Butterfield 8

Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth Taylor's Controversial Oscar Winning Performance
Review: Despite the thoughts of some critics and indeed Elizabeth Taylor herself at times about this film, I've always admired it and firmly believe it is an unfairly maligned production with many interesting elements. It really represents the last breath of old style Hollywood moviemaking at MGM, a studio famed for displaying its female stars to best advantage in glossy productions. In my belief Elizabeth Taylor delivers good work as high class call girl Gloria Wanderous who despite being in her own words "The slut of all time", actually reeks sophistication and a rare beauty not seen in movies nowadays. Even in decline MGM was still capable of surrounding their star with the best in supporting players, costumes and opulent settings,which helped make "Butterfield 8", their biggest grossing film for 1960.

"Butterfield 8" stands for the telephone answering service used by Gloria's "customers" when they want her services. Supposedly working as a model and "hostess", or so her trusting mother (Mildred Dunnock) would like to believe, Gloria is actually a high class prostitute catering to bored and wealthy married men. One such man Weston Liggett (Laurence Harvey) comes into her life and for the first time Gloria finds herself falling in love with a client who previously would have been one of the faceless men she encounters in her work. Liggett has married into an old money background and Gloria is made very aware of her real status when after an all night lovemaking session Weston leaves her money for her "troubles" beginning for Gloria a downward spiral to a tragic ending. Along the way we see the other parts of Gloria's shabby life from best friend Steve (Taylor's real life husband Eddie Fisher), who is like an older protective brother and who has a disapproving girlfriend Norma (Susan Oliver). Norma resents Gloria's continued intrusions into their lives and sees her as a threat to their future happiness together. Gloria travels a rocky road in her relationship with Weston as he married his aristocratic wife Emily (Dina Merrill) solely for the money and position that came with it. Emily plays the patient wife who looks the other way in regard to his infidelities and she realises that Weston is having an affair when one of her Mink Coats is taken by Gloria after she spends a night in the apartment with Weston. Seeing that Weston will never be able to break away from the grip of Emily's family and his ties to her money, Gloria tries to break off the romance and leaves to begin a new life in Boston. Weston however finds he cannot overcome his passion for her and goes off in pursuit where after an aborted chase Gloria wrecks her car and is killed on an unmade freeway. Weston then returns to his dull life that he knew before the excitment of the girl at "Butterfield 8".

Passed off as sensationalist magazine fiction, "Butterfield 8", was in fact based on a novel by John O'Hara that created a few sparks itself due to it's "illicit" subject matter. Elizabeth Taylor was highly resistant to playing the role of Gloria despite it being the last film in her long running contract with MGM. It was responsible for holding her up from accepting the lead role in "Cleopatra" being planned by Twentieth Century Fox for which she was being paid a record One Million dollars. Also she felt that the studio was unfairly trying to cash in on her recent notoriety surrounding her controversial marriage to Eddie Fisher. Despite her clashes with director Daniel Mann Elizabeth I believe has rarely been more exciting on screen and turns in a multi layered performance that has elements of glamour, tragedy and passion. Rarely has she looked more beautiful in a film and the often elaborate settings play up the glamourous side of the story that reeks old Hollywood. Laurence Harvey registers well as the bored man facing the crisis of his life over whether to follow his heart or stay in his "safe" zone. He has a great chemistry with Elizabeth Taylor and would be reteam with her 13 years later in the excellent, seldom seen thriller "Night Watch". Eddie Fisher is the one weak link in the story as Gloria's friend Steve. In a role originally intended for David Janssen, Fisher reveals his lack of real acting talent however Susan Oliver as girlfriend Norma excels in her few scenes, in particular in her catty exchanges with Gloria which are among the most meaty in the story. Another standout is Kay Medford in a heartbreaking performance as the sad "seen it all" owner of the seedy motel where Weston and Gloria often have their rendezvous.

"Butterfield 8", is real old style filmmaking with a production full of beautiful clothes, lush settings with well heeled people emeshed in heartbreaking situations. The moralistic tone of the early sixties demanded that "bad girl", Gloria ultimately pay for her sins but this doesn't detract from the films great entertainment value. Should Elizabeth Taylor have won the 1960 Best Actress Oscar? It's open to debate however I for one admire her performance here greatly and it undoubtedly shows Taylor in all her movie queen splendour. Beginning a decade where her main leading man would repeatedly be Richard Burton, her teaming with Laurence Harvey is an interesting one that works well. Enjoy Elizabeth Taylor in her hotly debated Oscar win in John O'Hara's "Butterfield 8".

Rating:
Summary: fine drama
Review: Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey star in BUTTERFIELD 8, the film version of John O'Hara's controversial novel about a call-girl with a high pricetag.

Gloria (Elizabeth Taylor) is a call-girl who deeply resents her profession but cannot stop from going along with it. She feels she has found the perfect man in Weston Liggett (Laurence Harvey), a married man who has lost all feeling for his wife, Emily (Dina Merrill).

Gloria finds a bed and good listener in her best friend Steve (real-life lover Eddie Fisher), and thinks she has the courage to re-direct her wayward life, but Liggett is always in the background, and pushes her to her destruction.

Taylor had no intention of doing this film. Her previous work, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, was meant to have been her last screen credit, but the death of her husband Mike Todd forced her to resume her screen career. After viewing the film when it had been completed, Taylor reportedly went to her dressing room and wrote on the mirror "Piece of s**t". In the film, Gloria writes the words "No sale" on a mirror.

However, Taylor's masterful performance earned her her first Oscar, and one cannot deny that she gives one of her finest performances here.

Also starring Mildred Dunnock, Betty Field and Susan Oliver.

Rating:
Summary: Some scenes just sizzle in spite of 1960s moral code
Review: Elizabeth Taylor won an academy award for this film back in 1960. Yes, she's a good actress. But it was also politically correct at the time to have her win because she was just recovering from an illness. She was at the peak of her physical attractiveness then, and she sure did look good. I'll never forget the first scene where she wakes up alone in the luxurious apartment of a wealthy married man, played by Laurence Harvey, parades around in a slip and high heels and walks off with his wife's mink coat. Later, they embark on a hot romance which ends tragically, but not before Liz gets to wear some gorgeous outfits and have a few scenes with Eddie Fisher, her real-life boyfriend at the time, cast as her platonic friend. The story had to conform to Hollywood's moral code and yet there are some scenes that just sizzle. It held my interest throughout. And the characters came across as real people, avoiding the pitfall of stereotypes. I enjoyed it completely. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Liz is awfully good in awfully trashy film
Review: Elizabeth Taylor's Oscar-winning turn as a prostitute highlights an otherwise average film about an emotionally troubled prostitute who tries to go straight when she falls in love with a kindred spirit, a boozy lawyer stuck in a miserable marriage. ("Pretty Woman" it ain't). What could have been a crackling adaption of John O'Hara's tragic novel is instead a trashy, dramatically uneven, cliché-riddled film with a tacked-on (and ludicrous) happy ending that completely undermines the source material. Granted, Hollywood's censors would not have allowed a really faithful adaption of O'Hara's sexually charged novel, but even with the necessary trimming it should have been better. Taylor's bittersweet performance as Gloria Wandrous is by far the best thing about the film, though most of the cast acquits themselves well, particularly Lawrence Harvey as her lover, Weston Leggett. Eddie Fisher, cast only because he was Liz's then-husband, sleepwalks through the film. Even with its flaws, it's worth seeing once, though, because Liz is simply commanding, dominating every scene she's in. Her performance edges alarmingly close to campy overacting at times, but she always knows when to reign it in, and she gives Gloria far more depth than the dreadful script could have hoped for. For those who only know Liz from her frequent tabloid headlines, here is a chance to get to know the versatile and dynamic actress who once took Hollywood by storm (though I recommend starting with "National Velvet"). Ironically, Liz says she hates this film, possibly due to being forced (blackmailed is more like it) into it by her contract at MGM.

Rating:
Summary: "Vulgarity has its uses."
Review: Gloria Wandrous is one of my all-time favourite roles for Elizabeth Taylor. Somehow the role just fits the actress like a glove. Gloria is a beautiful, troubled model whose private life is composed of nights in bars and a series of men. When "Butterfield 8" begins, Gloria wakes up in her underwear in a strange apartment. Taylor does an incredible job displaying her disorientation, and it takes her until her first cigarette to get her bearings. Gloria, it seems, has just spent the night with Weston Liggett (Laurence Harvey) in his New York apartment. The wealthy Mrs. Liggett (Dina Merrill) is off visiting her mother, and in her absence, Liggett picks up Gloria. It's meant to be a one-night-stand. That's what Gloria is used to, but Liggett wants more. Liggett and Gloria are both on their own self-destructive, self-indulgent binges when they meet, and their relationship is passionate and explosive.

The film is based on a John O'Hara novel. Taylor won an Academy award for best actress, and when the film was released it was considered quite risque. Strong supporting roles flesh out the story and illustrate the utter selfishness and self-destructive tendencies of the two main characters. Supporting characters include: the tiresomely saintly Mrs. Liggett, Steve (Eddie Fisher)--Gloria's childhood friend, Steve's long-suffering girlfriend, Norma, Gloria's mother (she's in terminal denial) and Mrs. Thurber, Gloria's mother's friend. All of these characters support and tolerate Liggett and Gloria to one degree or another. Elizabeth Taylor is incredible as Gloria. She's hysterical, needy, impossible and pathetic all at once. While I like Laurence Harvey, I found him to be the weak spot in this film. His acting was wooden and weak--and this is in complete contrast to Taylor--she is magnificent. She exudes a certain looseness. The film seems a little dated now--probably because the risque elements of the film no longer seem so, but Taylor fans should enjoy her performance. The DVD features theatrical trailers, and these really underscore the sensational aspects of the film, as it must have seemed to an audience from the 60s--displacedhuman

Rating:
Summary: Execrable
Review: Having virtually no interest in the vast majority of movies made over the past 30 years, and having almost exhausted my local video dealer's supply of "classics" -- i.e., those films devoid of gratuitous sex and violence that practically nobody wants to see -- I picked up one of the few that I've never watched: "Butterfield 8."

I can't remember the last time I saw such an inept, dated, boring, and pointless movie. And the acting! Elizabeth Taylor did NOT deserve the Oscar -- her performance is shrill, one-dimensional, and tedious. The always awful Laurence Harvey is -- you guessed it -- awful. And every time Eddie Fisher appears on the screen, you want to avert your gaze -- zero acting ability.

Miss Taylor called this movie "trash," and that's certainly the word for it. Its two good points are Miss Taylor's beauty and a few shots of NYC 40 years ago. Believe me, they don't save this dismayingly distasteful film. Avoid it like the plague.

Rating:
Summary: A fun film
Review: I bought this film because I so liked Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? I wanted to see what Elizabeth Taylor won an Oscar for and she does deliver as kind of a Holly Golightly gone darkly tragic. The great part of her character is that she's somewhere between a prostitute and a mistress and she doesn't let anyone else define the line for her. That was nice. It would've been easy to make her the prostitute with the heart of gold but it was more interestign to have Eddie Fisher as her best friend/unrequited lover and a Debbie Reynolds lookalike as his fiancee who is disgusted with his relationship with her.
There was some criticism of Fisher's part in the film, him not being the super actor that everyone else in the film is, I disagreed. The dark irony of them playing out their real life affair in the film, packing movei houses I'm sure and also his lack of sophistication, his lack of dazzle to interest her as anything but a safe space was really a nice twist on their real life relationship.
I hail Virginia Wolf as one of the best films of all time but this one has a nice dark humor to it and Taylor is strog as a woman who is literally chased by her life to the ends of her life.
Prostitutes and dying at the end, along with disabilities was a shoe in for winning Oscars for awhile, even though Taylor comes off as immoral. And by the time she decides to reveal herself as a caring person circumstance destroys her shakey reputation and eventually even her psyche.
Her lover, who decides to leave his diletante lifestyle comes off as insanely intense and Taylor does a nice turn as going from shark to being sympathetic as she's pushed to the edge of love and identity.

Rating:
Summary: Thank God it's coming to DVD!
Review: I'am very greatful that one of ELizabeth Taylor's best performances is now coming to DVD! This DVD will have the Anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen and the Pan & Scan transfers! It will also have the English and French language tracks as well as the theatrical trailer. This is one of Elizabeth Taylor's best work on film, and she won the Best Actress Oscar for it. Many people including Taylor think she won it for almost dieing but I think she deserved it for the performance. The movie is tragic and exciting, especially Taylor and Harvey's high speed car chase. Elizabeth Taylor's then husband Eddie Fisher is in the movie also. Miss Taylor called this movie trash, but I think other wise and I bet you do too!

Rating:
Summary: It's a Classic!
Review: I'm not embarrassed to admit I think this is a great movie and that Elizabeth Taylor gives BY FAR her best performance in it. She's luscious but vulnerable. Laurence Harvey gives an outstanding performance as well and the cast includes Kay Medford and Midred Dunnock, the latter one of the giants of the Broadway stage (the original Mrs. Loman in Death of a Salesman & the original Big Mama in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof).

Butterfield 8 LOOKS really good, too - beautiful set-ups, great lighting - it's a wonderful paean to the 1950s. And I don't care what the prissy latter-day puritans say about how many kinds of trash it is (another sad measure of our politically-correct brainwashed times) - like all John O'Hara stories it's got lots of meat and poetry in it - and it's a classic modern-day tragedy. At least it was until the advent of feminism, AIDS & political correctness.

Rating:
Summary: Liz Gives a Virtuoso Performance
Review: I, for one, believe that Elizabeth Taylor deserved an Oscar for her performance here, and I'm not alone. Yes, the movie is trashy, but it's also entertaining. Some of the dialogue is very enjoyable and smart (though some of it is stilted), and the movie was unusually frank for a film that was released in 1960. (It also gives you a feel for Manhattan at that time.) There is also some psychological depth in the way it depicts the difficulty someone may have in breaking away from their "past."And Elizabeth Taylor has never looked more sensual and alluring, and she brings genuine feeling to the character she plays. She's very convincing.