161-720: Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. She then became the world's highest-paid movie star in the 1960s, remaining a well-known public figure for the rest of her life. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her seventh on its greatest female screen legends list. Born in London to socially prominent American parents, Taylor moved with her family to Los Angeles in 1939 at
322-478: A Civil War drama which it hoped would replicate the success of Gone with the Wind (1939). Taylor found her role as a mentally disturbed Southern belle fascinating, but overall disliked the film. Although the film failed to become the type of success MGM had planned, Taylor was nominated for the first time for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. Taylor considered her next performance as Maggie
483-788: A jet set lifestyle, including assembling one of the most expensive private collections of jewelry in the world. After many years of ill health, Taylor died from congestive heart failure in 2011, at the age of 79. Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born on 27 February 1932, at Heathwood, her family's home at 8 Wildwood Road in Hampstead Garden Suburb , northwest London, England. She received dual British–American citizenship at birth as her parents, art dealer Francis Lenn Taylor (1897–1968) and stage actress Sara Sothern (1895–1994), were United States citizens, both originally from Arkansas City, Kansas . They moved to London in 1929 and opened an art gallery on Bond Street; their first child,
644-534: A mechitza ; these synagogues were called traditional Judaism . Over a five-year period they performed some 750 conversions to Judaism. However, in 1983 the joint Beth Din was dissolved, due to the unilateral American Reform Jewish decision to change the definition of Jewishness: The move was precipitated by the resolution on patrilineality adopted that year by the Central Conference of American Rabbis. This decision to redefine Jewish identity, as well as
805-638: A "low point" in her career, and said that the studio had cut out the scenes which she felt provided the "core of the characterization." Taylor intended to follow Cleopatra by headlining an all-star cast in Fox's black comedy What a Way to Go! (1964), but negotiations fell through, and Shirley MacLaine was cast instead. In the meantime, film producers were eager to profit from the scandal surrounding Taylor and Burton, and they next starred together in Anthony Asquith 's The V.I.P.s (1963), which mirrored
966-403: A "normal" teenager attending parties and going on dates. Film magazines and gossip columnists also began comparing her to older actresses such as Ava Gardner and Lana Turner . Life called her "Hollywood's most accomplished junior actress" for her two film roles that year. In the critically panned Cynthia (1947), Taylor portrayed a frail girl who defies her over-protective parents to go to
1127-653: A Broadway production of Lillian Hellman 's The Little Foxes . Instead of portraying Giddens in negative light, as had often been the case in previous productions, Taylor's idea was to show her as a victim of circumstance, explaining, "She's a killer, but she's saying, 'Sorry fellas, you put me in this position'." The production premiered in May 1981, and had a sold-out six-month run despite mixed reviews. Frank Rich of The New York Times wrote that Taylor's performance as "Regina Giddens, that malignant Southern bitch-goddess ... begins gingerly, soon gathers steam, and then explodes into
1288-733: A Jew the conversion can no longer be rejected. In the United States, Reform Judaism rejects the concept that any rules or rituals should be considered necessary for conversion to Judaism. In the late 19th century, the Central Conference of American Rabbis , the official body of American Reform rabbis, formally resolved to permit the admission of converts "without any initiatory rite, ceremony, or observance whatsoever." (CCAR Yearbook 3 (1893), 73–95; American Reform Responsa (ARR), no. 68, at 236–237.) Although this resolution has often been examined critically by many Reform rabbis,
1449-651: A black and thunderous storm that may just knock you out of your seat", while Dan Sullivan of the Los Angeles Times stated, "Taylor presents a possible Regina Giddens, as seen through the persona of Elizabeth Taylor. There's some acting in it, as well as some personal display." She appeared as evil socialite Helena Cassadine in the day-time soap opera General Hospital in November 1981. The following year, she continued performing The Little Foxes in London's West End , but received largely negative reviews from
1610-662: A brief supporting role. Taylor received American and British honors for her career: the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1993, the Screen Actors Guild honorary award in 1997, and a BAFTA Fellowship in 1999. In 2000, she was appointed a Dame Commander in the chivalric Order of the British Empire in the millennium New Year Honours List by Queen Elizabeth II . After supporting roles in the television film These Old Broads (2001) and in
1771-573: A brothel keeper in the historical mini-series North and South in 1985. She also starred in several television films, playing gossip columnist Louella Parsons in Malice in Wonderland (1985), a "fading movie star" in the drama There Must Be a Pony (1986), and a character based on Poker Alice in the eponymous Western (1987). She re-united with director Franco Zeffirelli to appear in his French-Italian biopic Young Toscanini (1988), and had
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#17327723932001932-507: A commercial success, grossing over $ 4 million in the box office. Taylor's last adolescent role was as Amy March in Mervyn LeRoy 's Little Women (1949), a box-office success. The same year, Time featured Taylor on its cover, and called her the leader among Hollywood's next generation of stars, "a jewel of great price, a true sapphire." Taylor made the transition to adult roles when she turned 18 in 1950. In her first mature role,
2093-493: A conception of Jewish identity. And furthermore, they could not supervise conversions that would occur with increasing frequency due to a Reform outreach effort that was inconsistent with their own understanding of how to relate to potential proselytes. Specifically, in 1983, the Central Conference of American Rabbis passed a resolution waiving the need for formal conversion for anyone with at least one Jewish parent who has made affirmative acts of Jewish identity. This departed from
2254-496: A decade for films to adapt to sound and return to the level of artistic quality of the silents, which they did in the late 1930s when the Greatest Generation came of age. Many great works of cinema that emerged from this period were of highly regimented filmmaking. One reason this was possible is that, as so many films were made, not every one had to be a big hit. A studio could gamble on a medium-budget feature with
2415-497: A drama about a high-class call girl, in an adaptation of a John O'Hara 1935 novel of the same name . The studio correctly calculated that Taylor's public image would make it easy for audiences to associate her with the role. She hated the film for the same reason, but had no choice in the matter, although the studio agreed to her demands of filming in New York and casting Eddie Fisher in a sympathetic role. As predicted, BUtterfield 8
2576-416: A drug and alcohol rehabilitation center after the play's run ended, and Burton died the following year. After the failure of Private Lives , Taylor dissolved her theatre company. Her only other project that year was the television film Between Friends . From the mid-1980s, Taylor acted mostly in television productions. She made cameos in the soap operas Hotel and All My Children in 1984, and played
2737-581: A film, Doctor Faustus (1967), with the same cast. It was also panned by critics and grossed only $ 600,000 in the box office (equivalent to $ 5.48 million in 2023). Taylor and Burton's next project, Franco Zeffirelli 's The Taming of the Shrew (1967), which they also co-produced, was more successful. It posed another challenge for Taylor, as she was the only actor in the project with no previous experience of performing Shakespeare; Zeffirelli later stated that this made her performance interesting, as she "invented
2898-514: A girl and 13 for a boy) is required to fulfill the requirements of conversion, that is circumcision and mikvah, but are not required to perform an 'acceptance of the mitzvoth'. The conversion instead is done al daat beth din , i.e. the acceptance is done by the Beth Din presiding over the conversion. The child lives as a Jew until their bar/bat mitzvah and they then have the option of rejecting their conversion. Once they have accepted to continue as
3059-401: A good script and relatively unknown actors. This was the case with Citizen Kane (1941), directed by Orson Welles and regarded as one of the greatest films of all time . Other strong-willed directors, like Howard Hawks , Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra , battled the studios in order to achieve their artistic visions. The apogee of the studio system may have been the year 1939, which saw
3220-525: A highly publicized ceremony. The event was organized by MGM, and used as part of the publicity campaign for Taylor's next film, Vincente Minnelli 's comedy Father of the Bride (1950), in which she appeared opposite Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett as a bride preparing for her wedding. The film became a box-office success upon its release in June, grossing $ 6 million worldwide ($ 75,983,402 in 2023 dollars ), and
3381-528: A major impact on Jewish history in the ancient period and in the early Middle Ages". The word ger comes from the Hebrew verb lagur ( לגור ) meaning "to reside" or "to sojourn [with]". In the Hebrew Bible ger is defined as a "foreigner", or "sojourner". Rabbi Marc Angel writes: The Hebrew ger (in post-Biblical times translated as "proselyte") literally means "resident" and refers to
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#17327723932003542-521: A new seven-year contract with a weekly salary of $ 750. They cast her in a minor role in the third film of the Lassie series, Courage of Lassie (1946). MGM also published a book of Taylor's writings about her pet chipmunk, Nibbles and Me (1946), and had paper dolls and coloring books made in her likeness. When Taylor turned 15 in 1947, MGM began to cultivate a more mature public image for her by organizing photo shoots and interviews that portrayed her as
3703-530: A non-Israelite who lived among the Israelite community. When the Torah commands compassion and equal justice for the ger , it is referring to these "residents". Rabbinic tradition interpreted the word ger as referring to proselytes..." Angel's explanation of the literal meaning of " ger " as alien is borne out in biblical verses such as Lev 19:34 : The stranger that sojourneth with you shall be unto you as
3864-475: A period of time. A period of one year is common, although individual Rabbis' requirements vary. When the sponsoring Rabbi feels that the candidate is ready, a Beth Din may be convened. Other rituals such as immersion in a mikvah, circumcision (or Hatafat dam brit ), and a public ceremony to celebrate the conversion, are also at the discretion of the Rabbi. In response to the tremendous variations that exist within
4025-438: A photographed play in that the events seem to exist objectively and that cameras only give us the best view of the whole play. This treatment of space consists of four main aspects: centering, balancing, frontality, and depth. Persons or objects of significance are mostly in the center part of the picture frame and never out of focus. Balancing refers to the visual composition, i. e., characters are evenly distributed throughout
4186-575: A prospective convert to Judaism must undergo immersion in a mikveh . In contrast, Eliezer ben Hurcanus makes circumcision a condition for the conversion. A similar controversy between the Shammaites and the Hillelites is given regarding a proselyte born without a foreskin : the former demanding the spilling of a drop of blood symbolic of the Brit Milah, thereby entering into the covenant;
4347-507: A ranching dynasty, which co-starred Rock Hudson and James Dean . Its filming in Marfa, Texas , was a difficult experience for Taylor, as she clashed with Stevens, who wanted to break her will to make her easier to direct, and was often ill, resulting in delays. To further complicate the production, Dean died in a car accident only days after completing filming; the grieving Taylor still had to film reaction shots to their joint scenes. When Giant
4508-438: A repressed gay military officer and his unfaithful wife. It was originally slated to co-star Taylor's old friend Montgomery Clift, whose career had been in decline for several years owing to his substance abuse problems. Determined to secure his involvement in the project, Taylor even offered to pay for his insurance. But Clift died from a heart attack before filming began; he was replaced in the role by Marlon Brando . Reflections
4669-510: A series of private negotiations with the leaders of Conservative Judaism's Rabbinical Assembly , including Saul Lieberman ; their goal was to create a joint Orthodox-Conservative national beth din for all Jews in the United States. It would create communal standards of marriage and divorce. It was to be modeled after the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, where all the judges would have been Orthodox, while it would have been accepted by
4830-530: A son named Howard (died 2020), was born the same year. The family lived in London during Taylor's childhood. Their social circle included artists such as Augustus John and Laura Knight and politicians such as Colonel Victor Cazalet . Cazalet was Taylor's unofficial godfather and an important influence in her early life. She was enrolled in Byron House School , a Montessori school in Highgate, and
4991-414: A spoiled socialite who comes between a poor factory worker ( Montgomery Clift ) and his pregnant girlfriend ( Shelley Winters ). Stevens cast Taylor as she was "the only one ... who could create this illusion" of being "not so much a real girl as the girl on the candy-box cover, the beautiful girl in the yellow Cadillac convertible that every American boy sometime or other thinks he can marry." A Place in
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5152-414: A star, as MGM started to control every aspect of her life. She described the studio as a "big extended factory actory", where she was required to adhere to a strict daily schedule. Her days were spent attending school, and filming at the studio lot. In the evenings, Taylor took dancing and singing classes, and practiced the following day's scenes. Following the success of National Velvet , MGM gave Taylor
5313-454: A successful $ 14 million in the box office (equivalent to $ 135 million in 2023). Their next project, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), an adaptation of a play of the same name by Edward Albee , featured the most critically acclaimed performance of Taylor's career. She and Burton starred as Martha and George, a middle-aged couple going through a marital crisis. In order to convincingly play 50-year-old Martha, Taylor gained weight, wore
5474-570: A tax imposed on Jews in 70 AD and relaxed to exclude Christians in 96 AD, also limited Judaism's appeal. According to The Jewish Encyclopedia article on circumcision of proselytes, in the first century AD, before the Mishnah was edited, the requirement for circumcision of proselytes was an open issue between the Zealots and liberal parties in ancient Israel. Joshua ben Hananiah argued that besides accepting Jewish beliefs and laws,
5635-555: A troubled married couple, won her the David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress . She appeared with Burton in the adaptation of Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood ; although her role was small, the producers decided to give her top-billing to profit from her fame. Her third film role that year was playing a blonde diner waitress in Peter Ustinov 's Faust parody Hammersmith Is Out , her tenth collaboration with Burton. Although it
5796-408: A weekly salary of $ 4,700 ($ 53,524 in 2023 dollars ), MGM agreed to give the couple a loan for a house, and signed her husband for a three-year contract. Due to her financial dependency, the studio now had even more control over her than previously. Taylor's first two films made under her new contract were released ten days apart in early 1954. The first was Rhapsody , a romantic film starring her as
5957-402: A wig, and used makeup to make herself look older and tired – in stark contrast to her public image as a glamorous film star. At Taylor's suggestion, theatre director Mike Nichols was hired to direct the project, despite his lack of experience with film. The production differed from anything she had done previously, as Nichols wanted to thoroughly rehearse the play before beginning filming. Woolf
6118-501: A woman caught in a love triangle with two musicians. The second was Elephant Walk , a drama in which she played a British woman struggling to adapt to life on her husband's tea plantation in Ceylon . She had been loaned to Paramount Pictures for the film after its original star, Vivien Leigh , fell ill. In the fall, Taylor starred in two more film releases. Beau Brummell was a Regency era period film, another project in which she
6279-709: A year of study. This conversion comes 15 years after the Karaite Council of Sages reversed its centuries-old ban on accepting converts. Humanistic Judaism postulates that "conversion" does not suit the process of becoming a Jew, as it implies a change in belief, which is not chosen like behavioral changes. The shift is better described as naturalization, affiliation, or adoption , reflecting alterations in family ties and cultural aspirations rather than fundamental belief changes. Louis Feldman 's views on active Jewish missionizing have changed. While viewing classical Judaism as being receptive to converts, especially from
6440-409: Is 12 years of age for a girl and 13 for a boy. This standard is applied by Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, which accept halakha as binding. Reconstructionist Judaism values the symbolism of the conversion ritual, and encourages those who were not born of Jewish parents and who wish to convert to undergo this rite of passage. The Reconstructionist course of study for a prospective convert, which
6601-472: Is a chain of cause and effect with causal agents – in classical style, events do not occur randomly. Time in classical Hollywood is continuous, linear, and uniform, since non-linearity calls attention to the illusory workings of the medium. The only permissible manipulation of time in this format is the flashback . It is mostly used to introduce a memory sequence of a character, e.g. , Casablanca . The greatest rule of classical continuity regarding space
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6762-591: Is a rabbi), and often a public welcoming ceremony. Karaite Judaism does not accept the Talmud and therefore has different requirements for conversion. Traditionally non-proselytizing, Karaite Judaism's long standing abstention from conversions was recently lifted. On 1 August 2007, the Karaites reportedly converted their first new members in 500 years. At a ceremony in their Northern California synagogue, ten adults and four minors swore fealty to Judaism after completing
6923-561: Is ambiguously defined. To some, it began with The Jazz Singer , which was released in 1927, when the Interbellum Generation came of age and increased box-office profits for films as sound was introduced to feature films. To others, the era began in 1929, when the silent age had definitively ended. Most Hollywood pictures from the late 1920s to 1960s adhered closely to a genre — Western, slapstick comedy, musical, animated cartoon, and biopic (biographical picture) — and
7084-534: Is derived less from qualms with the conversion process itself, since Conservative and even some Reform conversions are very similar to Orthodox conversions with respect to duration and content, but rather from that the Orthodox presumption that convert was not properly instructed in Jewish Law to Orthodox Jewish standards. In general, immersion in the mikveh is an important part of a traditional conversion. If
7245-456: Is determined by the rabbi and congregation the individual is working with, includes history, observance and beliefs, and learning how to make educated choices. The completion of the process is marked by ritual immersion for men and women; circumcision or hatafat dam brit (symbolic drop of blood) for men (unless there exists an extraordinary physical or emotional hazard); a valid Bet Din (a dialogue with three knowledgeable Jews, at least one of whom
7406-400: Is discouraged and religious gerut is somewhat discouraged. The majority of rabbis have traditionally rejected potential converts three times, and if the potential convert remains adamant in their desire to convert, the rabbi will then allow them to begin the process. These practices do not have any solid basis in the written text, and while they may have been the practice in some locations, it
7567-413: Is for all of the judges to be Rabbis or Orthodox clergy. Today conversion requirements and the time required to complete conversion differ according to denomination and rabbinic sponsor. The basic requirements set out in the Talmud include: The consensus of halakhic authorities also requires a convert to understand and formally accept the duties of classical Jewish law . This is not stated explicitly in
7728-722: Is later rejected by the Talmud. Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews , Book 20 Chapter 2, recorded the story of King Izates of Adiabene who decided to follow the Law of Moses at the advice of a Jewish merchant named Ananias. He was going to get circumcised, but his mother, Helen, who herself embraced the Jewish customs, advised against it on the grounds that the subjects would not stand to be ruled by someone who followed such "strange and foreign rites". Ananias likewise advised against it, on
7889-605: Is no longer called ger . In the Talmud , ger is used in two senses: ger tzedek refers to a "righteous convert", a proselyte to Judaism, and ger toshav , a non-Jewish inhabitant of the Land of Israel who observes the Seven Laws of Noah and has repudiated all links with idolatry . In Modern Hebrew , the unqualified term ger means ger tzedek . According to Maimonides ( Isurei Biah 13:14), converts were accepted since
8050-482: Is object permanence: the viewer must believe that the scene exists outside the shot of the cinematic frame to maintain the picture's realism. The treatment of space in classical Hollywood strives to overcome or conceal the two-dimensionality of film ("invisible style") and is strongly centered upon the human body. The majority of shots in a classical film focus on gestures or facial expressions (medium-long and medium shots ). André Bazin once compared classical film to
8211-457: Is particularly noted for her influence on on-screen performance techniques. Griffith's 1915 epic The Birth of a Nation , also starring Gish, was ground-breaking for film as a means of storytelling – a masterpiece of literary narrative with numerous innovative visual techniques. The film initiated so many advances in American cinema that it was rendered obsolete within a few years. Though 1913
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#17327723932008372-471: Is referred to by the Hebrew word ger ( Hebrew : גר , plural Hebrew : גרים gerim ) and a formal female convert is a giyoret . In all branches of Judaism, a ger or giyoret is considered a full Jew; the literal meaning of "stranger", "resident", or "foreigner" refers to the convert's origin, not present status. In Karaite Judaism the term ger only refers to a non-Jew who has yet to fully convert to Judaism, and once converted to Karaitism,
8533-553: Is the only state-recognized authority on religious matters, backed by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef , ruled against this, making the annulment legally invalid for purposes of Israeli law. As of 2006, the Moetzet Hakhamim (Council of Sages) began to accept converts to Karaite Judaism through the Karaite Jewish University . The process requires one year of learning, circumcision (for males), and the taking of
8694-506: Is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community . It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization . The procedure and requirements for conversion depend on the sponsoring denomination . Furthermore, a conversion done in accordance with one Jewish denomination is not a guarantee of recognition by another denomination. Normally, though not always,
8855-501: The Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. During the production of the film Cleopatra in 1961, Taylor and co-star Richard Burton began an extramarital affair, which caused a scandal. Despite public disapproval, they continued their relationship and were married in 1964. Dubbed "Liz and Dick" by the media, they starred in 11 films together, including The V.I.P.s (1963), The Sandpiper (1965), The Taming of
9016-507: The American Film Institute's list ranking the top 25 male and 25 female greatest screen legends of American film history. As of 2024, Sophia Loren ( 90) is the only living star. Other surviving figures who were nominated for the list include Ann Blyth (96), Claire Bloom (93), Rita Moreno (92) and Margaret O'Brien (87). Converted to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( Hebrew : גִּיּוּר , romanized : giyur or Hebrew : גֵּרוּת , romanized : gerut )
9177-473: The Golden Age of Hollywood from about 1927, the advent of sound film , until the 1960s (perhaps till 1972, when Dolby Stereo was introduced). It eventually became the most powerful and pervasive style of filmmaking worldwide. Similar or associated terms include classical Hollywood narrative , the Golden Age of Hollywood , Old Hollywood , and classical continuity . The period is also referred to as
9338-544: The Sabbath , they shall not enter the land of promise " ( Midrash Genesis Rabbah xlvi). "The Sabbath-keepers who are not circumcised are intruders, and deserve punishment" ( Midrash Deut. Rabbah i). However, the opposing view is supported in the Babylonian Talmud by Joshua ben Hananiah : "A male convert who has been immersed but not circumcised, or circumcised but not immersed, is a convert." Note this view
9499-541: The Subbotniks have adopted most aspects of Judaism without formal conversion to Judaism. However, if Subbotniks, or anyone without a formal conversion, wish to marry into a traditional Jewish community or immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return , they must have a formal conversion. According to Israel Bartal , then dean of the humanities faculty of the Hebrew University , "conversions to Judaism had
9660-420: The cross cut , which establishes the concurrence of action in different locations. Jump cuts are allowed in the form of the axial cut , which does not change the angle of shooting at all, but has the clear purpose of showing a perspective closer or farther from the subject, and therefore does not interfere with temporal continuity. Classical narration progresses always through psychological motivation, i.e., by
9821-542: The studio era , which may also include films of the late silent era. For millennia, the only visual standard of narrative storytelling art was the theatre . Since the first narrative films in the mid-late 1890s, filmmakers have sought to capture the power of live theatre on the cinema screen. Most of these filmmakers started as directors on the late 19th-century stage, and likewise, most film actors had roots in vaudeville (e.g. The Marx Brothers ) or theatrical melodramas. Visually, early narrative films had adapted little from
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#17327723932009982-411: The "photographed play" style by creating an imaginary 180-degree axis between the viewer and the shot, allowing viewers to clearly orient themselves within the position and direction of action in a scene. According to the 30-degree rule , cuts in the angle that the scene is viewed from must be significant enough for the viewer to understand the purpose of a change in perspective. Cuts that do not adhere to
10143-480: The 30-degree rule, known as jump cuts , are disruptive to the illusion of temporal continuity between shots. The 180-degree and 30-degree rules are elementary guidelines in filmmaking that preceded the official start of the classical era by over a decade, as seen in the pioneering 1902 French film A Trip to the Moon . Cutting techniques in classical continuity editing serve to help establish or maintain continuity, as in
10304-450: The American film industry was beginning to face serious competition from television, which resulted in studios producing fewer films, and focusing instead on their quality. The change benefited Taylor, who finally found more challenging roles after several years of career disappointments. After lobbying director George Stevens, she won the female lead role in Giant (1956), an epic drama about
10465-676: The British press. Encouraged by the success of The Little Foxes , Taylor and producer Zev Buffman founded the Elizabeth Taylor Repertory Company. Its first and only production was a revival of Noël Coward 's comedy Private Lives , starring Taylor and Burton. It premiered in Boston in early 1983, and although commercially successful, received generally negative reviews, with critics noting that both stars were in noticeably poor health – Taylor admitted herself to
10626-626: The Cat in the screen adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) a career "high point." But it coincided with one of the most difficult periods in her personal life. After completing Raintree Country , she had divorced Wilding and married producer Mike Todd . She had completed only two weeks of filming in March 1958, when Todd was killed in a plane crash. Although she
10787-580: The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991. From the early 1990s until her death, she dedicated her time to philanthropy, for which she received several accolades, including the Presidential Citizens Medal . Throughout her career, Taylor's personal life was the subject of constant media attention. She was married eight times to seven men, converted to Judaism , endured several serious illnesses, and led
10948-597: The Italian Muriel Spark adaptation The Driver's Seat (1974), was a failure. Taylor took fewer roles after the mid-1970s, and focused on supporting the career of her sixth husband, Republican politician John Warner , a US senator. In 1976, she participated in the Soviet-American fantasy film The Blue Bird (1976), a critical and box-office failure, and had a small role in the television film Victory at Entebbe (1976). In 1977, she sang in
11109-882: The London gallery and joined them in December. In early 1940, he opened a new gallery in Los Angeles. After briefly living in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, with the Chapman family, the Taylor family settled in Beverly Hills, California , where the two children were enrolled in Hawthorne School. In California, Taylor's mother was frequently told that her daughter should audition for films. Taylor's eyes in particular, drew attention; they were blue, to
11270-602: The Mediterranean island on which she has retired. Secret Ceremony is a psychological drama that also stars Mia Farrow and Robert Mitchum . Taylor's third film with George Stevens, The Only Game in Town (1970), in which she played a Las Vegas showgirl who has an affair with a compulsive gambler, played by Warren Beatty , was unsuccessful. The three 1972 films in which Taylor acted were somewhat more successful. X Y & Zee , which portrayed Michael Caine and her as
11431-558: The Orthodox and Conservative denominations were completed and agreed upon, but then a new requirement was demanded by the RCA: The RA must "impose severe sanctions" upon Conservative rabbis for actions they took before this new beth din was formed. Halpern writes that the RA "could not assent to rigorously disciplining our members at the behest of an outside group." He goes on to write that although subsequent efforts were made to cooperate with
11592-606: The Orthodox conversion process as being valid. Since 2008, Haredi Orthodox religious courts in Israel have been rejecting conversions from a number of Orthodox rabbis, since the Chief Rabbinate do not accept the authority of the presiding rabbis. In 2008, a Haredi-dominated Badatz in Israel annulled thousands of conversions performed by the Military Rabbinate in Israel. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel , which
11753-419: The Orthodox, a letter from eleven Rosh Yeshivas was circulated declaring that Orthodox rabbis are forbidden to cooperate with Conservative rabbis. In Denver , Colorado, a joint Orthodox, Traditional, Conservative and Reform Bet Din was formed to promote uniform standards for conversion to Judaism. A number of rabbis were Orthodox and had semicha from Orthodox yeshivas, but were serving in synagogues without
11914-888: The Reform community, the Conservative Jewish movement attempted to set a nuanced approach. The Conservative Committee on Jewish Law and Standards has issued a legal opinion stating that Reform conversions may be accepted as valid only when they include the minimal Conservative halachic requirements of milah and t'vilah , appearance before a Conservative Beth Din, and a course of Conservative study. ( Proceedings of Committee on Jewish Law and Standards: 1980–1985 , pp. 77–101.) In general, branches of Orthodox Judaism consider non-Orthodox conversions either inadequate or of questionable halachic compliance, and such conversions are therefore not accepted by these branches of Judaism. Conversely, both Conservative and Reform Judaism accept
12075-474: The Roman era was limited in number and did not account for much of the Jewish population growth, due to various factors such as the illegality of male conversion to Judaism in the Roman world from the mid-second century. Another factor that made conversion difficult in the Roman world was the halakhic requirement of circumcision , a requirement that proselytizing Christianity quickly dropped . The Fiscus Judaicus ,
12236-439: The Shrew (1967), and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). Taylor received the best reviews of her career for Woolf , winning her second Academy Award and several other awards for her performance. She and Burton divorced in 1974 but reconciled soon after, remarrying in 1975. The second marriage ended in divorce in 1976. Taylor's acting career began to decline in the late 1960s, although she continued starring in films until
12397-471: The Sun was a critical and commercial success, grossing $ 3 million. Herb Golden of Variety said that Taylor's "histrionics are of a quality so far beyond anything she has done previously, that Stevens' skilled hands on the reins must be credited with a minor miracle." A.H. Weiler of The New York Times wrote that she gives "a shaded, tender performance, and one in which her passionate and genuine romance avoids
12558-490: The Talmud, but was inferred by subsequent commentators . After confirming that all these requirements have been met, the beth din issues a "Certificate of Conversion" ( Shtar Giur ), certifying that the person is now a Jew. The requirements for conversions vary somewhat within the different branches of Judaism, so whether or not a conversion is recognized by another denomination is often an issue fraught with religious politics. The Orthodox rejection of non-Orthodox conversions
12719-596: The age of 7. She made her acting debut with a minor role in the Universal Pictures film There's One Born Every Minute (1942), but the studio ended her contract after a year. She was then signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and became a popular teen star after appearing in National Velvet (1944). She transitioned to mature roles in the 1950s, when she starred in the comedy Father of the Bride (1950) and received critical acclaim for her performance in
12880-463: The already filmed material, and moved the production to Rome, changing its director to Joseph Mankiewicz, and the actor playing Mark Antony to Burton. Filming was finally completed in July 1962. The film's final cost was $ 62 million (equivalent to $ 625 million in 2023), making it the most expensive film made up to that point. Cleopatra became the biggest box-office success of 1963 in the United States;
13041-551: The animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1992) and The Simpsons (1992, 1993), and cameos in four CBS series – The Nanny , Can't Hurry Love , Murphy Brown , and High Society – all airing on February 26, 1996, to promote her new fragrance. Her last theatrically released film was in the critically panned, but commercially successful, The Flintstones (1994), in which she played Pearl Slaghoople in
13202-602: The animated sitcom God, the Devil and Bob (2001), Taylor announced that she was retiring from acting to devote her time to philanthropy. She gave one last public performance in 2007, when she performed the play Love Letters at an AIDS benefit at the Paramount Studios with James Earl Jones . Taylor was one of the first celebrities to participate in HIV/AIDS activism and helped to raise more than $ 270 million for
13363-423: The beginning of Jewish history, and the foreign wives of Jewish leaders—such as Samson and Solomon —were converts. Yet he says ( Isurei Biah 13:15), that in the times of Jewish political power, such as the days of Kings David and Solomon , batei din (Jewish courts) did not accept converts who may have not had the right intention, and they had to wait and prove their intentions to be legally accepted. With
13524-530: The cause since the mid-1980s. She began her philanthropic work after becoming frustrated with the fact that very little was being done to combat the disease despite the media attention. She later explained for Vanity Fair that she "decided that with my name, I could open certain doors, that I was a commodity in myself – and I'm not talking as an actress. I could take the fame I'd resented and tried to get away from for so many years – but you can never get away from it – and use it to do some good. I wanted to retire, but
13685-441: The community. They will then be tested and formally accepted, the convert is issued with a Shtar geirut ("Certificate of Conversion"). As the conversion process becomes more centralized there are only a limited number of permanent conversion courts that are acceptable to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. However, there are a number of rabbis who are willing to conduct decentralized conversions, and are recognized by each other. Two of
13846-503: The conversions performed by more stringent denominations are recognized by less stringent ones, but not the other way around. A formal conversion is also sometimes undertaken by individuals whose Jewish ancestry is questioned or uncertain, even if they were raised Jewish, but may not actually be considered Jews according to traditional Jewish law . There are some groups that have adopted Jewish customs and practices. For example, in Russia
14007-520: The course of study will vary from rabbi to rabbi and community to community, though most now require a course in basic Judaism and individual study with a rabbi, as well as attendance at services and participation in home practice and synagogue life." Although an infant conversion might be accepted in some circumstances (such as in the case of adopted children or children whose parents convert), children who convert would typically be asked if they want to remain Jewish after reaching religious adulthood – which
14168-548: The critically panned film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim 's musical A Little Night Music (1977). After a period of semi-retirement from films, Taylor starred in The Mirror Crack'd (1980), adapted from an Agatha Christie mystery novel and featuring an ensemble cast of actors from the studio era, such as Angela Lansbury , Kim Novak , Rock Hudson, and Tony Curtis . Wanting to challenge herself, she took on her first substantial stage role, playing Regina Giddens in
14329-472: The designation of Denver as a pilot community for a new Reform out reach effort to recruit converts, convinced the Traditional and Conservative rabbis that they could no longer participate in the joint board...the national decision of the Reform rabbinate placed the Traditional and Conservative rabbis in an untenable position. They could not cooperate in a conversion program with rabbis who held so different
14490-416: The drama A Place in the Sun (1951). She starred in the historical adventure epic Ivanhoe (1952) with Robert Taylor and Joan Fontaine . Despite being one of MGM 's most bankable stars, Taylor wished to end her career in the early 1950s. She resented the studio's control and disliked many of the films to which she was assigned. She began receiving more enjoyable roles in the mid-1950s, beginning with
14651-627: The endorsement of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper , a friend of the Cazalets. Through a client and a school friend's father, Taylor auditioned for both Universal Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in early 1941. Both studios offered Taylor contracts, and Sara Taylor chose to accept Universal's offer. Taylor began her contract in April 1941 and was cast in a small role in There's One Born Every Minute (1942). She did not receive other roles, and her contract
14812-493: The epic drama Giant (1956), and starred in several critically and commercially successful films in the following years. These included two film adaptations of plays by Tennessee Williams : Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959); Taylor won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for the latter. Although she disliked her role as a call girl in BUtterfield 8 (1960), her last film for MGM, she won
14973-475: The extent of appearing violet, and were rimmed by dark double eyelashes caused by a genetic mutation . Sara was initially opposed to Taylor appearing in films, but after the outbreak of war in Europe made return there unlikely, she began to view the film industry as a way of assimilating to American society. Francis Taylor's Beverly Hills gallery had gained clients from the film industry soon after opening, helped by
15134-434: The film as a form of storytelling. It was also the year when Yevgeni Bauer (the first true film artist, according to Georges Sadoul ) started his short, but prolific, career. In the world generally and America specifically, the influence of Griffith on filmmaking was unmatched. Equally influential were his actors in adapting their performances to the new medium. Lillian Gish , the star of film short The Mothering Heart ,
15295-609: The film grossed $ 15.7 million at the box office (equivalent to $ 156 million in 2023). Regardless, it took several years for the film to earn back its production costs, which drove Fox near to bankruptcy. The studio publicly blamed Taylor for the production's troubles and unsuccessfully sued Burton and Taylor for allegedly damaging the film's commercial prospects with their behavior. The film's reviews were mixed to negative, with critics finding Taylor overweight and her voice too thin, and unfavorably comparing her with her classically trained British co-stars. In retrospect, Taylor called Cleopatra
15456-416: The film industry itself, with the height of the studio system . This mode of production, with its reigning star system promoted by several key studios, had preceded sound by several years. By mid-1920, most of the prominent American directors and actors, who had worked independently since the early 1910s, had to become a part of the new studio system to continue to work. The beginning of the sound era itself
15617-465: The film was a drama about mental illness, childhood traumas, and homosexuality, it was again promoted with Taylor's sex appeal; both its trailer and poster featured her in a white swimsuit. The strategy worked, as the film was a financial success. Taylor received her third Academy Award nomination and her first Golden Globe for Best Actress for her performance. By 1959, Taylor owed one more film for MGM, which it decided should be BUtterfield 8 (1960),
15778-404: The film, and later stated that it "convinced me I wanted to be an actress instead of yawning my way through parts." While The Last Time I Saw Paris was not as profitable as many other MGM films, it garnered positive reviews. Taylor became pregnant again during the production, and had to agree to add another year to her contract to make up for the period spent on maternity leave. By the mid-1950s,
15939-710: The film; in America, this artistic change is attributed to filmmakers like D. W. Griffith finally breaking the grip of the Edison Trust to make films independent of the manufacturing monopoly. Films worldwide began to noticeably adopt visual and narrative elements which would be found in classical Hollywood cinema. 1913 was a particularly fruitful year for the medium, as pioneering directors from several countries produced films such as The Mothering Heart (D. W. Griffith), Ingeborg Holm ( Victor Sjöström ), and L'enfant de Paris ( Léonce Perret ) that set new standards for
16100-453: The first movie star to be paid $ 1 million for a role; Fox also granted her 10% of the film's gross profits, as well as shooting the film in Todd-AO , a widescreen format for which she had inherited the rights from Mike Todd. The film's production – characterized by costly sets and costumes, constant delays, and a scandal caused by Taylor's extramarital affair with her co-star Richard Burton –
16261-553: The formation of the new beth din, and the RA refused to do so. According to Orthodox Rabbi Emanuel Rackman , former president of the RCA, the major reason for its failure was pressure from haredi Orthodox rabbis, who held that any cooperation between Orthodoxy and Conservatism was forbidden. In 1956, Rabbi Harry Halpern , of the Joint Conference wrote a report on the demise of this beth din. He writes that negotiations between
16422-472: The frame. The action is subtly addressed towards the spectator (frontality) and set , lighting (mostly three-point lighting , especially high-key lighting ), and costumes are designed to separate foreground from the background (depth). The New Hollywood of the mid-1960s to early 1980s was influenced by the romanticism of the classical era, as was the French New Wave . These were recognized on
16583-583: The grounds that worship of God was superior to circumcision ( Robert Eisenman in James the Brother of Jesus claims that Ananias is Paul the Apostle , who held similar views, although this is a novel interpretation lacking support in mainstream scholarship) and that God would forgive him for fear of his subjects. So Izates decided against it. However, later, "a certain other Jew that came out of Galilee, whose name
16744-419: The headlines about them. Taylor played a famous model attempting to leave her husband for a lover, and Burton her estranged millionaire husband. Released soon after Cleopatra , it became a box-office success. Taylor was also paid $ 500,000 (equivalent to $ 4.98 million in 2023) to appear in a CBS television special, Elizabeth Taylor in London , in which she visited the city's landmarks and recited passages from
16905-581: The home-born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Another verse which has been interpreted as referring to non-Jews converting to Judaism is Esther 8:17, although no process is described. ( Esther 8:17 ). The word is rendered by the Greek " proselyte " as used in the Septuagint to denote a "stranger". A formal male convert to Judaism
17066-477: The joint Beth Din program was welcomed by Haredi Orthodox groups, who saw the program as illegitimate. Further, Haredi groups attempted to prevent non-Orthodox rabbis from following the traditional requirements of converts using a mikveh . In the Haredi view, it is better to have no conversion at all than a non-Orthodox conversion, as all non-Orthodox conversions are not true conversions at all according to them. In
17227-608: The larger Conservative movement as legitimate. Conservative rabbis in the Rabbinical Assembly created a Joint Conference on Jewish Law , devoting a year to this effort. For a number of reasons, the project did not succeed. According to Orthodox Rabbi Louis Bernstein, the major reason for its failure was the Orthodox rabbis' insistence that the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly agree to expel Conservative rabbis for actions they took prior to
17388-583: The last starring role of her career in a television adaptation of Sweet Bird of Youth (1989), her fourth Tennessee Williams play. During this time, she also began receiving honorary awards for her career – the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1985, and the Film Society of Lincoln Center 's Chaplin Award in 1986. In the 1990s, Taylor focused her time on HIV/AIDS activism. Her few acting roles included characters in
17549-459: The latter declaring it to be unnecessary. In discussions about the necessity of circumcision for those born of a Jewish mother, lending some support to the need for circumcision of converts, the Midrash states: "If thy sons accept My Godhead [by undergoing circumcision] I shall be their God and bring them into the land; but if they do not observe My covenant in regard either to circumcision or to
17710-578: The laws governing conversion ( gerut ) are based on codes of law and texts, including discussions in the Talmud , through the Shulkhan Arukh and subsequent interpretations. (Many of the guidelines of accepting converts are based on the Book of Ruth and the manner whereby Ruth was brought into the fold through her mother-in-law, Naomi ). These rules are held as authoritative by Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism . In Judaism, proselytizing
17871-467: The local Reform community. In actual practice, the requirements for conversion of any individual are determined by the Rabbi who sponsors the convert. Typically, Reform Rabbis require prospective converts to take a course of study in Judaism, such as an "Introduction to Judaism" course, to participate in worship at a synagogue, and to live as a Jew (however that is interpreted by the individual Rabbi) for
18032-492: The majority of Britain's Assembly of Reform Rabbis voted in favor of a position paper proposing "that individuals who live a Jewish life, and who are patrilineally Jewish, can be welcomed into the Jewish community and confirmed as Jewish through an individual process." Britain's Assembly of Reform Rabbis stated that rabbis "would be able to take local decisions – ratified by the Beit Din – confirming Jewish status." The end of
18193-543: The majority of Taylor's films during this period seemed to "conform to, and reinforce, the image of an indulgent, raucous, immoral or amoral, and appetitive (in many senses of the word) 'Elizabeth Taylor ' ". Taylor and Burton's first joint project following her hiatus was Vincente Minelli's romantic drama The Sandpiper (1965), about an illicit love affair between a bohemian artist and a married clergyman in Big Sur , California. Its reviews were largely negative, but it grossed
18354-613: The media as the union of "America's sweethearts." The affair – and Fisher's subsequent divorce – changed Taylor's public image from a grieving widow to a "homewrecker". MGM used the scandal to its advantage by featuring an image of Taylor posing on a bed in a slip in the film's promotional posters. Cat grossed $ 10 million in American cinemas alone, and made Taylor the year's second-most profitable star. She received positive reviews for her performance, with Bosley Crowther of The New York Times calling her "terrific", and Variety praising her for "a well-accented, perceptive interpretation." Taylor
18515-523: The mid-1970s, after which she focused on supporting the career of her sixth husband, United States Senator John Warner . In the 1980s, she acted in her first substantial stage roles and in several television films and series. She became the second celebrity to launch a perfume brand after Sophia Loren . Taylor was one of the first celebrities to take part in HIV/AIDS activism. She co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research in 1985 and
18676-432: The more prominent of these rabbis are Chuck Davidson and Haim Amsalem . Conservative Judaism takes a more lenient approach to the halakhic rules than Modern Orthodox Judaism . Its approach to the validity of conversions is based on whether the conversion procedure followed rabbinic norms, rather than the reliability of those performing it or the nature of the obligations the convert undertook. Accordingly, it may accept
18837-429: The necessary skills. At that time Taylor was deemed too short for the role so filming was delayed several months in order for Taylor to grow an inch or two. In the interim Taylor spent her time practicing her horseback riding. In MGM's effort developing Taylor into a film star, they required her to wear braces to straighten her teeth, and had two of her baby teeth pulled out. The studio also wanted to dye her hair, change
18998-471: The notable exception of some Syrian Jewish communities (primarily the Brooklyn , New York, and Deal, New Jersey communities), all mainstream forms of Judaism today are open to sincere converts, with all denominations accepting converts converted by their denominations. The rules vary between denominations, as does acceptance of some denominations' converts by other denominations. For Rabbinic Judaism ,
19159-408: The part from scratch." Critics found the play to be fitting material for the couple, and the film became a box-office success by grossing $ 12 million (equivalent to $ 109.65 million in 2023). Taylor's third film released in 1967, John Huston 's Reflections in a Golden Eye , was her first without Burton since Cleopatra . Based on a novel of the same name by Carson McCullers , it was a drama about
19320-478: The pathos common to young love as it sometimes comes to the screen." Taylor next starred in the romantic comedy Love Is Better Than Ever (1952). According to Alexander Walker, MGM cast her in the "B-picture" as a reprimand for divorcing Hilton in January 1951 after only eight months of marriage, which had caused a public scandal that reflected negatively on her. After completing Love Is Better Than Ever , Taylor
19481-416: The person who is converting is male, circumcision is a part of the traditional conversion process as well. If the male who is converting has already been circumcised, then a ritual removal of a single drop of blood will take place ( hatafat dam brit ). However, more liberal branches of Judaism have a more relaxed requirement of immersion and circumcision. Someone who converts as a minor (younger than 12 for
19642-422: The process has become more centralized, with the conversion candidate having to convince a rabbi and the beth din of their sincerity, and there will usually be a considerable amount of study. In addition to studying, potential converts are typically expected to become involved in the Jewish community. This includes attending services, participating in holidays and rituals, and building relationships with other Jews in
19803-401: The prom; in the period film Life with Father (1947), opposite William Powell and Irene Dunne , she portrayed the love interest of a stockbroker's son. They were followed by supporting roles as a teenaged "man-stealer" who seduces her peer's date to a high school dance in the musical A Date with Judy (1948), and as a bride in the romantic comedy Julia Misbehaves (1948). This became
19964-474: The public was tiring of Burton and her, and criticized their jet set lifestyle. In 1968, Taylor starred in two films directed by Joseph Losey – Boom! and Secret Ceremony – both of which were critical and commercial failures. The former, based on Tennessee Williams' The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore , features her as an ageing, serial-marrying millionaire, and Burton as a younger man who turns up on
20125-478: The reality inherent to the stage, film (unlike the stage) offers the freedom to manipulate apparent time and space, and thus create the illusion of realism – that is temporal linearity and spatial continuity. By the early 1910s, when the Lost Generation was coming of age, filmmaking was beginning to fulfill its artistic potential. In Sweden and Denmark, this period would later be known as the "Golden Age" of
20286-539: The release of such classics as The Wizard of Oz ; Gone with the Wind ; The Hunchback of Notre Dame ; Stagecoach ; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ; Destry Rides Again ; Young Mr. Lincoln ; Wuthering Heights ; Only Angels Have Wings ; Ninotchka ; Beau Geste ; Babes in Arms ; Gunga Din ; The Women ; Goodbye, Mr. Chips ; and The Roaring Twenties . The visual-narrative style of classical Hollywood cinema, as elaborated by David Bordwell ,
20447-478: The resolution still remains the official policy of American Reform Judaism (CCAR Responsa "Circumcision for an Eight-Year-Old Convert" 5756.13 and Solomon Freehof , Reform Responsa for Our Time , no. 15.) Thus, American Reform Judaism does not require ritual immersion in a mikveh , circumcision, or acceptance of mitzvot as normative. Appearance before a Beth Din is recommended, but is not considered necessary. Converts are asked to commit to religious standards set by
20608-452: The same creative teams often worked on films made by the same studio. For instance, Cedric Gibbons and Herbert Stothart always worked on MGM films ; Alfred Newman worked at 20th Century Fox for twenty years; Cecil B. DeMille 's films were almost all made at Paramount Pictures ; and director Henry King 's films were mostly made for 20th Century Fox. Similarly, actors were mostly contract players. Film historians note that it took about
20769-463: The second century BC through the first century AD, he points to a lack of either missionizing tracts or records of the names of rabbis who sought converts as evidence for the lack of active Jewish missionizing. Feldman maintains that conversion to Judaism was common and the Jewish population was large both within the Land of Israel and in the Diaspora. Other historians believe that conversion during
20930-516: The shape of her eyebrows, and proposed that she use the screen name "Virginia", but Taylor and her parents refused. National Velvet became a box-office success upon its release on Christmas 1944. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times stated that "her whole manner in this picture is one of refreshing grace", while James Agee of The Nation wrote that she "is rapturously beautiful... I hardly know or care whether she can act or not." Taylor later stated that her childhood ended when she became
21091-416: The stage, and their narratives had adapted very little from vaudeville and melodrama. Before the visual style which would become known as "classical continuity", scenes were filmed in full shot and used carefully choreographed staging to portray plot and character relationships. Editing technique was extremely limited, and mostly consisted of close-ups of writing on objects for their legibility. Though lacking
21252-406: The tabloids wouldn't let me. So, I thought: If you're going to screw me over, I'll use you." Classical Hollywood cinema Classical Hollywood cinema is a term used in film criticism to describe both a narrative and visual style of filmmaking that first developed in the 1910s to 1920s during the later years of the silent film era . It then became characteristic of American cinema during
21413-478: The thriller Conspirator (1949), she plays a woman who begins to suspect that her husband is a Soviet spy. Taylor had been only 16 at the time of its filming, but its release was delayed until March 1950, as MGM disliked it and feared it could cause diplomatic problems. Taylor's second film of 1950 was the comedy The Big Hangover (1950), co-starring Van Johnson . It was released in May. That same month, Taylor married hotel-chain heir Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr. in
21574-611: The traditional position requiring formal conversion to Judaism for children without a Jewish mother . The 1983 resolution of the American Reform movement has had a mixed reception in Reform Jewish communities outside of the United States. Most notably, the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism has rejected patrilineal descent and requires formal conversion for anyone without a Jewish mother. However, in 2015
21735-627: The validity of some Reform and Reconstructionist conversions, but only if they include immersion in a ritual bath ( mikvah ), appearance before a rabbinical court ( beit din ) and, for men, circumcision ( brit milah ) or a symbolic circumcision for those already circumcised ( hatafat dam brit ). The requirements of Reform Judaism for conversions are extremely different, and far more lenient. The denomination states that "people considering conversion are expected to study Jewish theology, rituals, history, culture and customs, and to begin incorporating Jewish practices into their lives. The length and format of
21896-481: The vow that Ruth took: "For whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the L ORD do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me." Ruth 1:16–17 In the 1950s Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik and other members of the Rabbinical Council of America engaged in
22057-681: The will of a human character and its struggle with obstacles towards a defined goal. This narrative element is commonly composed of a primary narrative (e.g. a romance) intertwined with a secondary narrative or narratives. This narrative is structured with an unmistakable beginning, middle and end, and generally there is a distinct resolution. Utilizing actors, events, causal effects, main points, and secondary points are basic characteristics of this type of narrative. The characters in classical Hollywood cinema have clearly definable traits, are active, and very goal oriented. They are causal agents motivated by psychological rather than social concerns. The narrative
22218-612: The works of famous British writers. After completing The V.I.P.s , Taylor took a two-year hiatus from films, during which she and Burton divorced their spouses and married each other. The supercouple continued starring together in films in the mid-1960s, earning a combined $ 88 million over the next decade; Burton once stated, "They say we generate more business activity than one of the smaller African nations." Biographer Alexander Walker compared these films to "illustrated gossip columns", as their film roles often reflected their public personae, while film historian Alexander Doty has noted that
22379-610: The year. Taylor received her second Academy Award, and BAFTA, National Board of Review , and New York City Film Critics Circle awards for her performance. In 1966, Taylor and Burton performed Doctor Faustus for a week in Oxford to benefit the Oxford University Dramatic Society ; he starred and she appeared in her first stage role as Helen of Troy , a part which required no speaking. Although it received generally negative reviews, Burton produced it as
22540-455: Was The Girl Who Had Everything (1953), a remake of the pre-code drama A Free Soul (1931). Despite her grievances with the studio, Taylor signed a new seven-year contract with MGM in the summer of 1952. Although she wanted more interesting roles, the decisive factor in continuing with the studio was her financial need; she had recently married British actor Michael Wilding , and was pregnant with her first child. In addition to granting her
22701-535: Was Eleazar," who was well versed in the Law, convinced him that he should, on the grounds that it was one thing to read the Law and another thing to practice it, and so he did. Once Helen and Ananias found out, they were struck by great fear of the possible consequences, but as Josephus put it, God looked after Izates. As his reign was peaceful and blessed, Helen visited the Second Temple to thank God, and since there
22862-479: Was a critical and commercial failure at the time of its release. Taylor and Burton's last film of the year was the adaptation of Graham Greene 's novel, The Comedians , which received mixed reviews and was a box-office disappointment. Taylor's career was in decline by the late 1960s. She had gained weight, was in her late 30s and did not fit in with New Hollywood stars such as Jane Fonda and Julie Christie . After several years of nearly constant media attention,
23023-403: Was a global landmark for filmmaking, 1917 was primarily an American one; the era of "classical Hollywood cinema" is distinguished by a narrative and visual style which began to dominate the film medium in America by 1917. The narrative and visual style of classical Hollywood style developed further after the transition to sound-film production. The primary changes in American filmmaking came from
23184-562: Was a major commercial success, grossing $ 18 million in world rentals. Crowther wrote that Taylor "looks like a million dollars, in mink or in negligée", while Variety stated that she gives "a torrid, stinging portrayal with one or two brilliantly executed passages within." Taylor won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. After completing her MGM contract, Taylor starred in 20th Century-Fox 's Cleopatra (1963). According to film historian Alexander Doty, this historical epic made her more famous than ever before. She became
23345-430: Was a terrible famine at the time, she brought much food and aid to the people of Jerusalem. The Amoraim who produced the Talmud set out basic requirements for conversion to Judaism ( Keritot 8b), which must be witnessed and affirmed by a beth din (a rabbinical court composed of three Jewish males above the age of Bar Mitzvah). The judges on the Beth Din should be observant of Jewish law. Common Orthodox practice
23506-599: Was cast against her will. Taylor disliked historical films in general, as their elaborate costumes and makeup required her to wake up earlier than usual to prepare. She later said that she gave one of the worst performances of her career in Beau Brummell . The second film was Richard Brooks ' The Last Time I Saw Paris , based on F. Scott Fitzgerald 's short story. Although she had wanted to be cast in The Barefoot Contessa (1954) instead, Taylor liked
23667-458: Was cast in her first starring role at the age of 12, when she was chosen to play a girl who wants to compete as a jockey in the exclusively male Grand National in National Velvet . She later called it "the most exciting film" of her career. Since 1937, MGM had looked for a suitable actress with a British accent and the ability to ride horses. They decided on Taylor at the recommendation of White Cliffs director Clarence Brown , who knew she had
23828-459: Was closely followed by the media, with Life proclaiming it the "Most Talked About Movie Ever Made." Filming began in England in 1960, but had to be halted several times because of bad weather and Taylor's ill health. In March 1961, she developed nearly fatal pneumonia , which necessitated a tracheotomy ; one news agency erroneously reported that she had died. Once she had recovered, Fox discarded
23989-422: Was considered ground-breaking for its adult themes and uncensored language, and opened to "glorious" reviews. Variety wrote that Taylor's "characterization is at once sensual, spiteful, cynical, pitiable, loathsome, lustful, and tender." Stanley Kauffmann of The New York Times stated that she "does the best work of her career, sustained and urgent." The film also became one of the biggest commercial successes of
24150-466: Was devastated, pressure from the studio and the knowledge that Todd had large debts led Taylor to return to work only three weeks later. She later said that "in a way ... [she] became Maggie", and that acting "was the only time I could function" in the weeks after Todd's death. During the production, Taylor's personal life drew more attention when she began an affair with singer Eddie Fisher , whose marriage to actress Debbie Reynolds had been idealized by
24311-495: Was followed by a successful sequel, Father's Little Dividend (1951), ten months later. Taylor's next film release, George Stevens ' A Place in the Sun (1951), marked a departure from her earlier films. According to Taylor, it was the first film in which she had been asked to act, instead of simply being herself, and it brought her critical acclaim for the first time since National Velvet . Based on Theodore Dreiser 's novel An American Tragedy (1925), it featured Taylor as
24472-483: Was heavily influenced by the ideas of the Renaissance and its resurgence of mankind as the focal point. It is distinguished at three general levels: devices, systems, and the relations of systems. The devices most inherent to classical Hollywood cinema are those of continuity editing . This includes the 180-degree rule , one of the major visual-spatial elements of continuity editing. The 180-degree rule keeps with
24633-408: Was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA . Taylor's next film, Joseph L. Mankiewicz 's Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), was another Tennessee Williams adaptation, with a screenplay by Gore Vidal and also starring Montgomery Clift and Katharine Hepburn . The independent production earned Taylor $ 500,000 for playing the role of a severely traumatized patient in a mental institution. Although
24794-403: Was not universal, and a number of rabbis have not followed these practices. In order to convert, the conversion candidate must have a circumcision (if male) and immerse in the mikveh before a kosher beth din , comprising three Jewish males who are shomer Shabbat . There is also a requirement to accept the Jewish commandments (although not necessarily a commitment to keep them). Today,
24955-643: Was overall not successful, Taylor received some good reviews, with Vincent Canby of The New York Times writing that she has "a certain vulgar, ratty charm", and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times saying, "The spectacle of Elizabeth Taylor growing older and more beautiful continues to amaze the population." Her performance won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival . Taylor and Burton's last film together
25116-676: Was raised according to the teachings of Christian Science , the religion of her mother and Cazalet. In early 1939, the Taylors decided to return to the United States due to fear of impending war in Europe . United States ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy contacted her father, urging him to return to the US with his family. Sara and the children left first in April 1939 aboard the ocean liner SS Manhattan and moved in with Taylor's maternal grandfather in Pasadena, California. Francis stayed behind to close
25277-551: Was released a year later, it became a box-office success, and was widely praised by critics. Although not nominated for an Academy Award like her co-stars, Taylor garnered positive reviews for her performance, with Variety calling it "surprisingly clever", and The Manchester Guardian lauding her acting as "an astonishing revelation of unsuspected gifts." It named her one of the film's strongest assets. MGM re-united Taylor with Montgomery Clift in Raintree County (1957),
25438-419: Was sent to Britain to take part in the historical epic Ivanhoe (1952), which was one of the most expensive projects in the studio's history. She was not happy about the project, finding the story superficial and her role as Rebecca too small. Regardless, Ivanhoe became one of MGM's biggest commercial successes, earning $ 11 million in worldwide rentals. Taylor's last film made under her old contract with MGM
25599-410: Was terminated after a year. Universal's casting director explained her dislike of Taylor, stating that "the kid has nothing ... her eyes are too old, she doesn't have the face of a child." Biographer Alexander Walker agrees that Taylor looked different from the child stars of the era, such as Shirley Temple and Judy Garland . Taylor later said that, "apparently, I used to frighten grown ups, because I
25760-520: Was the Harlech Television film Divorce His, Divorce Hers (1973), fittingly named as they divorced the following year. Her other films released in 1973 were the British thriller Night Watch (1973) and the American drama Ash Wednesday (1973). For the latter, in which she starred as a woman who undergoes multiple plastic surgeries in an attempt to save her marriage, she received a Golden Globe nomination. Her only film released in 1974,
25921-622: Was totally direct." Taylor received another opportunity in late 1942, when her father's acquaintance, MGM producer Samuel Marx , arranged for her to audition for a minor role in Lassie Come Home (1943), which required a child actress with an English accent . After a trial contract of three months, she was given a standard seven-year contract in January 1943. Following Lassie , she appeared in minor uncredited roles in two other films set in England – Jane Eyre (1943) playing Helen Burns, and The White Cliffs of Dover (1944). Taylor
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