Film: Jessica Kellgren-Hayes
A woman of substance
Cleopatra (1963) became notorious even during production for excessively running over budget and for a range of troubles on set that included major changes in cast and crew, a forced change in location, expensive sets that had to be reconstructed twice, shooting without a script and a scandal around its co-stars… It is one of the most expensive films ever made at $341 million (when adjusted for inflation). The budget for Taylor’s costumes was the highest ever for a single screen actor- over one and a half million dollars today. Her sixty-five costumes included a dress made from twenty-four carat gold cloth!
The film is a colossus of the historical-epic era, and the high-point of Elizabeth Taylor’s global celebrity, when her own fame matched the Queen of the Nile’s. It was the first of eleven films that Richard Burton and Taylor starred in together.
“The high-point of Elizabeth Taylor’s celebrity, when her own fame matched the Queen of the Nile’s”
The film was originally intended to be released as two separate pictures; “Caesar and Cleopatra” followed by “Anthony and Cleopatra”, each running to approximately three hours. Yet studio executives, knowing that the public was so obsessed with the Burton-Taylor affair presumed they would not see the first part, in which Burton did not appear.
Thus the film was edited into one, incredibly long film. It still breaks down into two clear parts: Cleopatra first beguiles and unmans one Roman alpha-male in Julius Caesar, played by Rex Harrison, and then another, in the form of Burton’s Mark Antony.
As ridiculous as that sounds (and, indeed, is), these characters are plausible people, conceived with sophistication and set free in a realm of political conflict, intrigue and corrupting personal power. They are stirred by extramural dynamisms, emboldened by clear desires and pontificate with words that spark with sophisticated wit and metaphor… Or the men do, at least.
Whilst Cleopatra is portrayed as a woman of force and dignity, powered by a ferocious ambition to conquer and rule as much of the world as she possibly can… she occasionally can appear a spoilt teenage girl, who often takes her clothes off but really has not much to say.
Taylor takes this not-particularly-well-written characterization and adds spark to it; within her Cleopatra is the presence and poise of a woman so excessively arrogant as to believe herself to be a ruler descended from gods. Her performance eloquently speaks to the arrogance and pride of an ancient queen.
For more reviews of classic films, subscribe to my YouTube channel, MissJessicaKH and watch Latest TV’s film review show PostFeature, every Wednesday at 6.30pm and repeated through the week. Check listings in this magazine for more!
