The Sandpiper

I initially watched this movie by mistake. I thought I was going to get the Steve McQueen film The Sand Pebbles but did not quite remember the correct name.

Liz Taylor and Richard Burton did not really appeal to me and I had read the rather scrabby reviews. I ended up watching it for the period costumes (maybe Liz wore some great jewelry I could cheaply copy) and the 60s art community at Big Sur.

So, I ended up liking it and disagreeing with the reviews. The story line was good. Illegitimacy was unusual then and of course the cleric head of a private school might find the situation to be both shocking and attractive, especially when the unwed mommy looks like Liz Taylor. The struggle between the two stars' world views seems genuine for the time and the dialog was pretty fair despite Taylor's occasional lapses into shrillness. The ending seemed as honest as it was sad.

So why the bad reviews? Well given the tabloid romance between Liz and Dick it was hard to envision the womanizing Burton as a straight-laced preacher who beat up on himself for wanting the younger free spirited artiste. It was equally hard to imagine Liz as reluctant to marry as Burton was her fifth husband. If the real affair had been less sensational the fictional one would have been more convincing. To contemporary audiences the situation may have instead seemed comical.

Sad business as both actors did fine jobs and the supporting work of Eva Marie Saint and Charles Bronson made the film very worth watching, IMO.

Today's young movie goers will not remember the "romance of the century" and Photoplay magazine is a distant memory for those of us who do recall the stories.

The Sandpiper is worth another look.