May 9, 2024 – The HBO Original documentary ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE LOST TAPES, directed by Nanette Burstein (“Hillary” and “The Kid Stays in the Picture”), debuts SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. The film will have its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Logline:

ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE LOST TAPES allows Elizabeth Taylor’s own voice to narrate her story, accompanied by personal photos, home movies, and clips from her iconic roles that mirror her real-life challenges and triumphs while also challenging audiences to reconsider Taylor’s legacy. Through newly discovered interviews with Taylor and unprecedented access to the movie star’s personal archive, the film reveals the complex inner life and vulnerability of the Hollywood legend and of a life lived on a global stage.

Synopsis:

ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE LOST TAPES offers an unprecedented exploration into the life of Elizabeth Taylor, Hollywood’s quintessential star. With extraordinary access to Taylor’s personal archives and 40 hours of newly unearthed, intimate audio interviews with journalist Richard Meryman, audiences are invited to rediscover, not just a mega star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, but a complex woman who navigated lifelong fame, personal identity, and public scrutiny on a global stage from early childhood. These candid conversations peel back the layers of one of cinema’s most enduring icons, revealing a woman at odds with her public image, yearning for respect and agency. The film follows the life of an actress who defied the era’s expectations by portraying strong-willed women on-screen, offering a nuanced portrait of the intersection of vulnerability and strength.

Credits:

HBO Documentary Films presents a Zipper Bros film, Gerber Pictures, Sutter Road Picture Company, and Bad Robot production, in association with House of Taylor. Directed by Nanette Burstein; producers, J.J. Abrams, Sean Stuart, Glen Zipper, Bill Gerber, and Rachel Rusch Rich; executive producers, Nanette Burstein, Barbara Berkowitz, Tim Mendelson, and Quinn Tivey. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez.

Photo credit: Frank Worth/HBO