tech
April 28, 2026
Boom! A Melodrama Fit for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s Doomed Love Affair
A dying glamour puss falls for her parasitic houseguest in Joseph Losey’s 1968 fever dream that earns its exclamation mark
TL;DR
- Elizabeth Taylor stars as Flora "Sissy" Goforth, a wealthy, dying widow in the film Boom!, a 1968 adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play.
- Richard Burton co-stars as Christopher Flanders, a man known as "the Angel of Death" who arrives at Sissy's isolated island home.
- The film explores themes of life, death, sexual paranoia, and the extreme nature of Taylor and Burton's real-life relationship.
- Shot on location in Sardinia, Boom! is characterized by its surreal visuals, extravagant costumes, and frenzied script, earning it a "so-bad-it's-good" reputation that director John Waters defended as "the best failed art movie ever made."
- The production itself faced challenges, including the realization that the elaborate villa set lacked basic amenities like electricity and plumbing.
Continue reading the original article