How Julie Taymor Brings Visual Flair to ‘The Glorias’

In “Anatomy of a Scene,” we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series on Fridays. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel.


When an interviewer poses a sexist question to Gloria Steinem in the biopic about her life, a giant red tornado sweeps him away.

Or at least it does in Steinem’s thoughts. That sequence is one of a few moments of fanciful abandon in “The Glorias,” Julie Taymor’s drama that casts four actresses to play the feminist activist.

The scene begins during a television interview, with Alicia Vikander playing Gloria. But when the interviewer (Michael Lowry) says to her, “I hope you’ll forgive our masculine notion that you are an absolutely stunning sex object,” the casting of Gloria changes in the middle of the interview to Julianne Moore, then leads into the fantasy sequence of her response.

“I allow the whimsy of her imagination to say what she would say, could she say it,” Taymor said in an interview.

In this video, Taymor further explains the scene and how she put it together, from creative costuming (by Sandy Powell) to a sweeping score (by Elliot Goldenthal). And she discusses filming her performers on wires over green screen that would combine with visual effects into a sequence that pays tribute to both “The Wizard of Oz” and “Macbeth.”

Read the “Glorias” review.

Sign up for the Movies Update newsletter and get a roundup of reviews, news, Critics’ Picks and more.

Source: Movies - nytimes.com

‘The Glorias’ | Anatomy of a Scene

Piers Morgan slams GMB guest over Covid-19 comments amid Kate Garraway heartache