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The script, based on C. M. Franzero’s book The Life and Times of Cleopatra
(1957), balances the queen’s two Roman relationships into two distinct
halves. In the first part, Caesar is lured by the promise of Egyptian
wealth, enchanted by the queen’s charm and determination, and finally
convinced by her dream of world domination. After Caesar’s death, the
plot hinges on Cleopatra’s abiding political aspirations and Antony’s rivalry
with Octavian for control of the empire. Antony and Cleopatra’s
ambitions draw them together, and the attraction blossoms into the great
love affair depicted in the second part. Critics note the first half of the film
offers more compelling entertainment, due to stronger dialogue and more
disciplined acting, as well as the rich onscreen chemistry between Taylor
and the charismatic Harrison. The film’s second part is noticeably diminished
by a weak script and aggressive editing, and in their scenes together,
Taylor and Burton exhibit a kind of guarded restraint not usually conducive
to playing grand epic characters.
The real-life love affair between Taylor and Burton that began during
shooting in 1961 no doubt affected their performances, as an extraordinary
amount of publicity about le scandale (as Burton called it) accompanied
the production of the film. The two stars, while married to others,
engaged in a torrid and flamboyant affair that infuriated the Vatican and
employed hundreds of paparazzi in Rome (Hughes-Hallett, 273–93). For
two years, an avid public was inundated with images and reports of Taylor
and Burton on the movie set, on the posh Via Veneto, on extravagant
shopping sprees, in luxury hotels, cavorting in towels and swimsuits, in
drunken brawls and other feats of extreme behavior. While filming, Taylor
and Burton could not be persuaded to stop kissing at the end of a scripted
embrace, no matter how many times the director yelled “Cut!” In the
United States, congressmen demanded the shameless couple be refused
entry into the country, and television host Ed Sullivan denounced them
on his show for their “appalling” impropriety (Royster, 101).
However, the censorious outrage only enhanced the glamour and popular
value of the film’s two principal stars. As the liaison between Taylor and
Burton became public knowledge, the scandal provided priceless free
advertising to publicize the film. The historical love affair between Cleopatra
and Antony was recreated in glossy film magazines, newspapers,
and tabloids all over the world, and in press conferences the studio
opportunistically linked the sizzling details of the modern affair to the
ancient romance. Watching the lovers in the finished film is thus a complicated
experience, both for contemporary viewers who were bombarded
with detailed press accounts of the affair, and for later audiences familiar
140 CLEOPATRA (1963)