Hello all and a very happy new year and a big welcome to the first movie blog of 2012.Before Christmas we looked at the life of Dame Elizabeth Taylor.I thought we’d start this year with a link up by looking at her most famous husband our very own Richard Burton.One of the greatest stage actors, Burton’s best remembered now for his distinctive,once heard never forgotten voice.It really is the voice that was made to perform Shakespeare and the haunting poems of fellow Welshman Dylan Thomas.Whether he’s snarling in anger or despair or cooing words of love at a lady that voice gives the performance a little something extra.Like Alan Rickman you really could just sit and listen to him read the phonebook and be enraptured.
Richard Burton
1925-1984
Richard Walter Jenkins was born on November 10th,1925 in Pontrhydyfen, Wales, UK. He was the twelfth of thirteen children and his father was a hard drinking, coalminer and five of Richard’s six brothers followed their father down the pit. Following the death of his mother (who died giving birth to his younger brother Graham).He was mostly raised by his adored older sister Cecelia(who along with Elizabeth Taylor)would be known as one of the two women he loved most in the world.
He took his professional name from his schoolmaster and tutor, Philip Burton.Burton took the 17-year old Richard and groomed him for success, both academically and as an actor. The two became so close, that Burton attempted to adopt him as his son.He was prevented from doing so however as Richard was too young, under the law. Richard however considered Philip his adopted father and honored him by taking on his surname.Richard received a scholarship to Oxford University where he studied acting.He made his first stage appearance in the early 1940’s and never looked back from that moment.
His first appearances in films were in non descript titles such as,The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949), Waterfront (1950) and Green Grow the Rushes (1951). Then he started to get noticed both by producers and audiences with his lead in the Daphne DuMaurier adaptation My Cousin Rachel (1952).Hollywood roles flooded in with films like The Robe (1953)(in which he plays a cruel Roman soldier who’s personality is affected after witnessing the crucifixion of Jesus. Alexander the Great (1956) and Bitter Victory(1957).Coupled with this he was also spending considerable time in stage productions, both in the UK and America. He was also at the forefront of the 1950’s British New Wave film movement where films became more realistic and often featured angry young men struggling for control of their own lives.His unforgettable performance in Look Back in Anger (1959)continues to electrify all these years later. He also appeared alongside many international stars in the epic WW2 film,The Longest Day (1962).
Ric
His personal life seemed rosy for a longtime when on the 5th February 1949 he married Sybil Williams.The couple had two daughters Kate and Jessica(who was diagnosed with possible autism and sadly spent her life in various institutions, a development which haunted Burton for his whole life).For the most part it was a happy marriage and the couple adored each other. However Richard was a notorious womaniser and had frequent affairs over the years. However he always came back to Sybil and she believed completely that this would always be so. For all her faith and strength ultimately she couldn’t do anything about a woman called Elizabeth Taylor.Burton’s family and many of his friends adored Sybil and sided with her regards the affair and eventual marriage to Elizabeth.One of Elizabeth’s closest friends actor Roddy McDowall was close to both women and actually brought about a reconciliation between them after Richard’s death.
Richard and Elizabeth We now come to what has been described as the marriage of the 20th century,Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.In 1963 Richard replaced Stephen Boyd as Roman General Marc Anthony in what is arguably his most famous role,opposite Elizabeth Taylor’s famous Egyptian Queen in Cleopatra. This of course, was the film on which they began their legendary romance and the couple would appear together in several films over the next few years including The V.I.P.s (1963), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and The Taming of the Shrew (1967).Richard divorced Sybil in December 1963 and married Elizabeth on 15th March 1964. Although there were many good years both were highly strung and passionate people, who when fuelled by drink had massive(often very public)rows. This led to their divorce in 1974,however they shocked the world when they remarried each other in 1975(this marriage barely lasted a year and ended permanently in 1976).
Richard was also responsible for the start of mass interest in Elizabeth’s famous collection of jewellery splashing out a record $1,069,0009(around $6 million dollars in todays money) in 1969 to buy her one of the worlds biggest Diamonds which she wore as a ring.Ten years later Elizabeth auctioned off the jewel to fund a hospital in Botswana.The ring itself was the centre of the hysterical Here’s Lucy episode “Lucy meets The Burton’s” in 1970.In the sketch Lucy meets Richard and Elizabeth at a hotel and gets to try on the ring which gets stuck on her finger. The couple remained close though keeping in contact via letters and telephone until Richard’s death.
Some of his best film roles came in the late 60’s and 70’s such as those in Becket (1964 where he played Thomas Becket), Night Of The Iguann(1964),John LeCarre’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), his move into the action genre alongside Clint Eastwood in Where Eagles Dare (1968),the emotionally tortured Dr.Dysart in Equus(1977)and his swansong as the torturer in George Orwell’s chiller 1984(1984).
Richard and Sally Prematurly aged due to alcoholism Richard found some peace towards the end with his final marriage to Sally Hay in 1983.She helped in his fight to stay off the bottle and was a soothing and stable presence in his life.On August 4th 1984 at home in Switzerland Richard complained of a severe headache and went to bed early.The next morning his condition was worse and Sally called an ambulance,Doctors at hospital in Geneva discovered he’d suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and despite strong efforts to save him he died on the operating table.He was fifty eight years old.
The world lost a brilliant actor that day but his talent lives on in the many film and theatre recordings he left behind.The following films I think are among his best work and highly recommend them.Until next time happy film viewing and take care.Maddy.
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?.
The Taming Of The Shrew.
Look Back In Anger.
Equss.
Where Eagles Dare.
Beckett.
1984.
Bitter Victory.
Anne Of The Thousand Days.
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