Filmography: Elizabeth Taylor

When Elizabeth Taylor died last month, the world lost a beautiful and talented actress as well as a great humanitarian. Her memorable performances, striking good looks and many marriages made her an international superstar. She's also the perfect first candidate for the "Filmography" feature of this blog. This feature will focus on one actor or actress who globetrot in film and the international locations found in their work. Though some of Taylor's best work is distinctly American (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), many of her films are set abroad.

As it is in many movies, Paris is the backdrop for falling in love in The Last Time I Saw Paris. However, unlike many romances set in the City of Lights, it also serves as the scene for that love story's heartbreaking end. Taylor stars as Helen, a young woman falling for a journalist in post-WWII France. But sudden wealth comes between them and they both begin to pursue other interests...and people. The romance of the city contrasted with their ill-fated relationship makes it all the more tragic.

 Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson in The Last Time I Saw Paris

Suddenly Last Summer finds Taylor playing another unfortunate character: Catherine, a young psychiatric patient troubled by the mysterious death of her cousin while they were on holiday in Spain. Though most of the film was shot in studio in London, the holiday scenes were filmed on location. Taylor won awards, including the Golden Globe, for her performance which explores some pretty dark territory. But what lingers in the public consciousness, far separate from the subject matter, is the image of Taylor looking stunning in her white bathing suit on the beach in Mallorca.

Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly Last Summer

And how can I skip Cleopatra? The epic film featured Taylor in one of her most recognizable roles and is the third most costly film ever produced. Part of the expense came from the sheer size of the sets. The Roman Forum built for the movie was three times the size of the actual Forum and so much lumber and raw material was needed that building materials became scarce throughout the rest of Italy (or so rumor has it). Not only were the sets huge, but they had to be built twice; the production had to move from London to Cinecitta studios in Rome after Taylor's health was severely affected by the damp weather in the UK. Very little of the movie was actually shot in Egypt.

The expense of shoot made the movie infamous for nearly bankrupting 20th Century Fox and the private lives of the film's stars brought even more attention. It was during filming that Taylor and Richard Burton began their lifelong love story with a very public affair. All these things combined with the opulent final product ensure that Taylor's Cleopatra influences the way we think of ancient Egypt and Rome today - despite its historical inaccuracy.

Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra

Some other notable international locations in Taylor's films include:

• Rhapsody: Taylor travels through Paris, the French Riviera and Zurich accompanied by the music of some of the great European composers.
• Elephant Walk: This film takes Taylor further afield as a young bride who joins her husband on his tea plantation in Sri Lanka.
• The Comedians: Set in Haiti, the political conditions there made filming impossible so the film was shot in Benin and the Côte d'Azur.
• The Driver's Seat: This psychological thriller was set in Rome and Munich and also features Andy Warhol.
• Ivanhoe / Beau Brummell / Under Milk Wood: These films take Taylor back to her roots (she was born in England) and feature castles, villages and other locations all over the UK.