Editing Richard Burton (section)

=== 1952–1954: Hollywood and The Old Vic ===
Burton began 1952 by starring alongside [[Noel Willman]] in the title role of [[Emmanuel Roblès]] adventure ''Montserrat'', which opened on 8 April at the Lyric Hammersmith. The play only ran for six weeks but Burton once again won praise from critics. According to Bragg, some of the critics who watched the performance considered it to be Burton's "most convincing role" till then.{{Sfnm|1a1=Cottrell|1a2=Cashin|1y=1971|1p=122|2a1=Alpert|2y=1986|2p=56|3a1=Bragg|3y=1988|3p=79}} Tynan lauded Burton's role of Captain Montserrat, noting that he played it "with a variousness which is amazing when you consider that it is really little more than a protracted exposition of smouldering dismay".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/18th-april-1952/12/montserrat-by-lillian-hellman-lyric-hammersmith-it | title=Montserrat. By Lillian Hellman. (Lyric, Hammersmith.) IT is as well | work=[[The Spectator]] | date=18 April 1952 | access-date=18 April 2016 | first=Kenneth | last=Tynan | author-link=Kenneth Tynan | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418091859/http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/18th-april-1952/12/montserrat-by-lillian-hellman-lyric-hammersmith-it | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:My Cousin Rachel trailer screenshot 3.png|thumb|right|Burton with Olivia de Havilland in ''My Cousin Rachel'' (1952)]]
Burton successfully made the transition to Hollywood on the recommendation of film director [[George Cukor]]{{efn|[[George Cukor]] was initially assigned by the film's producer and screenwriter [[Nunnally Johnson]] to direct ''My Cousin Rachel'', but left due to differences of opinion with Johnson regarding the film's script.<ref name="TCM MCR Notes">{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/84298/my-cousin-rachel#notes | title=My Cousin Rachel&nbsp;— Notes | publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]] | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418100452/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/84298/My-Cousin-Rachel/notes.html | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[Henry Koster]] was assigned in his place.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=56, 59}}}} when he was given the lead role in the [[Gothic film|Gothic]] [[romance film]], ''[[My Cousin Rachel (1952 film)|My Cousin Rachel]]'' (1952) opposite [[Olivia de Havilland]]. [[Darryl F. Zanuck]], co-founder of [[20th Century Fox]], negotiated a deal with Korda to loan Burton to the company for three films as well as pay Burton a total of $150,000 ($50,000 per film).{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=57}} De Havilland did not get along well with Burton during filming, calling him "a coarse-grained man with a coarse-grained charm and a talent not completely developed, and a coarse-grained {{sic|behavior|nolink=y}} which makes him not like anyone else". One of Burton's friends opined it may have been because of Burton's making remarks to her that she did not find in good taste.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=59}}{{efn|Biographer Alpert mentions that De Havilland complemented Burton as well, mentioning he possessed a "manliness combined with a little boy quality".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=59}}}}

While shooting ''My Cousin Rachel'', Burton was offered the role of [[Mark Antony]] in ''[[Julius Caesar (1953 film)|Julius Caesar]]'' (1953) by the production company, [[Metro Goldwyn Mayer]] (MGM), but Burton refused it to avoid schedule conflicts.<ref name="HH1952">{{cite news | url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1952/12/28/page/52/article/youll-like-burton-for-certain/ | title=You'll Like Burton For Certain | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=28 December 1952 | access-date=19 April 2016 | pages=9, 15 | first=Hedda | last=Hopper | author-link=Hedda Hopper | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419065938/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1952/12/28/page/52/article/youll-like-burton-for-certain/ | archive-date=19 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The role subsequently went to [[Marlon Brando]] for which he earned a [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor]] and an [[Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]].<ref name="HH1952"/><ref>{{cite web | url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1954/film/foreign-actor | title=Foreign Actor in 1954 | publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] | access-date=19 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419071340/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1954/film/foreign-actor | archive-date=19 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Oscars54">{{cite web | url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1954 | title=The 26th Academy Awards 1954 | date=4 October 2014 | publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] | access-date=19 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423075018/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1954 | archive-date=23 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Based on the 1951 [[My Cousin Rachel|novel of the same name]] by [[Daphne du Maurier]], ''My Cousin Rachel'' is about a man who suspects his rich cousin was murdered by his wife in order to inherit his wealth, but ends up falling in love with her, despite his suspicions.{{Sfn|Thomas|1983|pp=223–224}} Upon release, the film was successful at the box office,<ref>'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953'. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. 13 January 1954.</ref> and Burton's performance received mostly excellent reviews.<ref name="TCM MCR Notes"/> [[Bosley Crowther]], writing for ''The New York Times'', appreciated Burton's emotional performance, describing it as "most fetching"; he called him "the perfect hero of Miss du Maurier's tale".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9501EFDD1E3AE23BBC4E51DFB4678389649EDE | title='My Cousin Rachel' Presented at the Rivoli – 'Ruby Gentry,' 'No Time for Flowers' Bow | work=The New York Times | date=26 December 1952 | access-date=18 April 2016 | first=Bosley | last=Crowther | author-link=Bosley Crowther | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418102234/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9501EFDD1E3AE23BBC4E51DFB4678389649EDE | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]'' reviewer stated "young Burton registers with an intense performance that stamps him as an actor of great potential". Conversely, a critic from the ''[[Los Angeles Examiner]]'' labelled Burton as "terribly, terribly tweedy".<ref name="TCM MCR Notes"/> The film earned Burton the [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year&nbsp;– Actor]] and his first Academy Award nomination in the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] category.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1953/all | title=Winners & Nominees 1953 | publisher=[[Golden Globe Award]] | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418104304/http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1953/all | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1953 | title=25th Academy Awards | date=4 October 2014 | publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | access-date=30 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430014504/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1953 | archive-date=30 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:The Robe 1953 Trailer Screenshot 1.png|thumb|left|As the Roman military tribune Marcellus Gallio in ''The Robe'' (1953)]]
The year 1953 marked an important turning point in Burton's career.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=85}} He arrived in Hollywood at a time when the [[studio system]] was struggling. The rise of television was drawing viewers away and the studios looked to new stars and film technologies to tempt viewers back to cinemas.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=86–87}} He first appeared in the [[war film]] ''[[The Desert Rats (film)|The Desert Rats]]'' with [[James Mason]], playing an English captain in the North African campaign during World War II who takes charge of a hopelessly outnumbered Australian unit against the indomitable German [[field marshal]], [[Erwin Rommel]], who was portrayed by Mason. The film received generally good reviews from critics in London, although they complained the British contribution to the campaign had been underplayed ed.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18368077 | title=London Critics Praise 'The Desert Rats'. | work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=26 April 1953 | access-date=18 April 2016 | page=3 | agency=[[National Library of Australia]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418121629/http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18368077 | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The critic from ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' magazine thought Burton was "excellent" while ''The New York Times'' reviewer noted his "electric portrayal of the hero" made the film look "more than a plain, cavalier apology".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/the-desert-rats-1200417385/ | title=Review: 'The Desert Rats' | work=Variety | date=31 December 1952 | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418122741/http://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/the-desert-rats-1200417385/ | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A04EEDF163DE23BBC4153DFB3668388649EDE | title='The Desert Rags,' With Richard Burton and Robert Newton, Presented at the Mayfair | work=The New York Times | date=9 May 1953 | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418123253/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A04EEDF163DE23BBC4153DFB3668388649EDE | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Burton and Sybil became good friends with Mason and his wife [[Pamela Mason]], and stayed at their residence until Burton returned home to the UK in June 1953 in order to play [[Prince Hamlet]] as a part of The Old Vic 1953–54 season.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=59, 67}} This was to be the first time in his career he took up the role.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Theatre}}

Burton's second and final film of the year was in the [[Biblical]] [[epic film|epic]] historical drama, ''[[The Robe (film)|The Robe]]'', notable for being the first-ever motion picture to be made in [[CinemaScope]].{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=64}}{{efn|The decision to make the film in CinemaScope was taken by Fox as a response to [[Cinerama]], another widescreen process that was introduced in 1952 with the film, ''[[This Is Cinerama]]''.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=63}}}} He replaced [[Tyrone Power]], who was originally cast in the role of Marcellus Gallio, a noble but decadent Roman [[military tribune]] in command of the detachment of Roman soldiers that were involved in crucifying [[Jesus Christ]]. Haunted by nightmares of the crucifixion, he is eventually led to his own conversion. Marcellus' Greek slave Demetrius (played by [[Victor Mature]]) guides him as a spiritual teacher, and his wife Diana (played by [[Jean Simmons]]) follows his lead. The film established a trend for Biblical epics such as ''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]'' (1959).{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=85}} Based on [[Lloyd C. Douglas]]' 1942 historical novel [[The Robe|of the same name]], ''The Robe'' was well received at the time of its release, but contemporary reviews have been less favourable.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=86}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/robe/ | title=The Robe (1953) | website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | date=16 September 1953 | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305011300/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/robe | archive-date=5 March 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> ''Variety'' magazine termed the performances of the lead cast "effective" and complemented the fight sequences between Burton and [[Jeff Morrow]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/the-robe-1200417355/ | title=Review: 'The Robe' | work=Variety | date=31 December 1952 | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418133110/http://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/the-robe-1200417355/ | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Crowther believed that Burton was "stalwart, spirited and stern" as Marcellus.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D06E0D71339E23BBC4F52DFBF668388649EDE | title=The Screen: 'The Rose' Shown In Cemascope; Movie Based on Douglas' Novel Stars Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature Much-Heralded Film Process Gives Viewers a Smashing Display of Spectacle | work=The New York Times | date=17 September 1953 | access-date=18 April 2016 | first=Bosley | last=Crowther | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418134240/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D06E0D71339E23BBC4F52DFBF668388649EDE | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]] of the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'' called ''The Robe'' "pious claptrap".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-robe/Film?oid=1056747 | title=The Robe | work=[[Chicago Reader]] | access-date=18 April 2016 | first=Jonathan | last=Rosenbaum | author-link=Jonathan Rosenbaum | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418133126/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-robe/Film?oid=1056747 | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The film was a commercial success, grossing $17&nbsp;million against a $5&nbsp;million budget, and Burton received his second Best Actor nomination at the [[26th Academy Awards]].<ref name="Oscars54"/>{{Sfn|Cashmore|2016|p=144}}

{{Quote box|bgcolor=#FAE7B5|quote=[Elizabeth Taylor] was so extraordinarily beautiful that I nearly laughed out loud [...] She was undeniably gorgeous [...] She was lavish. She was a dark unyielding ''largesse''. She was, in short, too bloody much, and not only that, she was totally ignoring me.|source=&nbsp;— Burton's first impression of Elizabeth Taylor.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=90}}|align=right|width=35%}}

Bolstered by ''The Robe''{{'}}s box office collections, Zanuck offered Burton a seven-year, seven-picture $1&nbsp;million contract ({{Inflation|US|1000000|1952|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}), but he politely turned it down as he was planning to head home to portray ''Hamlet'' at The Old Vic. Zanuck threatened to force Burton into cutting the deal, but the duo managed to come to a compromise when Burton agreed to a less binding contract, also for seven years and seven films at $1&nbsp;million, that would begin only after he returned from his stint at The Old Vic's 1953–54 season.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1pp=65–66|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2pp=87–88}}{{efn|Alpert mentions the contract's span as ten-year and ten-pictures, but also states the amount to be $1&nbsp;million.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=65}}}}

News of the incident soon spread and his decision to walk out on a million-dollar contract for a stipend of £150 a week at The Old Vic was met with both appreciation and surprise.{{Sfnm|1a1=Ferris|1y=1981|1p=117|2a1=Alpert|2y=1986|2p=66|3a1=Bragg|3y=1988|3p=88}} Bragg believed Burton defied the studio system with this act when that would have been expected to guarantee unemployment for him.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=89}} Gossip columnist [[Hedda Hopper]] considered Burton's success in his first three films in Hollywood to be "the most exciting success story since [[Gregory Peck]]'s contracts of ten years back".<ref name="HH1952"/>{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=89}}

At a party held at Simmons' residence in [[Bel Air, Los Angeles]] to celebrate the success of ''The Robe'', Burton met [[Elizabeth Taylor]] for the first time. Taylor, who at the time was married to actor [[Michael Wilding (actor)|Michael Wilding]] and was pregnant with their first child, recalled her first impression of Burton being "rather full of himself. I seem to remember that he never stopped talking, and I had given him the cold fish eye."{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=60|2a1=Walker|2y=1990|2pp=139, 148, 152}} Hamlet was a challenge that both terrified and attracted him, as it was a role many of his peers in the British theatre had undertaken, including Gielgud and Olivier.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=93}} He shared his anxiety with de Havilland whilst coming to terms with her. Bogart too, didn't make it easy for him when he retorted: "I never knew a man who played ''Hamlet'' who didn't die broke."{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=65–66}}
[[File:Old Vic0185.JPG|thumb|right|The Old Vic (photographed in 2012) in London, where Burton rose to fame as a Shakespearean actor]]
Notwithstanding, Burton began his thirty-nine-week stint at The Old Vic by rehearsing for ''Hamlet'' in July 1953, with Philip providing expert coaching on how to make Hamlet's character match Burton's dynamic acting style.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=69|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=92}} Burton reunited with Bloom, who played [[Ophelia]].{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=94}} ''Hamlet'' opened at the [[General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland|Assembly Hall]] in Edinburgh, [[Scotland]] in September 1953 as part of The Old Vic season during the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=69|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=Appendices: Theatre}} The play and Burton's Hamlet were, on the whole, well received, with critics describing his interpretation of the character as "moody, virile and baleful" and that he had "dash, attack and verve".{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=95}} Burton's Hamlet was quite popular with the young audience, who came to watch the play in numbers as they were quite taken with the aggressiveness with which he portrayed the role. Burton also received appreciation from [[Winston Churchill]].{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=69}} Gielgud was not too happy with Burton's Hamlet and asked him while both were backstage: "Shall I go ahead and wait until you're better?... ah, I mean ready?" Burton picked up the hint and infused some of Gielgud's traits to his own in later performances as Hamlet.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=70}}{{efn|Gielgud's biographer Jonathan Croall opines Gielgud's dissatisfaction may be due to a remark Burton made that his portrayal of Hamlet was "a sort of unconscious imitation of Gielgud".{{Sfn|Croall|2000|p=441}}}} A greater success followed in the form of the Roman General [[Gaius Marcius Coriolanus]] in ''[[Coriolanus]]''. At first, Burton refused to play Coriolanus as he didn't like the character's initial disdain for the poor and the downtrodden. [[Michael Benthall]], who was renowned for his association with [[Tyrone Guthrie]] in a 1944 production of ''Hamlet'', sought Philip's help to entice Burton into accepting it. Philip convinced Burton by making him realise that it was Coriolanus' "lack of ambivalence" which made him an admirable character.{{Sfnm|1a1=Babula|1y=1981|1p=58|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=96–97|3a1=Tynan|3y=2012|3p=109}} Burton received even better reviews for Coriolanus than Hamlet. Hardy thought Burton's Hamlet was "too strong" but that "His Coriolanus is quite easily the best I've ever seen." Olivier too agreed it was the greatest Coriolanus he had ever seen till then.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=96–97}}

Burton's other roles for the season were [[Sir Toby Belch]] in ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', [[Caliban]] in ''The Tempest'' and [[Philip of Cognac]] in ''[[King John (play)|King John]]''.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=97}} All five of Burton's plays were directed by Benthall; three of those plays featured Bloom.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Theatre}} While Belch was considered "disappointing", owing to Burton's not putting on the proper make-up for the part, his reviews for Caliban and Philip of Cognac were positive.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=97–98}} Alpert believed Burton's presence made the 1953–54 season of The Old Vic a commercial success.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=69}} Burton was an ardent admirer of poet [[Dylan Thomas]] since his boyhood days. On the poet's death on 9 November 1953, he wrote an essay about him and took the time to make a 1954 BBC Radio adaptation of one of his final works, ''[[Under Milk Wood]]'', in which Burton performed the role of First Voice in an all-Welsh cast.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=98–99}}<ref name="BBC UMW 1954">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/under_milk_wood.shtml | title=Under Milk Wood | publisher=BBC | date=24 December 2003 | access-date=21 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421023649/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/under_milk_wood.shtml | archive-date=21 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The entire cast of the radio adaptation, including Burton, played their roles free of charge.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=98–99}} Burton reprised his role in the play's [[Under Milk Wood (1972 film)|1972 film adaptation]] with Taylor.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Films}}<ref name="BBC UMW 1954"/> Burton was also involved in narrating [[Lindsay Anderson]]'s [[short film|short]] documentary film about The Royal School for the Deaf in [[Margate]], ''[[Thursday's Children]]'' (1954).<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0DE0DB1431F934A35753C1A961948260 | title=Film: Three From Lindsay Anderson | work=The New York Times | date=7 October 1987 | access-date=21 April 2016 | first=Walter | last=Goodman | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421024643/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0DE0DB1431F934A35753C1A961948260 | archive-date=21 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>