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The Sandpiper (1965)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
3/17, 3/23
3/17:
The Sandpiper can be best described as a vanity project for the Burtons who were married not long before the start
of filming.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton get a '10' while the rest is a '3', averaging out to a weak '7'. It's comical to see how
the son is instantly forgotten as soon as he's shipped to San Simeon because it's all about Liz and Dick which is the best
part of the whole thing. That being said, who the hell cares about the kid?
The other is the cinematography. I don't think you'll find a more beautiful film than The Sandpiper
when it comes to Big Sur. The story is okay, but it's never convincing for the slightest second. The sandpiper, which is a bird, is
used as an allegory of what's going on. Elizabeth Taylor does everything to demonstrate her character, Laura Reynolds,
is the most free-spirited person alive, but really, her stunning looks have made it possible although she can't paint for shit.
Besides, why wouldn't Laura's parents want her around? That's what she's good for: be shown off to everybody. It has been
a constant theme with her boyfriends. Richard Burton, whose hypocritical reverend character is the latest notch of Laura's many
sexual conquests, is only happy to oblige. He was, after all, mystified by her sparkling eyes and tanned breasts.
Here's a movie trivia from IMDb: "According to one published report, the redwood sculpture of a nude Elizabeth Taylor was
accidentally destroyed years later when it tipped over and smashed, and was discovered to be teeming with termites."
I guess beauty can last for so long although it doesn't look like her the least bit.
All in all, The Sandpiper is all about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and I'll gladly take it.
3/23:
Forget the kid or anyone else because it's all about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in The Sandpiper!
Give me them, and I'll be aplenty satisfied. As a bonus, Big Sur looks gorgeous. The story is okay, but Dalton
Trumbo's screenplay is somewhat silly with a ridiculous ending. Adultery is adultery, and there's nothing complicated about it. Of
course, I'll take Elizabeth Taylor over Eva Marie Saint any time of the day.
All in all, having Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the same film is always a treat, and The Sandpiper is
too happy to provide lots of them.