Cleopatra (1963)

Beyond Plot: The Arch as an Extracinematic Device



A great aura of overspending, personal drama, and hype surrounded the filming and release of the Cleopatra, but the film’s grandest scene, Cleopatra’s entry into Rome through a triumphal arch into the Roman forum, is notorious even now, almost 50 years later, because it is more than just a plot device. The arch and the spectacular scene it frames served as an extravagant marketing device for the starlet, the film and Hollywood in general.


As a plot device, this scene shows Cleopatra’s seductive power over Julius Caesar and Rome itself. Cleopatra arrives in Rome with an elaborate spectacle of exotic dancers and magicians all passing through the Arch of Constantine. No expense was spared in the filming of this scene, which is replete with racing chariots, archers, magicians, dancing girls, African dancers, and exotic animals, each performance more lavish than the last. Three hundred slaves rhythmically pull a massive Pharaonic float as crowds of senators, senators’ wives, and Roman citizens watch in awe. Cleopatra, along with her son, Caesarion, make their entrance perched grandly atop this float, clad in garments woven with gold. Cinematically, most of scene is shot straight on with the arch in full view. As Cleopatra’s float draws through the arch, the camera angle gets lower and the Pharaoh’s head almost overtakes the arch in the frame. This moment foreshadows Cleopatra’s intention to overtake the world by seducing Rome’s greatest leaders. In contrast, Caesar and Antony both have various returns to Rome in the film, but none of these are depicted with much pomp and circumstance. In the scene just before Cleopatra’s entry to Rome, we see Caesar returning to Rome through the same arch, but we see the scene from the side and can only just make out that he is even passing through this triumphal arch.


Cleopatra’s entry to Rome is also a thematic device to show feminine power. Arches are typically seen as masculine, symbolizing great military triumphs. In a way, however, the form of an arch is actually quite feminine. Arches are curved openings, in contrast to typically protruding masculine symbols. In this scene, Cleopatra is conquering Rome, but not with military triumph. She exhibits to all of Rome that she seduced Caesar with not only her feminine wiles but also her womb, bearing him his only son and heir. And she succeeds for Caesar is completely captivated by Caesarion, marveling at his composure throughout the grand spectacle.


While this scene obviously serves as a plot device, it also helped shape the cult of the celebrity around Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor’s costume for this scene alone cost sixty-five thousand dollars while the entire scene cost a full half million dollars! According to Maria Wyke,

"Star images, such as Taylor’s, had an important function in the economy of Hollywood in the 1950s and 1960s. The film star’s persona entered into extracinematic circulation, in studio publicity and promotion, newspapers and magazines, in advertisements, on radio and television talk shows, then continued into the films themselves and subsequent commentary on them" (Wyke 101)

To illustrate, Taylor’s very public affair with Richard Burton during the filming of Cleopatra caused a storm of negative publicity for the film and for the star herself. The Vatican openly criticized her mockery of marriage, a serious attack especially considering the film was being shot in Rome. In the film, Cleopatra’s entry to Rome is a gamble, a hugely lavish event in which Cleopatra hopes to gain Roman acceptance. But the gamble extended into real life, as public opinion of Taylor plunged. In the filming of the scene, however, Taylor was visibly relieved when the thousands of Roman extras on set applauded not only Cleopatra, but chanted “Liz! Liz!” as she emerged from the shadow of the arch (Wanger, Walter, and Hyams 148-9).


This scene also showcased Hollywood grandeur and power in the face of the ever-encroaching medium of television. Hollywood epics, throughout the 1950s, were generally “a huge many-faceted metaphor for Hollywood itself” (107), but this metaphor was taken to the extreme in Cleopatra. Details of the lavish Forum scene were leaked to the press months in advance, building up viewer anticipation as never before. Ultimately, these hugely expensive efforts were unsuccessful, leading 20th Century Fox into even deeper financial ruin. So, though the scene is wholly triumphant as a plot device, its legacy is somewhat tragic, as it discouraged filmmakers from investing in ancient epics. Some may say, however, that it encouraged filmmakers such as Fellini to take an alternative approach to antiquity and break away from Hollywood stereotypes (Solomon 116).


It is interesting to note the historical inaccuracy of the entire scene. The Arch of Constantine had yet to be built during the time frame of the story of Cleopatra (Solomon 50). In addition, triumphal processions were limited to military triumphs in Roman times, so Cleopatra’s actual entrance to Rome probably bears little comparison to its depiction in the film. History, however, is not the primary purpose of the scene.