On B List of Movie Reviews
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BUtterfield 8 (1960)
Rate:
3
Viewed:
10/08
10/08:
Elizabeth Taylor was dying from double pneumonia, which was actually caused by too much booze and pills, three
weeks prior to the Oscars.
Having gotten better in time, she was able to attend the show. The Academy, feeling pity, decided to award her the golden statuette
for BUtterfield 8. Not long afterwards, she recovered fully and went straight back to work,
this time for Cleopatra.
Today, many agree that it's one of the worst Oscar-winning performances ever. Elizabeth Taylor had already conceded
to the sentiment and didn't think much of the movie, calling it a "stinker." And I wholeheartedly agree with her.
A terribly average film, the first half is dull and slow before the pace is picked up in the next half,
ultimately going nowhere. There's no plot, either. The worst and most hated character is played by Laurence
Harvey who comes off as conceited and selfish. At one point, he went raving mad over a fur coat, but I should be
appalled by how many animals were killed for it to exist.
All in all, Elizabeth Taylor looks beautiful in BUtterfield 8, but her Oscar win is a travesty.