sutter Road Picture Company, and Bad Robot in association with House of Taylor.
“Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes” premieres August 3 on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. Check out the trailer below.
