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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 '10' while the rest is '3', averaging out to 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, featuring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the same film is always a treat, and
The Sandpiper is too happy to provide lots of them.