Almost everything made famous in the movie Cleopatra is about chaos or Elizabeth Taylor‘s personal life, or both. Upon receiving a million dollars to play the Queen of Egypt, she became the highest-paid actress in Hollywood at the time. She was the first to break the million barrier and that was sixty years ago. Liz is not a legend at all, my dears. Rumor has it that she had no interest in the role and asked for the astronomical amount to politely decline, but it was worth every penny.

On June 12, 2023, it was the anniversary of the film’s release in theaters, but it’s the backstage of how the work reached theaters that created the myth. In the figures updated on the actress’s official Instagram, it states: “44 million dollars (more than 426 million today), 65 costume changes (for Elizabeth!) And 251 minutes in length later – Cleopatra was undoubtedly one of the most talked about films of ever time. Released 60 years ago, the Joseph L. Mankiewicz-directed film was a legendary production that brought together Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, igniting one of the most intense and notorious love affairs of all time.” ⁠ And they are right.

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Cleopatra’s story was nothing new to the screen, but producer Walter Wanger was always fascinated by her story and believed that no one had properly told it, including the actress who represented femininity and strength. When he saw Liz Taylor in A Place in the Sun (1951) he says his search ended (and created the controversy that drags on to this day about Cleopatra‘s whiteness).

Pause for a true crime moment.

In the midst of all this, Walter, who was married to actress Joan Bennett, discovered that she was cheating on him with his agent, Jennings Lang and in desperation, when he saw the two talking in a car in a parking lot, the producer shot him twice. rival. Lang survived and Wanger, who pleaded with temporary insanity, served four months in prison. Listen to the podcast about it because it’s fascinating!

As Hollywood is the land of Malboro, Wanger resumed his career producing successful films (Invasion of the Body Snatchers and I Want to Live!, which won Susan Hayward an Oscar), reaching the end of the decade more than ready to fulfill the dream. from the Cleopatra biopic.

When he resumed the project, Liz was still married to Mike Todd (who would die in a plane crash soon after). Fox first considered remaking Theda Bara‘s Cleopatra, released in 1917, but Wanger reversed it by buying the rights to Carlo Mario Franzero‘s biography, The Life and Times of Cleopatra, as well as excerpts from Shakespeare’s and Shaw’s plays. The cast that looks amazing today wasn’t so right off the bat, not even the main one. With the amount requested by Liz, other names were considered and tested, from Joan Collins to Audrey Hepburn. To add more fuel to the fire, the role of Cleopatra was even offered to Dorothy Dandridge, who got it right when she laughed warning that they would never let a black actress play the Queen of Egypt. The role even cost Liz one million dollars and another 10% of the box office gross.

The recordings were marked by fights, the actress’s health problems, the romance between her and Richard Burton, separations, paparazzi, and an endless set of obstacles. Ultimately, when it was released, it was a huge hit of the year but the profits barely covered the investment. The nine Academy Award nominations secured its prestigious spot.

The opulence of the production is breathtaking and the current copy on the platforms is the one that was restored in 2013 when the film was re-screened at the Cannes Film Festival. A classic that fuels the legend of Hollywood and its stars. It is a classic that perpetuates the mystery of a queen who, over a thousand years later, fascinates generations.

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