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majesty and power are displayed, Taylor is an imposing epic presence,
and her exquisite looks are enhanced by the lush simplicity of her monochromatic
gowns in orange, gold, and emerald green, designed by Irene
Sharaff. Taylor effortlessly articulates Cleopatra’s royal superiority when
she informs Caesar’s guards: “The corridors are dark, gentlemen, but you
mustn’t be afraid – I am with you.” During the coronation scene, with
her dark hair drawn back and under the pharaonic crown, Taylor’s tracheotomy
scar from her illness in Britain is clearly visible to the audience.
These early scenes with the more disciplined Harrison are the most compelling
in the film, since Taylor is “always at her finest when challenged”
(Elley, 94). Yet critics note that Taylor is less successful in the scenes of
subtle, genuine emotion that pervade the second half of the film, especially
the love scenes with Burton leading up to her suicide. Still, given
such tricky external circumstances and such a challenging character to
play, Taylor capably fulfills the vast responsibility placed on her by the
production with a magnetic, generous performance.
As a symbol of political power, the recurring image of Pompey’s ring
marks crucial points throughout the film. The ring was a gift to Pompey
from his wife, Caesar’s beloved only daughter, Julia, who died in 54 bc. As
Caesar sadly tells Cleopatra: “She died trying to give him a son.” The ring
begins as an emblem of the familial bond between Caesar and Pompey,
and thus the brutal civil war that shattered their bond is shown to be
morally wrong, because it is a war between family members. The injustice
of Roman fighting Roman is emphasized by the ring’s first appearance
together with Pompey’s severed head, a grisly “gift,” and perhaps an implied
threat, from the Egyptians. In the early scenes in Alexandria, Caesar
wears the ring on a long gold chain around his neck, displayed prominently
against the hard metal of his breastplate, perhaps to remind him of
the human cost of conquest. In a moment of anger, he hurls the ring
across the marble floor. After the birth of his son, he dangles the ring
above the infant, and gives it to him as a gift before he returns to Rome.
“A good thing to remember, my son: what you will not let go, no one will
take from you.” In the tiny hands of Caesarion, the ring represents
Caesar’s autocratic ambitions and his hope of succession. After Caesar’s
murder, Cleopatra sets sail on the Tiber with Caesarion, and touches the
ring around the neck of the sleeping child, as if to signify her plans to
carry on Caesar’s legacy. Finally, at the end of the film, the ring reappears.
With Octavian threatening to invade Alexandria, Cleopatra gives the ring
to young Caesarion before she sends him off in disguise. Later, as Octavian
rides into Alexandria playfully caressing the ring, the audience sees a shot
150 CLEOPATRA (1963)