Zee and Co.

Zee and Co.
Theatrical release poster bearing an alternate title: X Y & Zee
Directed by	Brian G. Hutton
Written by	Edna O'Brien
Produced by	Elliot Kastner Jay Kanter Alan Ladd, Jr.
Starring	Elizabeth Taylor Michael Caine Susannah York
Cinematography	Billy Williams
Edited by	Jim Clark
Music by	Stanley Myers
Production companies	Columbia Pictures Zee Company
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	21 January 1972
Running time	110 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Zee and Co (also known as X Y and Zee and Zee and Company) is a 1972 British drama film directed by Brian G. Hutton and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, and Susannah York. Released by Columbia Pictures, it was based upon a novel by Edna O'Brien.^[1] The screenplay concerns a middle-aged, bickering couple whose marriage is on its last legs, and the woman who comes between them.

It was shot at Shepperton Studios and on location in London. The film's sets were designed by the art director Peter Mullins. The theme song "Going in Circles" was covered by Three Dog Night on their album Seven Separate Fools (1972), as well as being the b-side to the single "The Family of Man".^{[citation needed]}

Plot[]

Zee Blakely is a loud, coarse, 40-something socialite, whose marriage to her architect husband Robert is on the rocks as witnessed by their frequent verbal sparring matches. Sick of Zee's antics, Robert is drawn to quiet boutique owner Stella who is the complete antithesis to Zee in terms of personality.

Feeling bored and rejected, Zee attempts a number of methods to regain Robert's sympathy, such as attempting suicide, but these do not work. Zee discovers that Stella had a lesbian affair in the past, and uses this against both her and Robert and then dares him to partake in a love triangle with Stella.

Cast[]

• Elizabeth Taylor as Zee Blakeley
• Michael Caine a Robert Blakeley
• Susannah York as Stella
• Margaret Leighton as Gladys
• John Standing as Gordon
• as Rita
• Michael Cashman as Gavin

Critical reception[]

Critical opinions of the film were varied. Roger Ebert wrote that while the movie is "no masterpiece" it still satisfies audiences as it "unzips along at a nice, vulgar clip".^[2] He said that Elizabeth Taylor is the film's main attraction, but the emphasis upon her detracts somewhat from a fuller representation of the love triangle in the film.^[2] Steven Scheue praised the film for its "intelligent dialogue" and as a "change of pace" for its director.^[3] cited Taylor's work as "her greatest movie performance" and called the film "outrageously funny" (McWilliams, 1987: 32).

Other critics were less sympathetic. Leonard Maltin wrote the film was "contrived [and] often perverse," with the Elizabeth Taylor/Susannah York love scene ranking "high in the annals of poor taste," (Maltin, 1990: 1386). Clive Hirschhorn felt the film was sabotaged by the director's "indulgent" take on it, thereby skewing Edna O'Brien's screenplay to its detriment (Hirshhorn, 1989: 298). Mick Martin offered a very brief review of the film, writing that it was a "pointless tale of sexual relationships", (Martin and Porter, 1996: p. 1213).

Home media[]

A remastered Region 1 DVD-R^[4] was released by Sony Pictures on 17 December 2010.

Bibliography[]

• Hirschhorn, Clive (1990). The Columbia story (1 ed.). New York: Crown. ISBN 978-0517575581.
• Maltin, Leonard, ed. (1991). Leonard Maltin's movie and video guide (1992 ed.). New York, N.Y.: Signet. ISBN 978-0452266919.
• Martin, Mick; Porter, Marsha (1996). Bang, Derrick (ed.). Video movie guide, 1997. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0345406439.
• McWilliams, Michael (1987). TV sirens : a tantalizing look at prime time's fabulous females. New York, NY: Putnam. ISBN 978-0399512926.

References[]

External links[]

• Zee and Co. at IMDb
• Zee and Co. at Rotten Tomatoes