bkoganbing X,Y&Z stars that romantic trio of Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, and Susannah York. I'm thinking Richard Burton must have been working on another project so Michael Caine was substituted in a part that seemed clearly written for Burton.Caine and Taylor are a pair of married somethings who are starting to look a lot like George and Martha from Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf. That would be another 20 years or so. At the moment they still have a lot of life and lovers to experience. But for reasons not fully explained Taylor resents York, a widow with two small children far more than any of the others Caine has had. She no doubts sees a slightly younger version of herself. It really is because while the two women are having a most civilized lunch to amicably dispose of the matter of Caine, York says something to Taylor that really reminds her of herself. Something that later Taylor uses to her advantage. At the end we don't really know what's in store for this triangle.Caine and Taylor have the showier roles, but York gives a nice understated performance. Not one hint of the end I will reveal, but it really does kind of blow Caine's mind.I'm sure this had Richard Burton in mind originally. Watch and see if you don't agree.

alicecbr With an execrable screenplay, this movie with Elisabeth taylor and Michael caine just demonstrate what good actors can do DESPITE the limitations of the script. So, you immediately get the impression of a debauched society, with folks having more money than they deserve. So, while elisabeth appears to be the swinger of the 2, you soon find out that it's a mutual 'open marriage'. However, there's none of the intellectual rationalization we used back then. they both feed off the other's affairs.When you watch Elisabeth at her wickedest get up close to the bathroom door and whisper all about her affair with a married doctor WITH children, you strangely see Michael draw close to the door and listen appreciatively, getting off on the vicarious thrill. You don't get the significance of Elisabeth mentioning 'CHILDREN' until you find out that he's got no ammunition in his bullets. They have no children.You will see this same theme echoed in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf", as an older Elisabeth unleashes the same rage and uses her feminine wiles to seduce another man in front of her husband. I also got the feeling, as I revisited this movie in honor of Elisabeth Taylor at her death this week, that much of this was a replay of her relationship with Richard Burton. They relied on the constant fluctuations in passions to make their marriages renew.I would never give this movie a 10, but it is a great movie to visit for its' historical connotations if you weren't alive during the 'Swinging Sixties'. these folks ain't hippies, but they sure give a good imitation. And of course, Elisabeth looks goRGeouS even in her fury. In today's culture, her seduction of the new mistress would not be considered shameful. If fact, you wonder if they will continue as a menage au troix. Back then, it might have been looked at as repulsive by the public.

Kenneth Anderson "X, Y & Zee" is a timepiece from that awkward, transitional period in Elizabeth Taylor's career when her legendary Hollywood glamour began to give way to a more earthy blowsiness. Unfortunately, her film choices during this phase suggest a disinterest in doing any actual acting and more of a penchant for taking on roles that suited her personal needs (exotic locations, proximity to husband and family, size of paycheck, etc.)If the title "X, Y & Zee" suggests a love triangle, then you'll know all there is to know about this colorful but airless game of sexual one-upmanship where the clothes and decor are more interesting than the people inhabiting them. Two years later Hal Ashby's "Shampoo" would skewer these amoral, directionless types more entertainingly.Perhaps thinking she had a mod, swinging London update of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" on her hands, Taylor as Zee once again allows herself to be cast as the braying, shrill harpy to a weak, watery-eyed husband (the always charming Michael Caine). Taylor and Caine have one of those functional dysfunctional marriages that are probably an accurate representation of what comprise many so-called happy marriages. Regrettably neither performer is able to make me believe that they were ever a couple in the first place. They just don't fit. That wounded hound dog Richard Burton would have been much better.Anyhow, things get shaken up pretty quickly once Caine sets eyes on pretty, husky-voiced boutique owner, Susannah York and starts romancing her right under Taylor's heavily made-up nose.As the trio uncomfortably navigate the decidedly choppy waters of love and sex, the film struggles mightily to be bitchy and witty and NOW but never heats up much and has nothing up its sleeve but a pretty nice final act (it probably was a good deal more daring back in 1972). York, as always is an exceptionally interesting actress, but her character sometimes makes even less sense than Taylor's and Caine's. For me, the single most fascinating element of the film was Susannah York's shag haircut. What a weird hairstyle. Glistening, shining, intricately layered and geometrically perfect, it is the one image that has stayed with me long after the film had ended.

moonspinner55 An original screenplay from Edna O'Brien about a married British architect whose extramarital affair with a pretty, placid boutique owner plays havoc in his relationship with his catty, cunning spouse--a woman with a wild-party lifestyle who spends her spare time plotting to arouse her husband in various ways. As the jabbing, biting Zee Blakeley, Elizabeth Taylor channels both her Leonora from "Reflections in a Golden Eye" and, most especially, Martha from "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"; although this is really just a gaudy soap opera, the actress seems to relish her blowzy role, giving it some thought and also some pathos when she's not hooping and hollering, drunk or sober. Michael Caine is a formidable match for Taylor, though in an entirely different key; he adjusts his performance to underscore her rhythm and gives us the sense of a marriage that has seen many dark days. As the widowed mother of two who comes between them, Susannah York is rather an enigma, and O'Brien's turning the character into a woman with secrets in her closet doesn't quite come off (it plays like a stunt, and carries over to the finale). The piece is erratic and exhausting, but certainly not without interest, and Taylor is an entertainment all by herself. She holds the screen in a tight grasp, with no intention of letting go, and this is enough to keep the picture hypnotically watchable. ** from ****