last night the BBC screened a semi-impressive documentary on the late, great Richard Burton. semi-impressive? yes, just that. it committed the great folly of being a jack of all trades and master of none. it's name, Taylor Made For Success, suggested that it was to concentrate entirely on his relationship with Ms Elizabeth Taylor. nope, did not do that. sure, it suggested that his fame was down to her, but made it clear that his talent was his own.
the show then spent a lot of time darting between performances in key films in an all too vague manner. this led to some ridiculous consistencies in what was being said. for example, the narrative tone married to the imagery gave the impression that it was Elizabeth Taylor's fault that Burton made Exorcit II and Medusa Touch. now, neither film is a great, but is there any need to blame Ms Taylor for them????
as far as performances go, the only cinematic endeavours that got mentioned were, convenitently, ones in which the documentary makers had someone to interview about. great that we had so much on 1984, with the director there to comment, but no references to Equus???? Look Back In Anger??????? and, for the love of Christ, how can you make ANY documentary on Richard Burton and make no reference whatsoever to Becket?????
so, with the complaints above, why is it for me semi-impressive and not just slated? because the show had access to his diaries, that's why.
how I dearly wish I had had the discipline and dedication to keep diaries like Mr Burton. they are a revelation, and his gift for writing puts to shame his high acting skills. as most of you know, by and large I detest reading non-fiction for pleasure, but these diaries were wonderful. he composed them during some dark, anger filled days and yet they contain the elegance and beauty of anything Shelley or Byron wrote. I shall be keeping a copy of the documentary for the diary insights alone!
right, I guess that has me on a mission to get some of his finer films on DVD! I have a sparse collection at the moment - just 1984 and Where Eagles Dare. more to follow!
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