1971 Drama
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cast
crew
Brian G. Hutton
Jay Kanter, Alan Ladd Jr
Edna O'Brien
Billy Williams
Jim Clark
Stanley Myers
Peter Mullins
(Columbia)
- [ z e e a n d c o : m o v i e r e v i e w ]
Rated: 
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'Elizabeth Taylor and I became great friends instantly, because
she is a no-bullshit lady, and I'd like to imagine myself as
a no bullshit man..'
- Michael Caine on his co-star in Zee and Co
When Michael Caine was offered Zee and Co (or X, Y and Zee as it was known in the States), he almost
agreed without even reading the script when he heard he
was to appear opposite Elizabeth Taylor, at the time the
biggest female star in the world. And Caine found his
encounter with Elizabeth Taylor as entertaining as he had
hoped. When she turned up on set at Shepperton Studios
with a Jug of Bloody Mary, he knew it would be fine.
The relationship may have been fine but the picture wasn't. The critics and public alike loathed it. Explains Caine:
Scripted by Edna O'Brien, this preposterous rubbish still raises a laugh (and not for the right reasons) as Taylor, Caine (as her husband), Susannah York (as his lover) and Margaret Leighton (as a society hostess) play it close to the edge. Taylor slashes her wrists, York's earlier affair with a nun comes to the surface and before long the pair are in bed together. Pity poor Mr Caine. But pity everyone except the costume designer who works wonders with see-through materials.
Contains swearing, nudity and unbelievably bad acting.
'It was very much a woman's picture and a little ahead of its time. It was, to say the least, not quite my style of thing, but I really wanted to work with Elizabeth so I took it and never regretted it.'
