Big, boozy, and beautiful Elizabeth Taylor (as Zee) has an "modern marriage" with London architect Michael Caine (as Robert Blakeley). Their extra-curricular activities aren't too serious. Then, Mr. Caine falls in "love at first sight" with blonde boutique owner Susannah York (as Stella). Caine sets her up in an apartment and plans to leave Ms. Taylor. Sensing a rival who will truly threaten her marriage, Taylor ingratiates herself into her husband's romance - intending to end the affair, or go crazy trying.
Neatly re-titled "X Y & Zee" for American consumption, enjoying this film will depend on your tolerance for Taylor's shrill, boisterous character. The drama was very "adult" for the time, but seems reluctant to show much concerning the final plan "Zee" uses to keep her husband. It also is altered from the blatant (and necessarily bisexual) "ménage à trois" in the original story (by Edna O'Brien). The more tenuous ending does retain the integrity of Taylor's character, and leaves "Zee" in a similar position.
****** Zee and Co. (12/71) Brian G. Hutton ~ Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, Susannah York. Margaret Leighton
Plot summary
The venomous and amoral wife of a wealthy architect tries, any way she can, to break up the blossoming romance between her husband and his new mistress; a good-natured young widow who holds a dark past.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
August 23, 2021 at 05:58 AM
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Movie Reviews
Elizabeth Taylor Raises Caine
Overwritten but entertaining sexual melodrama about an absolute bitch
In this sexual melodramawhere the flow of bad language was new at the timeLiz is the dark heroine, a passionate woman who listens to blaring rock; Susannah York is the misty-eyed fair heroine, all prissy decorum, who listens to dignified classical music
Paunchy Michael Caine is the man between
The contest is merely an excuse for Liz, as the randy wife of a straying husband, to bask in the vulgarity she has such contagious fun with
Like Maggie the Cat, Liz-Zee is determined to ensnare her man, even going so far as to seduce her rival
Taylor's embrace of Susannah York is awfully tentative, altogether lacking the fervor of her attentions to Lassie or Paul Newman or Montgomery Clift
Overwritten but entertaining, this sexual melodrama is a blatant and hollow confection
Two hours of relentless bitching by Liz, it's a valentine to her fans, a good-natured send-up of her earth mother, sex goddess image
Taylor on a Rampage
X, Y and Zee is one of those rare films that can be perceived differently now than when it was originally released and be more enjoyable. However, one has to be in the right frame of mind. As a straight drama, it can be trite, uneven and a bit preposterous. But viewed as a kind of fascinating cultural time capsule with an over-the-top performance by Elizabeth Taylor as the scorned wife of a philandering Michael Caine, it can actually be quite entertaining and even hilarious. Never has any woman tried so hard to keep her man in the face of dire circumstances while simultaneously wreaking havoc on just about everyone. X, Y and Zee is a strange little film, but if you're a Taylor fan and don't mind overlooking a few flaws, you might find it quite entertaining and amusing. One thing for sure...this film belongs to Taylor; without her, it would be nothing.