Elizabeth Taylor starred as the title character (Image: Getty)
An Oscar-winning biographical film which was one of the decade’s highest-grossing films will air on TV today, and it’s being hailed as a “memorable epic.”
The 1963 film chronicles the life of the Queen of Egypt, the political struggles and tragic romances that surrounded her.
Titled after its main character, Cleopatra (played by Elizabeth Taylor), the film follows the queen from 48 BC, when Roman general Julius Caesar arrives in Alexandria and meets her. From then on, a relationship develops as she seeks his support in taking her brother Ptolemy XIII’s throne.
With Caesar’s support, Cleopatra becomes the sole ruler of Egypt. The relationship triggers political unrest over the years, and the story focuses on its repercussions.
Cleopatra then meets another key figure with whom she has a political and romantic affair, infuriating powerful figures in Rome and leading to war and death.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had a widely-publicised affair on set (Image: Getty)
The production’s background was almost as complex as the themes it touches on. Originally budgeted at $2 million, the final cost ballooned to a staggering $44 million – roughly $470 million in today’s money – making it one of the most expensive movies ever produced.
Filming initially began in London, but Elizabeth Taylor contracted severe pneumonia and required an emergency tracheotomy. Production halted for months, and because the English climate looked wrong on film, the studio scrapped the expensive UK sets and moved the entire production to Rome, starting entirely from scratch.
The cost overruns nearly brought 20th Century Fox to bankruptcy, forcing the studio to halt other active productions and implement severe cost-cutting measures.
Because the production ran as long as it did, two main actors had to be replaced, causing scenes to be reshoot.
Lastly, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (who played Mark Antony) had an infamous affair that was widely publicised at the time, even though both were married to others. The media attention the case got was so widespread that the Vatican stepped in to publicly condemn it.
The film won 4 Oscars (Image: Getty)
Elizabeth Taylor made history by becoming the first actor ever to sign a $1million contract for a single film. Because of the extensive filming delays and overtime clauses, she ultimately walked away with closer to $7million.
Despite the chaos, the film earned nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. It won in the categories of Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, and Best Visual Effects.
The film’s legacy is that it effectively killed off the golden age of old-Hollywood big-budget historical epics, as studios became terrified of allowing singular productions to have such enormous budgets.
On Rotten Tomatoes, reviewers call it “absolute cinema. It’s four hours that pass in four minutes,” and a “monumental spectacle, with a stirring performance by a radiant Elizabeth Taylor, arguably the ‘Most Beautiful Woman In The World’.”
A fan wrote: “Beautiful sets, good acting, and a determination to make an excellent film, show in every scene. Not a perfect film, but still quite excellent as it is.”
Wanda Hale, writing for the New York Daily News, called it a “magnificent spectacle that gratifies our desire for perfection, enriches our love of beauty and art, fulfills our admiration of brilliant acting and satisfies our demand for historical accuracy.”
Cleopatra will be on Film4 this Monday afternoon at 4:15 pm.
