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Jane ( Elizabeth Taylor) and Martin Reynolds (Richard Burton) live La Dolce Vita in Rome in the early 70's and after 18 years come to the slow and painful end of their marriage. This is the story of a crumbling relationship told first from the husband's point of view and then in the second half is told from the wife's. A couple with very different needs, Burton plays a businessman who is uncommunicative and aloof, and Taylor is his wife who will do anything to get his attention, eventually the relationship borders on sadomasochisms as he tires of her manipulative games and she is increasingly frustrated with this dearth of attention and her mundane normal family life...as she tells him at one point, "It's no fun behaving badly if you're not going to punish me". The beauty of Taylor is breathtaking and Burton, with his powerful voice, is immensely attractive. Both give terrific performances in this Love Hate scenario and it is fascinating to watch these fabulous on and off screen lovers battle each other, both experts in the chaos of divorce who in a few years time would be facing divorce themselves in their own real life relationship.