Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Violet-eyed siren Elizabeth Taylor and classically handsome Montgomery Clift were the most gorgeous screen couple of their time. Over two decades of friendship they made, separately and together, some of the era’s defining movies—including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Misfits, Suddenly, Last Summer, and Cleopatra. Yet the relationship between these two figures—one a dazzling, larger-than-life star, the other hugely talented yet fatally troubled—has never truly been explored until now.  
 
“Monty, Elizabeth likes me, but she loves you.”
—Richard Burton

When Elizabeth Taylor was cast opposite Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun, he was already a movie idol, with a natural sensitivity that set him apart. At seventeen, Elizabeth was known for her ravishing beauty rather than her talent. Directors treated her like a glamorous prop. But Monty took her seriously, inspiring and encouraging her. In her words, “That’s when I began to act.”

To Monty, she was “Bessie Mae,” a name he coined for her earthy, private side. The press clamored for a wedding, convinced this was more than friendship. The truth was even more complex. Monty was drawn to women but sexually attracted to men—a fact that, if made public, would destroy his career. But he found acceptance and kinship with Elizabeth. Her devotion was never clearer than after his devastating car crash near her Hollywood home, when she crawled into the wreckage and saved him from choking.

Monty’s accident shattered his face and left him in constant pain. As he sank into alcoholism and addiction, Elizabeth used her power to keep him working. In turn, through scandals and multiple marriages, he was her constant. Their relationship endured until his death in 1966, right before he was to star with her in Reflections in a Golden Eye. His influence continued in her outspoken support for the gay community, especially during the AIDS crisis.

Far more than the story of two icons, this is a unique and extraordinary love story that shines new light on both stars, revealing their triumphs, demons—and the loyalty that united them to the end.

 

Book Review

Who doesn’t know Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift—at least their names, that is? Two Hollywood stars whose lights were shining most brilliantly in their day and keep on sparkling even now. They were—and are—also two of the most fascinating characters one can study, and their life stories, made of countless ups and downs, moments of happiness and dramas, read like strange fairy tales where one ends up doubting whether to envy them or pity them.

 

To be fairly honest, like many people of my generation, I guess, I knew more about Elizabeth Taylor before reading this book than I did about Montgomery Clift, whose name I consciously became aware of through an R.E.M. song called Monty Got a Raw Deal featured on their album Automatic for the People (one of my favorite albums ever). I also knew he was gay, which uelled my interest ever since I found out. Only when reading this book did I realize I had even seen him in several films, mostly those of the end of his career (namely in Freud: The Secret Passion, which our psychology teacher made us watch in high school). It was therefore with unfeigned pleasure that I requested this double-biography, and with genuine pleasure, too, that I started reading it.

 

And it was a fascinating tale I read. Even more so as nothing in it is a tale but the story of two real persons’ lives—lives that showed some surprising similarities. The author retraces their childhoods, talks about their dysfunctional families, their domineering mothers, and their meeting in the movie A Place in the Sun, where they immediately struck a strong friendship that lasted till the end. He tells us about young Elizabeth’s unrequited infatuation for the dashing and drop-dead gorgeous actor, who had built the first part of his career on Broadway before heeding the call of the movie business out West.

 

I won’t disclose more about the content of this book. Movie aficionados probably already know everything there is to know about these two film stars; for all the others, the least hint or detail might be considered a spoiler. All I want to say straight away is that I really enjoyed this book, which in long parts read like a novel, not because the author invented things, but allowed gaps to show where truths couldn’t be unearthed. From what I understand, he gathered lots of data first-hand, through personal interviews and press clippings, and of course, there remain things open to conjecture and analysis, which he indulges in, but never without honestly telling the reader that ultimately, only those involved know for sure what happened and why. All these bits and pieces the author wove into an interesting, riveting narrative with an untrembling hand, and he also succeeded in “fictionalizing” those parts that would have been dreary if written in a less intimate style. The prose was therefore engaging and drew me in right from the start.

 

What I enjoyed was that the book made me see both Elizabeth’s and Monty’s lives in all their glory and gloom, dwelling on the important steps of their careers and their personal lives, always coming back to the main focus: their lasting friendship. In one word, a double-biography I highly recommend.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author via NetGalley for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 352 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	25-May-2021
Price	$22.95 ebook, $27.00 hardcover
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Monty-Untold-Intimate-Friendship-ebook/dp/B08GYBH611