Not only Elizabeth Taylor: the most brilliant Cleopatras of world cinema

If you trust the data of scientists, then Cleopatra was not such a beauty, especially in the eyes of a modern person. But that’s what art has given us – everything can be a little embellished there. The image of Cleopatra quickly became synonymous with seductive beauty and feminine charm.

Revealing costumes, languorous eyes, seductive movements – all these are mandatory attributes of the role that pass from film to film. But the visual image of the Egyptian mistress is almost the same age as the cinema itself. Yes, for the first time on the screen Cleopatra appeared in the era of silent films. One of the first to embody it was Theda Bara, then considered a real star and a sex symbol. The actress received $4,000 a week – at that time an incredible fee. On the screen, Teda shone in provocative and revealing costumes, for example, in a bodice in the form of metallic snakes. Alas, it is impossible to assess the whole picture today – copies burned in a fire at the studio, and we only have a few photos left.

Bara established a kind of tradition – the role of Cleopatra since then went only to recognized sex symbols of her time. Let’s take a look at the most famous actresses who played her.

Read also: Wife, mother, vegetarian: how Elizabeth Berkley changed – the star of the erotic film “Showgirls”