Elizabeth Taylor In London (1963)

Film legend Elizabeth Taylor guides us on a tour of London interspersing interviews with real Londoners with readings from poetry, diaries and letters of notable Brits. Directed by Sidney Smith. First televised in 1963, the show was a very successful production and inspired a follow up, SOPHIA LOREN IN ROME. Gowned by Yves St. Laurent and coiffed by Alexandre Of Paris, Taylor reads us Keats, Browning and Wordsworth as well as Elizabeth I's speech to the troops at Tilbury, Winston Churchill's speech after the German attack on London and and two excerpts from Queen Victoria's diary. It's a time capsule of London in 1963 which at the time was the place to be. The history of London is too massive to be done justice in an hour's time but it's a pleasant advert for London tourism. The lush score is by John Barry.