Product Details

• Actors: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Noel Coward, Joanna Shimkus, Michael Dunn
• Directors: Joseph Losey
• Writers: Tennessee Williams
• Producers: John Heyman, Lester Persky, Norman Priggen
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, Italian
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: October 31, 2000
• Run Time: 110 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004W46L
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,979 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boom ... the horrible realization that you are still alive!, January 25, 2002

By 

repelli "repelli" (Virginia, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boom! [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Utterly incomprehensible and totally entertaining! People expecting this to be "camp" in the sense of singing transvestites or trained parakeets are bound to be disappointed (Ok, Liz does have a dwarf henchman). However, you can only laugh at a caftan or Taylor's moment of impromptu Kabuki theater for so long. Rather, it's a triumph of continuous irrational behavior from the characters AND the film-makers. Tennessee Williams' sensibility is evident, but transplanted from his usual Dixie environs to a Sardinian fairytale castle, it is even more scintillating than say, the film of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". Burton actually gives a really interesting performance as Flanders, but he is totally overshadowed by Taylor's Cissy Goforth. Hacking up phlegm at every turn, she is constantly irritated by EVERYTHING which is the sensibility that really connects this with John Waters' early work (it's a favorite film of his, and the poster shows up prominently in "Pink Flamingos"). Divine in "Multiple Maniacs" is very much a resounding echo and fracturing of Liz Taylor in "Boom!", and that is definitely a compliment to both great actors. The occasional totally unexpected hooting or stream of creative cursing from Cissy is also a brillant addition to the screenplay. It's like watching a film infected with Tourette's syndrome. For the historical record, Taylor in "Boom!" is supposedly the first female star to utter the "F" word in a studio film. John Barry's score is also notable: circus calliope and tipsy piano together with his trademark brassy orchestral James Bond sound. It perfectly complements the movie.
Certainly not to everyone's taste, but I doubt if it was ever meant to be. Take a chance on it!
This one really should be on DVD with widescreen framing!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Riot From Start To Finish!, November 7, 2000

By 

DANIEL G. MADIGAN - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boom! [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Liz and Dick after Virginia Woolf with NO DIRECTION from Losey and one of Tennessee's worst plays, and an island with Noel Coward on it, and Liz is dying, supposedly older than everyone, but she looks fabulous and ypouthful and not sick at all. She wears headdresses that are unforgettable; she postures and preens for the camera while Burton recites sententious lines that make one howl like a Banshee. Liz dominates all of the scenes she is in and you want more and more even at the close.

It is a camp cavalcade not to be missed. I wish it were on DVD, but at last it is out in some form..so we rejoice.

One sees why Waters would love this, and he is not the only one.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars INJECTION!!!, September 11, 2000

By 

ANTHONY M. DICARO (ATLANTA, GEORGIA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boom! [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Nonstop drama makes this movie a cult classic. What more could you ask for? Injections! Booze! Inevitable Death! Liz at the height, I mean, weight of her career! These are the ingredients that make the world go round. Think ocean cliffs, contemporary design and servants. Truely this movie is incedibly campy and that is what makes it so entertaining. Liz give another stellar performance, there is classic Taylor-Burton chemistry. I recenctly heard at a film festival that Tennessee Williams said that he felt this was the best movie adaptation of any of his works. It definitely gets five stars from me.