CLEOPATRA

Elizabeth Taylor vertolkt in CLEOPATRA het titelpersonage, de beruchte Egyptische koningin. Wanneer er onrust heerst in Egypte door de machtsstrijd tussen Ptolemaeus en zijn zus Cleopatra om de troon, trekt de Romeinse heerser Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison) naar Alexandrië. Caesar raakt al snel in de ban van Cleopatra. Wanneer Caesar wordt vermoord, wordt de strijd om de macht in Rome hard gespeeld door Marcus Antonius (Richard Burton), Caesars rechterhand en Octavius (Roddy McDowall), Caesars geadopteerde zoon.

"It delivers Hollywood spectacle of the sort we’ll never see again. There’s not a dot of CGI in it, instead there are thousands of real-life extras, and the ancient world is recreated before our eyes. Elizabeth Taylor’s central turn also exemplifies star wattage from another era. Beyond mere acting, it’s a sort of hyper-presence sustaining moments like the entrance into Rome atop a giant golden sphinx larger than an IMAX theatre. Truly, you don’t know the meaning of the word ‘diva’ until you’ve seen this" - Trevor Johnston, Time Out

"Mankiewicz’s analytical intellectualism—with his incisive emphasis on the chesslike diplomatic maneuvers of empire-building, the strategic complexity of ancient warfare, and the psychological pressure of romance on the levers of power—is heated by the erotic passion of Antony and Cleopatra as embodied in the intense bond between Taylor and Burton, which bursts through the screen from their first moments together." - Richard Brody, The New Yorker

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The secrets behind Elizabeth Taylor's golden dress in Cleopatra - Manon Garrigues, Vogue France