Dear Readers: Work concerns have prevented my regular posts. However, today, I had to express my profound sorrow at the passing of screen legend Elizabeth Taylor. She died this morning, age 79, surrounded by family. Requiescat in Pace, Cleopatra.
Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra (1961)
Taylor’s Cleopatra had real impact on my life, as I was born the same year that the movie was heavily played and promoted. My parents took me to see it as an infant, using the nearby drive-in theater (yes, I am THAT old). I swear my earliest memories are of men in togas and a woman in a gold dress! I have loved ancient Egypt all my life. “Cleopatra” was the first movie on TV that my parents allowed me to stay up late to watch. I have seen every movie version of Cleopatra (including one starring Sophia Loren). There is no one who has ever come close to Taylor for combining the elegance, intelligence, and passions that would have been been the hallmark of the original Cleopatra.
Without Taylor’s Cleopatra, I might not have developed my love for ancient Egypt that has guided me throughout my life. From one of her lines in that film:
“There has never been such a silence.”
My favorite scene from a cherished film:
UPDATE 1: I have come across a fabulous pictorial post highlighting Taylor’s life and style sense: HOLLYWOOD ICONS – ELIZABETH TAYLOR.
Anna Puna’s comments remind me of a quote from another iconic movie that comes to mind today: I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.
UPDATE 2: My blogging icon, the Anchoress, notes that Taylor could wear white well. I could not agree more!
This affects me more than I thought, it seemed Ms. Taylor would be with us forever.
Movies like Cleopatra and Ben-Hur reveal the true picayune nature of modern cinema. CGI mobs on small screens are unsastifying. 70mm films on giant screens that seemed to swallow you and throw you into that world. Bright colors, extravogent sets, and huge casts; the moviegoer was entertained very well.
And that scene of when Cleopatra, as Isis, and Cesaria as Horus, enter Rome sums up so much that is true of that time in Rome. Rome needed Egypt’s grain to keep the lower classes happy because even then the Republic was using Egyptian grain to buy off the poor votes. And her entrance shimmering in gold with the dancers gave the poor of Rome a spectacle they would not see equal until the Flavian ampitheatre would open. And you see how the Roman Senators do not like Cleopatra’s grand entrance that flaunts the wealth of Egypt since it strengthens Ceaser’s control of Rome because this golden woman is allied with him.
Anna: I agree with you — see my update for another iconic movie quote that comes to mind.
Mut, that was an excellent tribute for Dame Elizabeth Taylor. Amazing to think Queen Elizabeth II and Ms. Taylor were born the same year. Taylor never seemed to misuse her fame or talent, she embraced it and learned to use it well.
Taming of the Shrew is one of my pet favorites. Its all about the characters like Kate, who’s tongue is sharp enough to cut steel much to the distress of her father who seeks a good marriage for her. No large sets or casts of thousands, Taylor and Burton carry it smashingly well because of their talent and the quality of the story.
It is a sad day.
Thanks for the great article. I think the Drudge headline was also appropriate, “THE LAST MOVIE STAR.”
Thanks for that tribute. I almost forgot how huge an undertaking that scene must have been to complete.
About 3/4 of the way down the page at this link, there are 25 interesting facts about Elizabeth.
(She had a great sense of humor, too.)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1369176/Elizabeth-Taylor-dies-congestive-heart-failure-hospital-aged-79.html
Here is Camille Paglia’s tribute to Elizabeth Taylor.
http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/feature/2011/03/23/camille_paglia_on_elizabeth_taylor/index.html
The comments section quickly devovles into a shootbout between Paglia supporters and detractors. Ms Taylor almost gets lost in the cross-fire.
Thanks! I loved Paglia’s take. Taylor, Ava Gardener, and Ursula Andress are my 3 favorite actresses; I also enjoy Angelina Jolie (who is slated to play Cleopatra in the next film version): http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a310457/fincher-to-helm-angelina-jolies-cleopatra.html
[...] Requiescat in Pace ELIZABETH TAYLOR, my CLEOPATRA idol. [...]
[...] many of you will recall, this year saw the passing of the quintessential Cleopatra — Elizabeth Taylor. The following scene from that movie was brought to mind when I first heard the news (and my title [...]