The Corner Penthouse

Warner Brothers recently released the Elizabeth Taylor 4-Film Collection Blu-ray. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

The beloved Elizabeth Taylor takes center stage in four of her most memorable film performances. Spencer Tracy is her Dad in the wedding comedy Father of the Bride (1950), Van Johnson is her love interest in the poignant romance The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954), her Oscar-winning turn opposite Richard Burton in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), and as an embittered Army wife opposite Marlon Brando in Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967).

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

Father of the Bride (1950) - The movie is presented in a 1.36:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:32:49. The movie has not been rated. Audio languages include English, French, Spanish, Polish. Subtitle languages include English SDH, French, Spanish, Czech, Polish.

The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) - The movie is presented in a 1.75:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:56:24. The movie has not been rated. Audio languages include English. Subtitle languages include English SDH.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) - The movie is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 2:10:59. The movie has not been rated. Audio languages include English. Subtitle languages include English SDH.

Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) - The movie is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:49:06 for the Golden Hue version on Disc 4 (due to the inclusion of a text intro) and 1:48:49 for the Color version on Disc 5. The movie has not been rated. Audio languages include English. Subtitle languages include English SDH.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the content listed below can be found the noted Blu-ray discs. DISC 1 is Father of the Bride, DISC 2 is The Last Time I Saw Paris, DISC 3 is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and DISC 4 is Reflections in a Golden Eye (Disc 5 has the color version of the last film and no extras).

• DISC 1: Wedding Bells for Star Elizabeth Taylor (1:24) - A short newsreel taken at Taylor's wedding to Conrad Hilton, Jr. (no audio)
• DISC 1: President Truman Meets the Father of the Bride (1:12) - The cast meet, greet and pose for pictures. (no audio)
• DISC 1: Trailer (2:13)
• DISC 2: Classic Tom & Jerry short: Touche Pussy Cat (6:42) - This Hanna-Barbera cartoon from 1954 appears in high definition CinemaScope.
• DISC 2: Original Theatrical Trailer (3:49)
• DISC 3: Audio Commentary - with director Mike Nichols and Steven Soderbergh.
• DISC 3: Audio Commentary - with cinematographer Haskell Wexler.
• DISC 3: Too Shocking for Its Time (10:37) - In this 2006 feature, former MPAA head Jack Valenti, and others, discuss the controversy over the film's language and subject matter.
• DISC 3: A Daring Work of Raw Excellence (20:14) - This 2006 featurette provides both a critical overview of Albee's play and a history of its journey to the screen.
• DISC 3: 1966 Mike Nichols Interview (9:00) - Interviewed by NBC shortly after the film's release, Nichols discusses his directing style, the making of the film, and his life and career up to that point.
• DISC 3: Sandy Dennis Screen Test (7:13) - Roddy McDowall plays Nick in this widescreen screen test.
• DISC 3: Elizabeth Taylor: Intimate Portrait (1:06:31) - This documentary, which aired on ABC in 1975, is hosted by Peter Lawford. It's an unabashed love letter Liz, including interviews with Rock Hudson, Roddy McDowall, director Richard Brooks and Taylor's mother, Sara.
• DISC 3: Theatrical Trailer (2:13)
• DISC 3: Bonus Trailers - The Comedians (1967) (1:24), The Sandpiper (1965) (3:24), and The V.I.P.s (1963) (4:06).
• DISC 4: Vintage Behind-the-Scenes Footage (23:09) - A collection of silent black-and-white B-roll paired with cues from Toshiro Mayuzumi's original score.
• DISC 4: Theatrical Trailer (2:41) - Presented in full color, not gold-hued, and can be viewed online.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

No digital copy code voucher is included inside the standard five-disc blue Blu-ray case.

[ NOTES ]

Elizabeth Taylor 4-Film Collection Blu-ray is available on Blu-ray. It contains the same five discs that were previously-released individually. It's a decent collection, but I would have preferred that Reflections in a Golden Eye be swapped with Father's Little Dividend (1951), which is the sequel to Father of the Bride. In the 1990s, Steve Martin starred in a remake and its sequel. The 1949 novel "Father of the Bride" by Edward Streeter was again adapted into a film in 2022 starring Andy Garcia (reviewed here), but it's only available on DVD because Warner Brothers wants to keep the HD version locked on streaming.

This item has been provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.