Even for the amateur fan like me, the film remains a heady treat. Because it is about Elizabeth Taylor. They don’t make them like they used to -- and they probably never will again.

The tapes do lend an intimacy.

The Lost Tapes lays bare the gap between private self and public image.

It is an artifact of Hollywood’s Golden Age, filled with intimate and sometimes unpleasant details, and a glimpse into Taylor’s essence.