The Life and Loves of Elizabeth Taylor | Elizabeth Taylor’s Accidental Feminism | 74
Aug 10, 2021
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M.G. Lord, expert on Elizabeth Taylor, discusses Taylor's accidental feminism in films, breaking censorship, and feminist legacy. They dive into Taylor's iconic roles challenging societal norms, her struggles with weight gain, and public perception. The podcast explores how Taylor's beauty often overshadowed her impactful feminist message on screen.
Elizabeth Taylor's films contained hidden feminist themes, challenging societal norms and advocating for gender equality.
The Hays Code significantly restricted film content, leading to censorship and modification of scripts to comply with guidelines.
Deep dives
The Feminist Themes in Elizabeth Taylor's Movies
MG Lord discusses the accidental feminism present in Elizabeth Taylor's movies. She highlights the progressive elements hidden within the films, which tackled topics such as gender discrimination, abortion rights, and the feminization of the West. Lord explains that the Hays Code heavily influenced the content of films during that time, leading writers and directors to subtly incorporate feminist values. She emphasizes the significant role Taylor played in choosing movies with feminist and controversial content, shedding light on the importance of her choices as an actor.
The Influence of the Production Code on Hollywood Films
The podcast episode delves into the impacts of the Hays Code on Hollywood's creativity. Lord explains that between 1934 and 1966, the production code controlled every word in American movie scripts, limiting the inclusion of certain themes and ideas. This restriction led to extensive censoring and modification of scripts to adhere to the code's guidelines. Lord mentions how the bizarre nature of the code reflected the authoritarian mindset of the time. Despite the limitations, filmmakers like Elizabeth Taylor challenged the code and pushed boundaries with their choices.
Elizabeth Taylor's Filmography and Impact
The episode explores Elizabeth Taylor's filmography and the role she played in breaking away from traditional stereotypes. Lord highlights some of her standout films, such as 'National Velvet,' 'Giant,' 'Butterfield 8,' and 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' These movies tackled gender equality, the feminist movement, the feminization of the American West, and the damaging societal expectations placed on women. Lord emphasizes that Taylor's performances and the strong characters she portrayed broke new ground and challenged societal norms.
Elizabeth Taylor's Personal Journey and Legacy
The podcast episode touches upon Elizabeth Taylor's personal life, including her struggles with weight, public perception, and multiple marriages. Lord discusses how Taylor managed to persevere and assert herself amid societal pressures. Furthermore, the episode acknowledges Taylor's contribution to AIDS philanthropy, her groundbreaking fundraising efforts, and her role in raising awareness about the epidemic. The podcast underscores the importance of Taylor's legacy, encouraging a reevaluation of her impact beyond her representation in the media.
Elizabeth Taylor is remembered for her beauty, her diamonds and her many, many husbands. But her most enduring legacy may be her decidedly feminist films. This week we talk to professor and author M.G. Lord about her book, “The Accidental Feminist: How Elizabeth Taylor Raised Our Consciousness and We Were Too Distracted by Her Beauty to Notice,” how the Liz Taylor broke the censorship of the production code, and how she build a feminist legacy from her character, Leslie Benedict.
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