The Blue Bird's visual problems became a full production crisis when Elizabeth Taylor viewed the first week's color dailies. She reportedly disliked the way she appeared on film and flew to London, demanding that Soviet Lithuanian cinematographer Jonas Gricius be removed. Gricius was described as inexperienced with color cinematography, and Taylor's objection was powerful enough to reshape the production: Freddie Young was brought in as director of photography, while Gricius was moved to the second-unit crew. Taylor's scenes were then reshot in post-production, an expensive and disruptive decision that compounded the film's already severe delays and communication problems. Taylor also spent approximately $8,000 on additional costumes for her roles, underscoring how little confidence she had in the production's look. The completed film was subsequently attacked by critics for its garish visual design, making the costly intervention an especially awkward piece of backstage history: the star had fought to improve the appearance of the film, but reviewers still considered the finished spectacle grotesque and overproduced.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1970s
Taylor Rejects the First Week's Photography and Forces a Cinematographer Change
Elizabeth Taylor and The Blue Bird / 1970s
The Blue Bird's visual problems became a full production crisis when Elizabeth Taylor viewed the first week's color dailies. She reportedly disliked the way she appeared on film and flew to London, demanding that Soviet Lithuanian cinematographer Jonas Gricius be removed. Gricius was described as inexperienced with color cinematography, and Taylor's objection was powerful enough to reshape the production: Freddie Young was brought in as director of photography, while Gricius was moved to the second-unit crew. Taylor's scenes were then reshot in post-production, an expensive and disruptive decision that compounded the film's already severe delays and communication problems. Taylor also spent approximately $8,000 on additional costumes for her roles, underscoring how little confidence she had in the production's look. The completed film was subsequently attacked by critics for its garish visual design, making the costly intervention an especially awkward piece of backstage history: the star had fought to improve the appearance of the film, but reviewers still considered the finished spectacle grotesque and overproduced.
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