Based on a novel by the Irish writer Edna O'Brien, who also did the screenplay, the Brian G. Hutton (
WHERE EAGLES DARE) film focuses on a toxic marriage between a controlling but vital wife (Elizabeth Taylor) and her philandering spouse (Michael Caine) that reaches a crucial state when he falls in love with a quiet young widow (Susannah York). Taylor is pretty awesome here in one of her best performances, what one refers to as a
tour de force (she won the Italian Oscar for best actress for her work here) and a force of nature, she is. Her Zee is brimming with life to an overwhelming degree so that you can see why living with her could exhaust you to the point that a passive young thing like York would seem like a life raft to Caine. Taylor's Zee is whizzing around to the degree that you're never quite sure if she's genuine in her sincere moments or her devious mind is clicking away, setting the stage for a grander plan. Caine carefully balances his performance, rising to Taylor's near hysteria in his scenes with her and tender in his scenes with York. O'Brien's clever screenplay is full of wit yet still delving into the untidiness of romantic relationships. With Margaret Leighton and John Standing.
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