I've been sad about this all day. We haven't lost a film star on this scale since Garbo.
Yes, there was Paul Newman, and Debbie Reynolds is a living contemporary. But Taylor was a "golden era" star from the heart of the studio system. She first became a bona fide star in 1944 under Louis B. Mayer's guidance. And she's one of the rare child stars who made the transition gracefully to teenage star and adulthood with her fame not only intact but surpassing anything she ever did at MGM.
Now put aside her film work, which was uneven, sure, but when she was brilliant, there was no one better. No one.
She was a good person. She made an impact in a way that few stars of her era or any have ever done. She helped change attitudes about everything from something "light" like fashion to something deeply earth-shattering like AIDS.
She showed up to the party and changed the world. One prejudiced opinion and perfume squirt at a time.
(Yeah, that was "hammy" but I think she would have loved it.)
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
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