There is beautiful, then there is BEAUTIFUL. Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra was the latter.

Boy, was she ever the latter!

Yes, one could (and should) make the case that Elizabeth Taylor as Elizabeth Taylor was always the latter as well… but let’s just keep with the theme here for now.

Cleopatra (1963) is what I always think of as a “jaw-dropping” movie. Simply because you find yourself having to pick your jaw up so many times during the movie! Whether it’s the sets, Elizabeth Taylor’s outrageous beauty, Elizabeth Taylor’s outrageous talent, Rex Harrison’s talent, or Richard Burton’s next level performance as Mark Antony. Burton was a phenomenal actor and honestly deserves more credit than he gets. Being remembered as Elizabeth Taylor’s soulmate is, in and of itself, monumental, of course – but this was one of the greatest actors of all time.

If you doubt a word of that, please see Cleopatra (whether it’s for the first time or 20th).

Buy Cleopatra (dvd) on Amazon or watch on Prime.