My Life with Cleopatra (22 page)

“Why should there be all this fuss, anyway?” she asked Lewin. “Because Richard goes out with Elizabeth, who has been a friend of mine anyway for ten years and is alone here in Rome?

“I was away in London, and Elizabeth’s husband had left her, and she was alone with very few friends in Rome.

“Should Rich ignore her? Certainly not. He took her out, as I would expect him to do if, for instance, Rex Harrison or anyone else were to be alone in Rome.”

M
AY
16, 1962

Sybil Burton here over the weekend.

M
AY
17, 1962

Dick Hanley called to say Liz cannot work today because she has swollen eyes.

I heard that Elizabeth had an argument with her parents. Her father apparently spoke harshly to her, and Liz, who adores her mother and father, was so upset she spent the night crying.

Skouras is having troubles, too. At the stockholders’ meeting he ran almost four hours of film clips (none from
Cleopatra
), followed up by the news that last year’s loss from operations was $22,532,084.

He did not read my telegram but said, on his own, that Elizabeth’s services in the film will probably end next week. He disclosed that the budget will be around $30 million and said “
Cleopatra
will be the biggest-grossing picture of all time,” as I have always said it would be.

At these happy tidings, the stockholders broke into relieved applause, and shortly afterward re-elected Skouras president of the company. They also nominated Liz as a member of the board—and she even got a few votes.

M
AY
18, 1962

More melodrama not in the script.

Liz received a letter at her villa threatening her and the children with death. The letter, written in Italian, came from Canada. Although Liz occasionally receives crank letters in her
fan mail, we notified the Rome police, who in turn notified Interpol. Three plain-clothes details guard the villa whenever Liz is there and follow her whenever she leaves. A police radio car keeps vigil outside the villa’s walls and uniformed police patrol the grounds.

Liz was far less worried about the letter than we were.

Today, at long last, we began the mausoleum sequence. Throughout the picture the mausoleum has been established as a place of great importance. Mark Antony goes there when in despair, and it is the place where the events leading up to the death of Cleopatra and Mark Antony take place.

The sequence ends with the death of Cleopatra—the end of the film. But since the movie is being shot out of continuity, we still have some major work to be done, including the very important battle scenes of Moongate, Tarsus and Actium.

We estimate about ten days of work before the death scene will be completed.

Jayne Mansfield has given an interview to a Hearst reporter, criticizing Liz for her “inexcusable behavior.” Called Jayne, who is in Rome. She said she didn’t mean the piece to be so critical, that Liz is a good friend of hers! I called the reporter who did the interview and tried to get him to soften the piece. I offered him a “trade”—another story that would have some news value if he would drop the one on Elizabeth.

Then I sent wires to some of the heads of the Hearst organization who are personal friends of mine. The wires were followed up by phone calls. They promised to keep the story from running in America but said it would have to run in Europe since it was already on the wire.

M
AY
20, 1962

Received many press calls over a rumor that Skouras will be out of 20th Century-Fox.

M
AY
21, 1962

Liz and Burton did the “fight scene” in the mausoleum today—and my heart was in my mouth all day.

The scene calls for Cleopatra to slap Mark Antony, who then knocks her down. Normally we would use Elizabeth’s double for the action in which Cleopatra falls, but Liz refused the double and insisted on doing it herself. As the scene was filmed, I kept thinking of the time Mike Todd flew Liz to the Medical Center in New York because of her bad back. But Liz, who has great courage and determination, did the scene a few times willingly and beautifully—including the fall. Luckily, she did not hurt her back. I was mightily relieved when we got through the day.

M
AY
23, 1962

Sent a memo to JLM on how I feel we can best bring the picture to a successful and speedy conclusion.

Operation “Home Stretch”

M
AY
24, 1962

Roddy McDowall unable to work because of a broken tooth.

8:30
A
.
M
. Since Roddy is a necessary part of each day’s shooting I went to visit Dr. Hruska, the Pope’s dentist, and talked his assistant into coming onto the set this morning with all his medical equipment. The near-crisis was averted.

Now a Congresswoman is getting headlines suggesting that Liz not be allowed to return to the United States.

Had a long talk with our publicity department and decided to do nothing about the story, although New York is clamoring again.

M
AY
25, 1962

The film of the slapping scene was damaged in transit back to the States and must be shot over again.

Each day’s film is flown to Hollywood for processing and showing at the studio. This can of film apparently was stowed on the plane near something which fogged it. The whole scene—the one that made me so nervous—has to be shot again. If it hadn’t been for the accident we might have finished the mausoleum scene today or tomorrow. We will reshoot the fight sequence in a couple of days.

Frank Sinatra was in Rome for a benefit. Liz, Burton, and some other friends went to the show, then visited Frank in his dressing room at a party. Something happened and Burton left. George Stevens, Jr. brought Liz back to her villa at 3
A
.
M
.

M
AY
26, 1962

Called off shooting at 2:45
P
.
M
. because after lunch Liz complained of a migraine headache and said she would be unable to continue working.

M
AY
28, 1962

The “death scene” was filmed.

We altered one of the many historical versions of the asp episode. We were determined to photograph a real asp, but it is impossible to remove its venom. We had a trainer from Africa on the set all the time we worked because the asp was, literally, deadly.

In the movie, the asp is seen in a basket of figs just before Cleopatra’s hand reaches into it. Later, after Cleo’s death, the asp is then seen gliding across the floor.

Although the scene is the last in the movie, we were shooting it out of continuity. I was very upset to learn that one of our publicity people sent a wire to Levathes saying, “We have made it, the last scene was filmed.”

I explained that we still had many scenes in which Liz was important, suggested that he come over himself and take charge since he has the authority as head of the studio. He refused.

M
AY
30, 1962

The tension is now incredible.

Levathes is going to take me up on my challenge and rush the picture to a conclusion. He arrives Friday.

With the asp scene filmed, the studio is doing its best to either stop the picture or eliminate as many scenes as possible from it. They have even suggested we use Elizabeth’s double in the remaining scenes.

They believe that since we have 314 minutes of film already shot they can cut and edit and make a complete picture as long as they have the one obligatory scene—the death of Cleopatra.

J
UNE
1, 1962

The Three Wise Men arrive.

Levathes, Koegel, and Joseph Moskowitz arrived this morning. At 10:45
P
.
M
. they asked me to come to their room at the Grand Hotel.

Pete nervously and self-consciously cleared his throat and said he was going to read me an excerpt from the minutes of a meeting of the Executive Committee of 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation.

What came out was an ultimatum inspired by the high production costs being incurred and the necessity for quick completion of production.

I was to be taken off salary; Liz’s salary and expense payments were to be terminated no later than June 9th; all photography on
Cleopatra
was to be halted no later than June 30th; and no money was to be available for the production in Italy after June 30th.

When Levathes finished, Koegel said that I was not to cut and edit the film despite my contract.

Levathes corrected him and said I did have the right to do that.

I told Koegel I had no intention of accepting this ultimatum from the company, but I did not intend to argue. The picture is the only important thing, and I intend to do everything in my power to finish it properly.

J
UNE
2, 1962

Slept about three hours, then up and off to Naples at 8:15. Took the
Aliscafo
to Ischia. I went to look over locations where the sea-battle sequences and the arrival of Cleopatra’s barge will be filmed.

Ischia, a lovely village almost oriental in character, with white houses clustered one above the other, steep stairways and alleys, is a major tourist attraction. We will be filming there next week at the height of the tourist season.

Talked with some of our production staff in Ischia about the problems they are anticipating in moving a film company into a little island town. The logistics requirements are enormous.

Since our schedule for filming here has been changed so often, we have lost many of the rooms that were promised to us. The housing situation for a complement of more than 75 people is difficult under the best of circumstances.

Everything—the heavy equipment, generators, Todd-AO cameras, lights—has to be brought into the port by boat.

We had to get permission from the local government to rebuild some of the town’s bridges; we had to arrange with the police department to police the harbor which is a constant traffic jam of pleasure boats ranging from luxurious yachts to small speedboats and sailboats. For our big scenes the harbor has to be completely empty.

Everything has to be tested in advance, checked and rechecked. We had workmen all over the island, including a crew working on top of one of the mountains building a hut and erecting an enormous window to go in front of the camera. Some of the background and scenery which we require for certain scenes is painted on the glass, as it was in London. Camera tests were being conducted in this location to determine what light is best and what angles are most effective.

J
UNE
3, 1962

Returned from Ischia and went right into meetings with the Three Wise Men.

All they are concerned about is when is the picture going to be over? How much more money do you need? They have canceled filming of Pharsalia scheduled for tomorrow for which all preparations had been made and money spent.

J
UNE
4, 1962

Rex Harrison called. He has heard that the studio is thinking of cutting out the Pharsalia scene and he believes so strongly that the scene is necessary he is willing to underwrite the cost of filming it himself. A magnificent gesture!

Something marvelous and fantastic is happening to our cast and crew because of all this harassment. The
esprit de corps
and morale have improved rather than been hurt. Everyone except the studio seems determined to finish the picture properly. People who have been scrapping and snarling with each other for the past year have united in a common front. They now believe that this can be the greatest picture ever filmed—despite the studio—and they are willing to make large personal concessions in time and salary.

J
UNE
5, 1962

Bad weather, which means we can’t shoot our scheduled scenes but could have shot Pharsalia which originally had been prepared for today.

Had a long battle over a memorandum of understanding which the Wise Men wanted me, Doc Merman, Sid Rogell, and JLM to sign.