This was Elizabeth Taylor's first "grown up" movie.
It's what the trade used to call "a woman's picture" -- with some justification in this case, as it is based on Vina Delmar's stage play, "The Rich Full Life".
Elizabeth acquits herself well. She later stated that she had an ideal director in Robert Z. Leonard who not only encouraged her but gave her plenty of confidence.
Even more importantly, Leonard didn't rush matters, but proceeded slowly and took time out to coach her;
The slow speed made photographer Schoenbaum happy too. He often referred to his camerawork here as some of his best work ever, as he had plenty of time to tinker with the lighting and make Elizabeth look absolutely radiant!
Oddly, despite all this care, the movie was only moderately successful at the box-office. It made money sure, but it was nothing like the windfall that studio head Louis B. Mayer expected.
The critics were neither steamed up nor overly indulgent, but almost everyone agreed that Liz was off to a good start as a grown-up actress.
It's what the trade used to call "a woman's picture" -- with some justification in this case, as it is based on Vina Delmar's stage play, "The Rich Full Life".
Elizabeth acquits herself well. She later stated that she had an ideal director in Robert Z. Leonard who not only encouraged her but gave her plenty of confidence.
Even more importantly, Leonard didn't rush matters, but proceeded slowly and took time out to coach her;
The slow speed made photographer Schoenbaum happy too. He often referred to his camerawork here as some of his best work ever, as he had plenty of time to tinker with the lighting and make Elizabeth look absolutely radiant!
Oddly, despite all this care, the movie was only moderately successful at the box-office. It made money sure, but it was nothing like the windfall that studio head Louis B. Mayer expected.
The critics were neither steamed up nor overly indulgent, but almost everyone agreed that Liz was off to a good start as a grown-up actress.