Elizabeth Taylor

Smith packs her slim volume with telling detail and a vivid re-evaluation of the actress' incredible flair for engaging with audiences.' - Total Film 'A first rate piece of analysis that will interest fans and budding performers alike.' - eyeforfilm.co.uk

The first in-depth academic analysis of Elizabeth Taylor's work in film. It examines her distinctive features as a performer and shows how various aspects of her performance repertoire evolved along with her star persona, during the course of her career, both on and off screen.

Elizabeth Taylor was one of the major film stars of the twentieth century, embodying all the glamour and allure of Hollywood stardom. Yet her achievements as an actress have often been overshadowed by her beauty and tumultuous life off-screen.
To redress this imbalance, Susan Smith offers an illuminating study of Elizabeth Taylor's work in film, exploring her fascinating trajectory from child to adult star. Smith reveals the influence that Taylor's early work exerted over her later career and the ways in which her on-screen identity is profoundly rooted in her association with animals and nature. Smith carefully unpicks what made Taylor such a distinctive and dynamic on-screen performer – from the expressive use she made of her eyes to the dramatic significance of her voice – and considers the importance of certain professional collaborations that Taylor forged during her career, most notably her acting partnership with Montgomery Clift.