"Ash Wednesday" opens with a series of sepia-toned, fabricated photographs putting a young, glamorous Elizabeth Taylor together with a lean, dark-haired Henry Fonda; it's a great credits-sequence, well pulled off, until we find out that all this fancy living has taken its toll on poor Liz, portraying a lawyer's wife from Detroit (couldn't they aim higher than that?). Figuring plastic surgery is the only way to win back her estranged husband's love, Taylor checks into a Swiss medical resort and receives a full-body lift, later trading in her gauze and bandages for Valentino wraps and elaborate fur ensembles for a vacation at the local chalet. There's nothing remotely engaging about this scenario, except to see La Liz in a series of delectable wardrobe changes. We know that when Fonda arrives and sees her, nothing will be different (this is telegraphed far in advance). The picture was probably ahead of its time in depicting the vanity in men as well as in women, but Taylor and Fonda have a tough time creating actual characters (the writing being hardly more than a sketch). Liz has a nice moment asking Fonda to sing with her as they walk home, also a strong scene arguing with her daughter (Margaret Blye, who is well-cast; her eyes are almost as beautiful as Taylor's). But this fairy-tale-that-isn't hasn't much to offer aside from its surface attributes, which are photographed in a maddening series of subdued colors. ** from ****
17 Reviews
Elizabeth Taylor plays...
lostngone4ever3 October 2000
Elizabeth Taylor plays Barbara Sawyer, wife to Henry Fonda (who shows up late in the film) for 30 years who has not aged well (to say the least). She goes to Europe and receives plastic surgery in an attempt to save her marriage. Will her restored youth appeal to her husband or will she have to start life over and be strong enough to do so? This is the premise of Ash Wednesday, a syrupy soap opera in the ugly duckling to beautiful swan tradition. Maybe you're a fan of Liz Taylor and sought this movie out, or maybe you just managed to catch it on late night cable and there was nothing else on. Either way you probably realized that this movie wasn't exactly high caliber. But in humble defense I will praise an excellent musical score, beautiful on location scenery, and elegant Edith Head designed fashions. The premise of the movie is a good one and it could have made for a very interesting film had the screenwriter or director had any amount of talent. But the dialogue and direction are both flat. Certain scenes seem pointless and unfulfilled. However, the main point of the movie is to show loving close ups and profiles of 41 year old Taylor looking beautiful again. And, yes, with a lot more make-up and just the right camera angle, we the audience, are transplanted back to those fabulous 50's movies when Taylor didn't have to act or even speak to transfix your gaze upon her and hold it rapt. Rating for Ash Wednesday for any viewer. **(out of 4) For Liz Taylor fans. ***
A nip here and a tuck there
bkoganbing22 November 2020
So I see Richard Burton hated this film. Well wouldn't go so far as to say I hated it. Still Ash Wednesday wil never rank as one of Elizabeth Taylor's best films.
It plays a lot like The Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone. Maybe if someone like Tennessee Williams had written this it would have been better known and acclaimed.
Liz is in Switzerland for a little plastic surgery. A nip here, a tuck there and maybe some of that spark in her marriage to Henry Fonda will have some of that old time zip in it. She amuses herself in the meantime with both Keith Baxter and Helmut Berger.
The results just aren't what she hoped for,
Try as I may I just could not get interested in these rich people and their problems. Henry Fonda looked as bored as I was. At least he got a European vacation for his time.
For fans of the sars only.
It plays a lot like The Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone. Maybe if someone like Tennessee Williams had written this it would have been better known and acclaimed.
Liz is in Switzerland for a little plastic surgery. A nip here, a tuck there and maybe some of that spark in her marriage to Henry Fonda will have some of that old time zip in it. She amuses herself in the meantime with both Keith Baxter and Helmut Berger.
The results just aren't what she hoped for,
Try as I may I just could not get interested in these rich people and their problems. Henry Fonda looked as bored as I was. At least he got a European vacation for his time.
For fans of the sars only.
Why Liz, why?
Skylightmovies15 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Money methinks or an excuse to visit the alps.
AND to boost interest in Swiss facelifts, now newly available to all the rich and sundry. Yep, no slice or slash is skipped, skin is shown torn and stitched into place and if we missed any detail, the good doc fills us in verbally and with implication.
As if the Hays moral code required more punishments for daring to chop up one's face for vanity, Taylor's life falls apart on cue and the only thing on offer is the cougar life with pretty Swiss gigolos.
So maybe there was a warning in this for us normies; female 'fame' is impossible to come by if one believes it rests with the exterior or impersonating a man. Ask Fonda, pick one.
AND to boost interest in Swiss facelifts, now newly available to all the rich and sundry. Yep, no slice or slash is skipped, skin is shown torn and stitched into place and if we missed any detail, the good doc fills us in verbally and with implication.
As if the Hays moral code required more punishments for daring to chop up one's face for vanity, Taylor's life falls apart on cue and the only thing on offer is the cougar life with pretty Swiss gigolos.
So maybe there was a warning in this for us normies; female 'fame' is impossible to come by if one believes it rests with the exterior or impersonating a man. Ask Fonda, pick one.
No spoilers here!!!
sadie_thompson3 October 2003
I lost track of this film after they pulled Elizabeth Taylor's face off, so I can't possibly divulge any plot points. (Okay, so it wasn't Elizabeth getting her face torn off, but it was somebody and it was SICK.)
The whole point to this film, as I understood it, was that Elizabeth Taylor's character Barbara is a superficial women who thinks everyone else is superficial also. Her marriage is on the rocks, so she automatically assumes she's getting ugly. Appearance isn't everything, Barbara dear. She is understandably shocked when her husband lets her in on that fact. He doesn't care if she looks like a troll named Brunhilde (which is how she starts off the film)--he just doesn't love her anymore. I thought he was a real twit, as he acts as if he couldn't care less about her and never did.
I get aggravated when Elizabeth Taylor's face is the centerpiece of a movie. The woman can act, but I have yet to meet anyone who realizes that. Movies like this mirror her real life to me. She has to look beautiful, and if she doesn't, she isn't a whole person. She doesn't function properly. (Small wonder she's had so many personal problems. Being a beautiful goddess all the time has to be difficult.) To me, Barbara Sawyer is a bit like Elizabeth Taylor. Her face seems to be her fortune, and she gets quite distressed if something happens to it. It seems unfortunate that Barbara (and possibly Ms. Taylor) place so much store by looking good. "My husband's leaving me. I'm not surprised, my hair looked awful today." That sounds unreal, but that is how Barbara acts. Even more unfortunate is how my whole review here is based on how she looks. Now I'm doing it. It just makes for a very pathetic individual, and maybe Barbara is supposed to be.
The whole point to this film, as I understood it, was that Elizabeth Taylor's character Barbara is a superficial women who thinks everyone else is superficial also. Her marriage is on the rocks, so she automatically assumes she's getting ugly. Appearance isn't everything, Barbara dear. She is understandably shocked when her husband lets her in on that fact. He doesn't care if she looks like a troll named Brunhilde (which is how she starts off the film)--he just doesn't love her anymore. I thought he was a real twit, as he acts as if he couldn't care less about her and never did.
I get aggravated when Elizabeth Taylor's face is the centerpiece of a movie. The woman can act, but I have yet to meet anyone who realizes that. Movies like this mirror her real life to me. She has to look beautiful, and if she doesn't, she isn't a whole person. She doesn't function properly. (Small wonder she's had so many personal problems. Being a beautiful goddess all the time has to be difficult.) To me, Barbara Sawyer is a bit like Elizabeth Taylor. Her face seems to be her fortune, and she gets quite distressed if something happens to it. It seems unfortunate that Barbara (and possibly Ms. Taylor) place so much store by looking good. "My husband's leaving me. I'm not surprised, my hair looked awful today." That sounds unreal, but that is how Barbara acts. Even more unfortunate is how my whole review here is based on how she looks. Now I'm doing it. It just makes for a very pathetic individual, and maybe Barbara is supposed to be.
The legend that is La Liz in a plot that wipes away as fast as Easter ashes.
mark.waltz7 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I assure you, you will have a great time watching all of the beautiful outfits and settings that Elizabeth Taylor here plays in a film that could be called a semi biography of her later life. She plays it straight, isn't braying and has such a gentiluty about her dad you have the urge to hug her to pull her out of her loneliness. as the aging wife of Henry Fonda, she travels all over Europe after having her face lifted and finds that simply being a beautiful woman in furs and jewels doesn't necessarily make her happy.
There truly is no real plotline, just a series of meaningless encounters with the so-called beautiful people, yet she is never really satisfied with her strings of lovers, longing for a reunion with her husband which does not occur until the last 20 minutes of the film. He is graying and feeling the aches and pains of age, yet her insecurities tell her that she looks better than she does even having undergone the knife. The surgery scene itself is rather gruesome and shows the skin being pulled, a few open portions of the face, and then finally a scarred Liz preparing for the miracle to happen to her looks.
Certainly sumptuous to look at and filled with a great musical score by George Delarue, this isn't bad in the sense of a hideous script and outlandish dialogue, but often just dull and pointless. A few classic standards like "Moonlight Becomes You" and "The Nearness of You" fill the background with romance, but that only emphasizes the shallowness of her existence. it's a beautiful time capsule into the life of a great star whose legend will live forever, but the ironies considering Liz's past, present and future following this makes for questionable art and adds a bit of uncomfortably to snooping in on a celebrity who once reigned as the most famous woman in the world.
There truly is no real plotline, just a series of meaningless encounters with the so-called beautiful people, yet she is never really satisfied with her strings of lovers, longing for a reunion with her husband which does not occur until the last 20 minutes of the film. He is graying and feeling the aches and pains of age, yet her insecurities tell her that she looks better than she does even having undergone the knife. The surgery scene itself is rather gruesome and shows the skin being pulled, a few open portions of the face, and then finally a scarred Liz preparing for the miracle to happen to her looks.
Certainly sumptuous to look at and filled with a great musical score by George Delarue, this isn't bad in the sense of a hideous script and outlandish dialogue, but often just dull and pointless. A few classic standards like "Moonlight Becomes You" and "The Nearness of You" fill the background with romance, but that only emphasizes the shallowness of her existence. it's a beautiful time capsule into the life of a great star whose legend will live forever, but the ironies considering Liz's past, present and future following this makes for questionable art and adds a bit of uncomfortably to snooping in on a celebrity who once reigned as the most famous woman in the world.
I gained some respect for Liz Taylor when I saw her in this film, even though it's not a great film by any standard.
planktonrules8 December 2023
The story begins in an exclusive clinic in Switzerland. Barbara (Elizabeth Taylor) is there to get 'the works', as she's older and hopes this will invigorate her stale marriage. The film then shows some pretty realistic surgery scenes as well as scenes of the post-surgery Barbara...complete with horrific bruises which come from the surgeries. She looks pretty awful in these scenes and I was impressed that the glamorous Taylor agreed to be made up to look this bad.
Following her discharge, Barbara gets coiffed and buys a new wardrobe and awaits her husband in a nearby hotel...but it will be some time until Mark (Henry Fonda) arrives. And, given her new look and lease on life, Barbara finds herself drifting towards an affair with some younger stud. Clearly the surgery has had an effect on her psyche...but how will it affect Mark and the marriage? After all, he has no idea she was getting plastic surgery and expects an older looking woman to greet him.
The notion of a woman getting plastic surgery and its effect (or lack of effect) on her life and marriage is an interesting one. However, the film managed to make it all very dull with too many scenes of Barbara walking about, eating dinner alone, etcetera...and many could have been eliminated or shortened. To put it bluntly, this portion of the movie is dull and glacially slow and it really shouldn't have been. Sadly, it seems to take forever for anything to happen...and I cannot understand this. Did it get better once the husband eventually arrived? Not especially.
The bottom line is that the set up for the story should have resulted in something interesting but it didn't. I think the script and direction were major problems with "Ash Wednesday"....and I can understand why Taylor's husband at the time, Richard Burton, thought this was a poor film.
Following her discharge, Barbara gets coiffed and buys a new wardrobe and awaits her husband in a nearby hotel...but it will be some time until Mark (Henry Fonda) arrives. And, given her new look and lease on life, Barbara finds herself drifting towards an affair with some younger stud. Clearly the surgery has had an effect on her psyche...but how will it affect Mark and the marriage? After all, he has no idea she was getting plastic surgery and expects an older looking woman to greet him.
The notion of a woman getting plastic surgery and its effect (or lack of effect) on her life and marriage is an interesting one. However, the film managed to make it all very dull with too many scenes of Barbara walking about, eating dinner alone, etcetera...and many could have been eliminated or shortened. To put it bluntly, this portion of the movie is dull and glacially slow and it really shouldn't have been. Sadly, it seems to take forever for anything to happen...and I cannot understand this. Did it get better once the husband eventually arrived? Not especially.
The bottom line is that the set up for the story should have resulted in something interesting but it didn't. I think the script and direction were major problems with "Ash Wednesday"....and I can understand why Taylor's husband at the time, Richard Burton, thought this was a poor film.
Not vintage Liz, but "Ash Wednesday" has aged well
zorotrinidad29 March 2006
I want to say, in 1973, it was fashionable to knock anything Elizabeth Taylor did. Not the greatest movie in the world, but a bitter story of how the aging process can affect us. Yes! It was a return to the gorgeous Liz! But, isn't that what a movie star is all about. So, Liz got fat, so did I! Liz drank and had her addictions. So do we all! Why judge a performance by an actor's trouble life? And, mirror, mirror on the wall, who has lived to survive it all? Elizabeth the Great! What more can I say? Sadly, bias and bigotry continue to blight the work of many great performers. Time will tell, or maybe it has told already, that Elizabeth Taylor and her body of work can stand up with the rest. P.S. Felt the same incredible sadness at"Ash Wednesday" in 1973 as I did at that other bitter pill "Brokeback Mountain."
Like "Shirley Valentine" but dramatic...and pretty good.
xavrush8918 November 2003
Obviously, this sight recommends "Breast Men" as a suitable companion piece to this because of the cosmetic surgery angle. (I don't watch similar films together anyway.) To me, it is much more akin in spirit to "Shirley Valentine." Woman estranged from her husband in foreign country amidst beautiful scenery, a change of life, etc. For once, a woman having a co-star old enough to be her father actually works with the script! Taylor's acting here is more subtle than it had been in the previous decade, and it works. I could not relate to a woman who goes to such lengths for her husbands affection, but she is playing a woman of a bygone era, and almost twenty years older than she was at the time (the woman playing her daughter could easily have played her sister in another film). This is a very slowly paced film, but by golly you can't help but root for Taylor to find some solace, just like Shirley V. All of this leads up to an inevitable confrontation with her husband, and the movie keeps you guessing to the end what will happen between them. Was it worth it? I won't tell. Knowing what we now know about the kind of father and husband Henry Fonda was in real life can't help but taint the viewing of him in this role. But hey, they could've gotten Bing Crosby. All in all, I saw this movie on video about nine years ago, and as you can see it has stayed with me. So check it out, it beats the heck out of anything on Lifetime.
Liz, Liz, Liz
wc1996-428-36610126 March 2013
Apparently, Elizabeth Taylor hated being called "Liz" but that didn't stop Mike Todd from naming his plane "The Lucky Liz", the plane that crashed and killed him. After his death Elizabeth leased a home in Tucson a few blocks from where I lived but she never stayed there the crowds were so bad. A girl I was dating happened to see Elizabeth at her girlfriend's home in Tucson and said she was more beautiful than you could imagine. The girlfriend's parents were Loews - the people who owned MGM and Elizabeth hid out at their home until she was able to leave Tucson. The house Elizabeth rented was owned by a customer of my dad's company, a TV sales and service concern, and it was quite posh but nothing compared to what Elizabeth was used to. Years later when I was working in the industry I would meet Elizabeth and her husband, Richard Burton, in Mexico. It was quite an experience. Rumor has it that Burton did not want Elizabeth to make this film but I am glad she did. In one scene after another she never looked so beautiful and that's really what this film is about - looking at the most beautiful woman in the world.
Strong performance from Liz
HotToastyRag29 October 2022
The start of Ash Wednesday might put some people off, but do what I did and just fast-forward about ten minutes. There's an actual filmed procedure of massive plastic surgery, to show what Elizabeth Taylor's character goes through. We first see her with gray hair, jowls, bags, sags, and extra fat. Next, she's bandaged up and recovering in a European hospital, until finally she's revealed to be the beautiful star we all know her to be.
Why does she have such extensive surgery? Because, as we see through a series of photographs in the opening credits, she has grown old with her husband, Henry Fonda. In order to please him and rekindle their love, she thinks turning back time will help. While recuperating and waiting for him to see her anew, she spends time in a beautiful Swiss ski lodge and meets new people - including the much younger, handsome Helmut Berger (who thinks they're the same age). One of my favorite scenes in when she rebuffs his initial advances. He encroaches on her solitary dinner at their hotel, and at the end of the meal he doesn't object when she is brought the bill. She leans in close and seductively asks for his room number. Then, she triumphantly writes the number down on the bill to force him to act like a gentleman!
You might not have heard of this 1970s drama, but if you're a Liz fan, try and find a copy. You'll find a very endearing performance from Ms. Taylor. This isn't her usual role, for even though she looks exquisitely gorgeous, she doesn't feel that way on the inside. She feels old, frumpy, and afraid of not being good enough. When she's confronted by her deepest fears and Henry Fonda is as cold as he usually is on the screen, she crumbles to pieces. It's a very strong piece of acting, and Liz, her costumes, and her snowy surroundings are lovely to look at.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to due to a graphic plastic surgery sequence, I wouldn't let my kids watch the beginning portion.
Why does she have such extensive surgery? Because, as we see through a series of photographs in the opening credits, she has grown old with her husband, Henry Fonda. In order to please him and rekindle their love, she thinks turning back time will help. While recuperating and waiting for him to see her anew, she spends time in a beautiful Swiss ski lodge and meets new people - including the much younger, handsome Helmut Berger (who thinks they're the same age). One of my favorite scenes in when she rebuffs his initial advances. He encroaches on her solitary dinner at their hotel, and at the end of the meal he doesn't object when she is brought the bill. She leans in close and seductively asks for his room number. Then, she triumphantly writes the number down on the bill to force him to act like a gentleman!
You might not have heard of this 1970s drama, but if you're a Liz fan, try and find a copy. You'll find a very endearing performance from Ms. Taylor. This isn't her usual role, for even though she looks exquisitely gorgeous, she doesn't feel that way on the inside. She feels old, frumpy, and afraid of not being good enough. When she's confronted by her deepest fears and Henry Fonda is as cold as he usually is on the screen, she crumbles to pieces. It's a very strong piece of acting, and Liz, her costumes, and her snowy surroundings are lovely to look at.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to due to a graphic plastic surgery sequence, I wouldn't let my kids watch the beginning portion.
Guilty Pleasure
mrcaw1227 April 2004
Ash Wednesday (1973) Costarring Henry Fonda, Taylor plays your typical depressed, run-of-the-mill, middle-aged housewife who in an attempt to win back her divorce-seeking husband, goes to a Swiss spa to undergo plastic surgery and regain her youthful beauty. Well, not only is the operation a success, she comes out of it looking like, well Elizabeth Taylor. Dominick Dunne produced this movie before he went on to novel writing fame and fortune. It's considered a really bad movie. I consider it high seventies camp at its best. Most definitely a thumbs up. Watch it in college with your friends over vodka tonics.
Valentine to a Fabulous Dame!
jery-tillotson-128 May 2013
"Ash Wednesday" from l973 marked Elizabeth Taylor's last glamour movie. After winning her Oscar for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe", Taylor was urged by new husband, Richard Burton, to take on more quirky roles that downplayed, and thus damaged, her phenomenal movie career as a legendary beauty. When she accepted the role of Barbara, an aging middle-aged socialite who goes to Switzerland to have a body lift, Burton was enraged that she would take such a "dumb" role. We have to laugh. Burton by now was notorious for picking roles that resulted in box office bombs, like "Exorcist II," "Bluebeard," "Under Milkwood", "Staircase," etc. "Ash Wednesday" was filmed at the luxurious resort village of Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy. Here we see a stunning Elizabeth Taylor--at last--clothed in knockout fashions from the hands of Edith Head. Beautiful gowns, robes of velvet, furs galore, hairstyles from Alexandre of Paris, rapturous photography by Ennio Guarnieri and best of all a one-of-a-kind white ermine costume to wear at the movie's mardi gras. Taylor's co-star was nearly as beautiful as she: Helmut Berger. Burton was convinced the two were having a real affair. Everyone laughed because it was known that the gorgeous Berger was the lover of Italian movie director Luchino Visconti. Taylor looks phenomenal throughout, with numerous loving closeups that show why the world had fallen in love with her. We have a beautiful musical score by Maurice Jarre but the biggest casting error is a glum, grim Henry Fonda who portrays her dull-as-dishwater husband. That male beauty, Rod Taylor of the '70s, would have been ideal. Producer Dominick Dunne wrote in his memoirs that there was more drama behind the scenes of this movie than in front it. Taylor and Burton had operatic confrontations over who was sleeping with who. He tried to physically prevent her from appearing on the set. The actress was often late, sometimes never showed up for work, overdosed several times--yet, none of this shows up on screen. "Ash Wednesday" is a movie to be treasured by Taylor fans--and we are in the millions--or anyone else who wants to see a fabulous beauty making her swan song to old-style glamour. She would never appear so uncannily beautiful again.
Elizabeth Taylor is stunning
aussiebrisguy26 July 2006
Elizabeth Taylor is truly stunningly beautiful in Ash Wednesday. Her character Barbara Sawyer goes through the sheer hell of plastic surgery in an effort to win back her philandering rotten husband Mark, played by Henry Fonda. I must admit I didn't realise what a terrible actor Henry Fonda was until I saw him up against the magnificent Elizabeth Taylor. Helmut Berger puts in an appearance as Barbara's young lover. The scenery around Cortina is absolutely exquisite and Elizabeth Taylor's costumes and hair styling are superb. This film is entertaining as it exposes the dangers of thinking that surgery will right problems that no knife can successfully cut away. This film is pure escapism. Enjoy it for what it is. It is an interesting look at lifestyles of the rich in the early 1970s in Europe. Elizabeth Taylor has some great lines.
Enjoyed this more than Richard Burton obviously!
indialm29 March 2011
I actually enjoyed this film quite a bit. It wasn't quite "Virginia Woolf" or some of her other films. But I think it showed some great depth and the desperation in a women, who thinks she is losing her husband, especially set in the 70's. Henry Fonda, as great an actor as he was, would not have been my choice as the male lead. However, his role is secondary for all intents and purposes. The film is also obviously about a wealthy woman. First, it's set in Switzerland and she's an American. One who can afford plastic surgery, which in her character's mind,is the way to possibly gain her husband's attention. Not a radical idea today, but plastic surgery was less talked about in this time period. I came across this film accidentally on television awhile back and have had trouble finding it since. It's definitely worth watching if you are an Elizabeth Taylor fan.
1970's Melodrama with Futuristic Tones
TheFearmakers24 August 2018
A brilliant plot-device for any forty-year-old actress who was once an ingenue, ASH WEDNESDAY has a middle-aged Elizabeth Taylor circa 1973 playing a character well over sixty...
Beginning at a Swiss resort for plastic surgery far ahead of its time, ASH combines wistful melodrama and a touch of science-fiction since, when the procedure is finished... after being shown in uncomfortable detail from what seems a training film for med students... she winds up the real Elizabeth Taylor at that age... her age, then... thus looking comparably better than ever...
Having also lost weight, it's one of her last truly glamorous roles despite portraying an unpretentious and melancholy "Blanche Debois" had she been an old-fashioned, passive wife of a rich, classy yet dominant lawyer from Detroit...
But the first act's not all blood and stitches, revived by hospital crony/scene-stealer Keith Baxter, an outgoing famous photographer providing both small talk and exposition during the surgery aftermath as HER OWN secret layers and THEIR OWN literal bandaged layers are progressively unveiled: leading to Cortina d'Ampezzo Italian ski resort to meet her anticipated husband played by Henry Fonda...
Who'd only been shown in the opening credit montage, using contrived "vintage photos" of the couple, cut-and-pasted from different stages of both Taylor and Fonda's careers... winding up at the hotel's costume party before an important conversation in what's best described as an emotional twist ending, more inevitable than predictable...
Yet her makeover wasn't entirely in vain, romanced by young playboy Helmut Berger within the plush hotel's ballrooms and bedrooms that coincide with Baxter's jovial visit (though his charisma was more essential during hospital lockdown)...
Highlighted by a deliberately awkward dinner with adult daughter Margaret Blythe, hinting at the truth before the audience learns what Taylor's been hiding from, which is right around the corner...
Overall, despite the god-awful reviews, Richard Burton's disgust and lacking a proper DVD release, ASH WEDNESDAY is Liz's best 1970's vehicle, and the last time she'd look nearly perfect for her age.
Beginning at a Swiss resort for plastic surgery far ahead of its time, ASH combines wistful melodrama and a touch of science-fiction since, when the procedure is finished... after being shown in uncomfortable detail from what seems a training film for med students... she winds up the real Elizabeth Taylor at that age... her age, then... thus looking comparably better than ever...
Having also lost weight, it's one of her last truly glamorous roles despite portraying an unpretentious and melancholy "Blanche Debois" had she been an old-fashioned, passive wife of a rich, classy yet dominant lawyer from Detroit...
But the first act's not all blood and stitches, revived by hospital crony/scene-stealer Keith Baxter, an outgoing famous photographer providing both small talk and exposition during the surgery aftermath as HER OWN secret layers and THEIR OWN literal bandaged layers are progressively unveiled: leading to Cortina d'Ampezzo Italian ski resort to meet her anticipated husband played by Henry Fonda...
Who'd only been shown in the opening credit montage, using contrived "vintage photos" of the couple, cut-and-pasted from different stages of both Taylor and Fonda's careers... winding up at the hotel's costume party before an important conversation in what's best described as an emotional twist ending, more inevitable than predictable...
Yet her makeover wasn't entirely in vain, romanced by young playboy Helmut Berger within the plush hotel's ballrooms and bedrooms that coincide with Baxter's jovial visit (though his charisma was more essential during hospital lockdown)...
Highlighted by a deliberately awkward dinner with adult daughter Margaret Blythe, hinting at the truth before the audience learns what Taylor's been hiding from, which is right around the corner...
Overall, despite the god-awful reviews, Richard Burton's disgust and lacking a proper DVD release, ASH WEDNESDAY is Liz's best 1970's vehicle, and the last time she'd look nearly perfect for her age.
The Fountain of Youth
mmallon49 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Richard Burton hated this movie, calling is a "f***ing bloody, lousy, nothing film": I must strongly disagree. Ash Wednesday paints a haunting picture of a plastic surgery hospital, with patients walking around like zombies with bandages over their heads in a last desperate bid to be young again. As Keith Baxter's character puts it "we all simply refuse to accept reality". One moment during the film is in which a group of patients are playing cards; reminds me of the 'waxworks' scene from Sunset Boulevard. Realistic or not, this whole section of the movie is eerie and effective. Even after Elizabeth Taylor has left the hospital there is this continuing sense of unease, as if she has just sold her soul to the devil; helped in part by Maurice Jarre's music score. The movie's theme of fading beauty is made all the more poignant since its Elizabeth Taylor of all people doing the role.
The first act of Ash Wednesday features graphic scenes of plastic surgery. Watching the film I didn't know if they were real or just really convincing special effects. Nope, it turns out it is real footage with skin being cut open and plenty of exposed flesh in close up detail. I do wonder who is actually under the knife in this footage but it is an effectively put together sequence in which I believed Elizabeth Taylor's character was the one undertaking plastic surgery.
The opening credits of the film feature a series of cut and paste photographs of Elizabeth Taylor and Henry Fonda in an effort to make it appear they have been a married couple as they age over the years. Fonda being much older than Taylor in real life, these series of photos feature the two at the same age periods, so a photo of Fonda in the 30's will be cut and paste with a picture of Taylor from the 50's. It's not entirely convincing but is neat to look at.
What I appreciate most about Ash Wednesday is just honest the storytelling is. Taylor's husband played by Henry Fonda simply doesn't love her anymore, there is no sexual attraction between the two them and they don't satisfy each other's needs anymore; yet he doesn't come off as a jerk getting these points across. Untimely the two learn to accept this but not without having an understanding of each other and move on with their lives.
Ash Wednesday has yet to ever see the light of day on DVD, remaining VHS only.
The first act of Ash Wednesday features graphic scenes of plastic surgery. Watching the film I didn't know if they were real or just really convincing special effects. Nope, it turns out it is real footage with skin being cut open and plenty of exposed flesh in close up detail. I do wonder who is actually under the knife in this footage but it is an effectively put together sequence in which I believed Elizabeth Taylor's character was the one undertaking plastic surgery.
The opening credits of the film feature a series of cut and paste photographs of Elizabeth Taylor and Henry Fonda in an effort to make it appear they have been a married couple as they age over the years. Fonda being much older than Taylor in real life, these series of photos feature the two at the same age periods, so a photo of Fonda in the 30's will be cut and paste with a picture of Taylor from the 50's. It's not entirely convincing but is neat to look at.
What I appreciate most about Ash Wednesday is just honest the storytelling is. Taylor's husband played by Henry Fonda simply doesn't love her anymore, there is no sexual attraction between the two them and they don't satisfy each other's needs anymore; yet he doesn't come off as a jerk getting these points across. Untimely the two learn to accept this but not without having an understanding of each other and move on with their lives.
Ash Wednesday has yet to ever see the light of day on DVD, remaining VHS only.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
