There is no doubt that this week, Zhao Liying and Feng Shaofeng's "official announcement" once again triggered a hot search on Weibo, and at this point, the mainland showbiz circle has another pair of golden children and jade girls who are related to the screen. Screen couples from the front of the screen to the backstage, become a real couple should be the audience's favorite thing to hear, but if you want to say the most sensational screen couple in the past hundred years, you still have to go back to Hollywood in the sixties.
In the world's memories of the Golden Age of Hollywood, there are far more impressions of actresses than male stars, and Elizabeth Taylor is one of the most representative.
The nine-year-old Hollywood child star has been called the most beautiful woman in the world during her six-decade-long acting career, and even if her contemporaries Hepburn, Monroe and the "Ice Queen" Grace Kelly are also popular, Taylor's beauty has always been unshakable.
The Hollywood of the Golden Age
It has been described as shining brighter than the starry sky
Equally striking about her beauty is her behind-the-scenes love life, with Taylor having seven husbands and eight marriages. At this point, she bears some resemblance to Heidi Rama, whom we once introduced, always falling in love quickly and then desperately entering the halls of marriage, always ending up dismal for different reasons.
The difference is that one of Taylor's seven ex-husbands was Taylor's absolute lifelong love. Although not the first, nor the last, his love for Taylor directly overshadowed everyone else, and this person was Richard Burton.
Cleopatra and Anthony's love
In either era, the union of Taylor and Burton is unconscionable, because when they first met and fell in love, they both had their own families.
Taylor and Burton met in 1961, and "Cleopatra" that year became their love affair. At that time, "Cleopatra" was already highly anticipated before it was released, not only because there would be two national dream lovers starring in the main role, but also because the production cost of the play set a record for the world at that time.
Whether it was the actor's salary, shooting time or extravagance, it was a marvel at the time, and Taylor also received a Guinness World Record for changing 65 sets of clothes throughout the film. If it hadn't been a box office hit and won 4 Oscars after its release, Cleopatra would have nearly bankrupted twentieth century Fox at the time.
What makes this drama even more pink is the news that the two leading actors rubbed sparks during filming, and the sensation caused by this scandal in the world far exceeds the impact of this big-budget film.
Cleopatra
In 1962, Taylor's marriage to her fourth husband, American singer Eddie Fisher, was just in its second year. Two years ago, Eddie Fisher had just divorced his ex-wife, Debbie Renault, who had been the "sweetheart of America", and married the "most beautiful woman in the world"; burton also had two lovely daughters with his wife, and the top actor with the sexy baritone and the world's highest salary was enjoying the happiest life, but all this began to change after the two met.
In 1951, Burton played Hamlet
For Taylor, who entered the show business circle at the age of 9 and read countless people, in front of her qualifications and beauty, even the best women and men will be eclipsed, but Richard Burton is different, he is a person worthy of her admiration.
Born into a poor miner's family, Burton worked as a child to support his family, and when he found his love of literature in middle school, he joined the troupe as an actor and served in the Royal Air Force. The young Burton carried an English dictionary and the complete works of Shakespeare with him everywhere he went, not only to recite Shakespeare backwards, but also to be called "the man who brought Hamlet to life" by critics. Such a literary and martial all-rounder can be said to satisfy the fantasies of every woman, including Taylor.
Taylor was born in 1932 and had just turned thirty when she fell in love with Burton
For Burton, Taylor was a fatal temptation that was hard to resist. In fact, Burton first met Taylor not on the set of Cleopatra, but on the beach in California, and the young Burton noticed the beautiful Taylor at a glance, and the woman not only did not recognize him, but was not moved by him, and he has been deeply involved since then.
No amount of depiction and praise for Elizabeth Taylor's beauty is superfluous, and the rare, violet eyes alone are enough to be distracting. Elizabeth's personality is also the same as her appearance, bright, warm and overwhelming, and she never hesitates to express her joy and love, which is her charm.
Taylor and Burton, who met in "Cleopatra", are constantly attracted to each other like Cleopetara and Anthony in the film, and the countless hot lines in the play are even more revealing the true feelings of the two people, and it is rumored that when the kiss scene was filmed, the two were still inseparable after the director shouted to stop. It wasn't until one day Burton could no longer hide his passion and confess to Taylor that the two finally revealed their hearts, and Taylor recalled many years later: "I don't know if he didn't wake up from a hangover on the weekend, or if he saw my heart beating too hard, in short, he was a little weak at that moment, which made me believe that he was a real man." ”
The 1960s were also the era of paparazzi birth and rise, and top artists like Taylor and Burton were their main focus
Although they each owned a family, the two did not deliberately hide their love affair, they were quickly photographed on the yacht and generously admitted, and since then the love life of the two has become the focus of major media.
Of course, such a love against morality and ethics will not be easily accepted by the public, based on the influence and public image of the two, this relationship has been criticized by US congressmen since the beginning of its exposure, and even the Vatican has condemned the derailment of the two, and the opposition from the public is innumerable. But none of this could separate the two, after all, Burton had said that without Taylor, "life is not so important."
Wedding scene in 1964
Taylor and Burton also made great efforts to get married, and after two years of falling in love, the two finally completed their divorce procedures and held their wedding in March 1964.
Gems and beauties
Taylor is still world-famous today, not only for the wow she brought to people, but also for her breathtaking jewelry collection. In order to satisfy Taylor's love of jewelry, every husband and suitor from her has gone to great lengths to bring her the most precious and beautiful jewelry, and the most important pieces of all of Taylor's collections are given to her by Burton.
Taylor is wearing it on his hand
33-carat "Kruber Diamond"
In 1969, Burton bought one of the world's largest diamonds from Cartier for $1.06 million, weighing 244 carats before being processed and 69 carats after polishing, and it is also known as the "Burton Taylor Diamond".
At their wedding, Taylor wore a yellow daffodil chiffon dress, bell orchids and hyacinths, and on his chest the emerald diamond brooch that Burton had purchased at Bulgari, and the emerald in the center weighed 18.61 carats.
The "Taj Mahal Diamond" inlaid on the necklace taylor worn by Taylor was a gift from the Mughal monarch Jahangi to Empress Noor 300 years ago, and was given to Taylor by Burton in 1972 as a 40th birthday gift.
This has also become one of the important reasons why the couple attracts the world's attention - they are generous, always spending a lot of money to get what they want; their lives are also extremely luxurious, as the world's highest-paid actors, their luxurious lives are also very high-profile.
This may have something to do with Burton's personality, for whom getting the best possible service and enjoyment is far more important than the numbers on his bank account. After starring in a Hollywood movie and winning the "first pot of gold", the first thing Burton did was to go home and buy a property for his family to ensure that his family did not need to run for a place to live, and every year he would constantly send checks to his family, so when he faced the woman he loved most in his life, Burton was very willing to smile at her.
The Taylor-Burtons have properties around the world, and they travel the world after work to enjoy the world of two; the two own a Rolls-Royce, one green, one silver, and Burton even bought the yacht he rode with Taylor for $1 million, and named it "Elizabeth".
Love of a lifetime
But in the face of Taylor and Burton's love, these worldly rules, jewelry and money are just lace, and what really moves the world and makes people ignore the previous suspicions is their eternal love for each other.
In all the descriptions of Taylor, Burton uses the highest adjectives, all the good words in the world can be used by him to describe Taylor, and in the public diary after his death, Burton's pampering and admiration for his lover is more straightforward.
"Elizabeth went to work to try on her new costume, and I hope she'll be back before I go out." Although we have been together for seven or eight years, I still miss her every time she goes to the bathroom. ”
"If she (Taylor) still needs me, I'll drop this rag right away and jump on a plane and follow her all the way." But it is still the old saying: to be with her is to survive, and to leave her is to die. But I've loved her all my life. ”
"I've been incredibly lucky all my life, and the biggest of those lucks is Elizabeth. It was she who turned me into a righteous person instead of a thief, she was a perfect lover, she was shy and intelligent, she was not a brainless fool, she was a talented actress, a beautiful presence beyond everyone's imagination. She can be both arrogant and willful, but also full of tenderness and love at all times, she is like a sweet queen who brings grace to people, she can tolerate my inadequacies and alcoholism, and most importantly, she loves me! ”
In front of her lover, Burton, who is familiar with Shakespeare, has become the most romantic person in the world, and Taylor has always expressed her love for Burton. When the two were first married, Taylor, who had been married for four years, excitedly and happily said, "You have finally become my husband again, so I have one thing to announce to you: there will never be a marriage or divorce between you and me!" In the following ten years, the two also collaborated on 11 consecutive works, so that the image of their lover gradually took root in the hearts of the public.
The duo's collaboration "Spring Supper" won Taylor an Oscar
However, even such deep love does not mean that there are no regrets. Burton and Taylor are straight-forward people, Taylor's sensitivity and uneasiness sometimes make Burton feel powerless, and Burton's alcoholism has become a barrier in their relationship. After many quarrels, the couple divorced in Switzerland in June 1974.
According to recollections, they met after the divorce because of property problems, but finally ended with hugs and tears, and they were never able to separate from each other
But such a deep love did not end so hastily, and less than 16 months after the divorce, the couple, who were destined to haunt them for a lifetime, had another wedding. Unfortunately, even if Taylor and Burton gave the marriage a second chance, the situation did not improve, and no amount of diamonds and flowers could fill the misunderstanding between the two, and they divorced again a year later and never got back together.
The story does not end here, although the marriage cannot continue, and the love between the two people has not diminished. Both of them will interpret each other as loving too passionately, with Taylor saying, "I love him so much, and my soul, body, and mind belong to him, that I gradually forget who I am," which hurts each other; Burton says, "God punishes Prometheus because he stole the fire; God punished me because I stole a fire and tried to extinguish it, and this fire is you. We always fought inexplicably, and it made me miserable. But the biggest reason we tortured each other was – I love you whether we were together or not."
It is also true that as Burton said, although both have a new belonging after separation, they always think of each other. Burton's niece recalled that Burton, who settled in Switzerland, would have several hours of transoceanic phone calls with Taylor even if he was thousands of miles away, and Taylor filled the room with Burton's photos.
In an era when communication was not developed, Burton expressed his heart to Taylor in the most classical and romantic letters, a habit that persisted until his death in 1984. Burton died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 59 because of years of smoking and alcoholism, and just a few days before his death, he sent Taylor a letter that he didn't receive until Taylor attended her funeral.
Burton's last letter was the only one Taylor did not want to make public, and she had read a small part of it for the sake of a biography, full of words that Burton wanted to go back to reunite with her, and Taylor who read the letter could not help but tremble. "Richard was a careful, loving man," Taylor said, "from the moment we met in Rome, we loved each other furiously, and we had a lot of time to love each other, but it wasn't enough." ”
Even if they can't end well, if they give Taylor and Burton a chance to start over, they may still be unable to help themselves fall in love. As Taylor said after Burton's death, "If he had lived to this day, we would still be together." Well, let's hope that now they have fulfilled their wishes.
Text: Yizi / Editor: Hong Xiansen / * Some of the pictures come from the Internet