Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Tymon Sutton The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

jery-tillotson-1 "Ash Wednesday" from l973 marked Elizabeth Taylor's last glamour movie. After winning her Oscar for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe", Taylor was urged by new husband, Richard Burton, to take on more quirky roles that downplayed, and thus damaged, her phenomenal movie career as a legendary beauty. When she accepted the role of Barbara, an aging middle-aged socialite who goes to Switzerland to have a body lift, Burton was enraged that she would take such a "dumb" role. We have to laugh. Burton by now was notorious for picking roles that resulted in box office bombs, like "Exorcist II," "Bluebeard," "Under Milkwood", "Staircase," etc. "Ash Wednesday" was filmed at the luxurious resort village of Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy. Here we see a stunning Elizabeth Taylor--at last--clothed in knockout fashions from the hands of Edith Head. Beautiful gowns, robes of velvet, furs galore, hairstyles from Alexandre of Paris, rapturous photography by Ennio Guarnieri and best of all a one-of-a-kind white ermine costume to wear at the movie's mardi gras. Taylor's co-star was nearly as beautiful as she: Helmut Berger. Burton was convinced the two were having a real affair. Everyone laughed because it was known that the gorgeous Berger was the lover of Italian movie director Luchino Visconti. Taylor looks phenomenal throughout, with numerous loving closeups that show why the world had fallen in love with her. We have a beautiful musical score by Maurice Jarre but the biggest casting error is a glum, grim Henry Fonda who portrays her dull-as-dishwater husband. That male beauty, Rod Taylor of the '70s, would have been ideal. Producer Dominick Dunne wrote in his memoirs that there was more drama behind the scenes of this movie than in front it. Taylor and Burton had operatic confrontations over who was sleeping with who. He tried to physically prevent her from appearing on the set. The actress was often late, sometimes never showed up for work, overdosed several times--yet, none of this shows up on screen. "Ash Wednesday" is a movie to be treasured by Taylor fans--and we are in the millions--or anyone else who wants to see a fabulous beauty making her swan song to old-style glamour. She would never appear so uncannily beautiful again.

India M. I actually enjoyed this film quite a bit. It wasn't quite "Virginia Woolf" or some of her other films. But I think it showed some great depth and the desperation in a women, who thinks she is losing her husband, especially set in the 70's. Henry Fonda, as great an actor as he was, would not have been my choice as the male lead. However, his role is secondary for all intents and purposes. The film is also obviously about a wealthy woman. First, it's set in Switzerland and she's an American. One who can afford plastic surgery, which in her character's mind,is the way to possibly gain her husband's attention. Not a radical idea today, but plastic surgery was less talked about in this time period. I came across this film accidentally on television awhile back and have had trouble finding it since. It's definitely worth watching if you are an Elizabeth Taylor fan.

zorotrinidad I want to say, in 1973, it was fashionable to knock anything Elizabeth Taylor did. Not the greatest movie in the world, but a bitter story of how the aging process can affect us. Yes! It was a return to the gorgeous Liz! But, isn't that what a movie star is all about. So, Liz got fat, so did I! Liz drank and had her addictions. So do we all! Why judge a performance by an actor's trouble life? And, mirror, mirror on the wall, who has lived to survive it all? Elizabeth the Great! What more can I say? Sadly, bias and bigotry continue to blight the work of many great performers. Time will tell, or maybe it has told already, that Elizabeth Taylor and her body of work can stand up with the rest. P.S. Felt the same incredible sadness at"Ash Wednesday" in 1973 as I did at that other bitter pill "Brokeback Mountain."

mrcaw1 Ash Wednesday (1973) Costarring Henry Fonda, Taylor plays your typical depressed, run-of-the-mill, middle-aged housewife who in an attempt to win back her divorce-seeking husband, goes to a Swiss spa to undergo plastic surgery and regain her youthful beauty. Well, not only is the operation a success, she comes out of it looking like, well Elizabeth Taylor. Dominick Dunne produced this movie before he went on to novel writing fame and fortune. It's considered a really bad movie. I consider it high seventies camp at its best. Most definitely a thumbs up. Watch it in college with your friends over vodka tonics.