I had to watch this again because I just read Sammy Davis Jr's Hollywood In A Suitcase. In the book he describes some wild nights with Burton & Taylor, and I think it also occurred in England, maybe during the making of this film. So since this movie was on television, I thought it would be fun just to watch Burton & Taylor in action pre-Virginia Wolf. And how campy were they? Taylor did her usual Hollywood camp trademark of acting while Burton camp it up theatrical style. I'm sure they were laughing it up during the making of the movie (possibly between drinks with Sammy). What really got my interest was the story involving Rod Taylor and the young beautiful Maggie Smith. Rod plays an Australian entrepreneur and he gets it right with the larrikin accent and mannerisms. How a petite English secretary falls for him is understandable because what you see is what you get, and that is a rough Aussie bronze male who shows his true emotions. I'd wish they had shown more of that story than the melodramatic one of Burton & Taylor.For extra pleasure there is the little side story of The Duchess of Brighton, played by the delightful Margaret Rutherford. This eccentric character spends her time popping pills to either stay awake or put her to sleep. There is no other real purpose for this side story beside tying up with the other small story involving the homosexual film producer played with humor by Orson Welles. The stories of these two characters is superficial but total fun compare to the soap opera of Burton & wife.Watching this in widescreen on a pristine print also makes a big difference, because I saw this thirty years ago on a small television and thought it was total rubbish. This time around I enjoyed it more and appreciate the little subtleties that make it all worth the while.

I saw this back during the 1980's and it's OK. "The VIP's" was written by the distinguished British playwright Terence Rattigan, whose works include "Separate Tables." It's a multi-character programmer about various wealthy people who are stranded by fog at an airport while their lives are at a crisis point of one kind or another. The big story is the marital discord of a powerful businessman and his pampered but neglected wife, played by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Their real-life affair and subsequent marriage had made front-page news around the world at the time of this film, and it was clearly made with the intent of capitalizing on their notoriety. There are other characters with problems, played by Orson Wells, Margaret Rutherford (who won an Oscar), Elsa Martinelli, Maggie Smith, and Rod Taylor, but that was just filler material. The result is a glamorous but routine film with nothing going on that you wouldn't see in an episode of "Dallas" or "Dynasty," but it's still easy to watch and the time passes painlessly.

Though this movie is best know as a Richard Burton-Elizabeth Taylor vehicle, I wanted to watch it because it featured Margaret Rutherford's Oscar-winning role. I had previously seen the delightfully ditzy Dame (she really was a Dame) in Blithe Spirit and The Importance of Being Earnest, and she was fabulous in both, so I was eager to see her here. It was to my semi-disappointment that she was typecast for The V.I.P.s too, even if she excels at being scatterbrained. Hence her Oscar victory is more of a body of work thing, I reckon, 'coz she would've been just as deserving for the other two movies.Anyway, the movie's reminiscent of Neil Simon's works because it's about a collection of stories about a bunch of people stuck in an airport (and subsequently the airport hotel) due to weather delays. I would have to say that the personalities overshadow the characters, what with stars like Burton, Taylor, Rutherford, and the hammy Orson Welles. It was also one of Maggie Smith's first movie roles, and already she had that... Maggie Smith-ness in her. Even if I didn't get much out of the movie plot, it was lovely to watch the collection of luminaries.

Much of the action focused on a romantic triangle involving a pampered wife, a wealthy husband, and a penniless playboy lover… Liz once again is the neglected wife, comforting herself with a lover (Jordan)… When the destitute husband is threatened by his wife's departure who has given her diamonds instead of affection, Burton shows he cares… Liz, unyielding however; wants him to suffer… Taylor's performance is cool and serene… Her face undisturbed by normal human expression… Playing an instigator of male insecurity, she is, for a change, altogether lovely to look at… Maggie Smith plays the trusty secretary in love with her Australian boss Rod Taylor… Orson Welles's arrogant character provides the comic relief… Margaret Rutherford won a Best Supporting Oscar for her delightful role as the eccentric elderly duchess