In CLEOPATRA (1963), when Cleopatra arrives in Rome, you can see the shadows of the movie set scaffolding on the black sphynx. The Arch was also built 300 years after Cleopatra so this scene is historically incorrect.
You can see the tan line on Violeta Montenegro.
When Cleopatra is rolled out of the carpet (obviously a stuntman), she's wearing sandals but when Taylor is walking she's wearing high heels.
I prefer not to focus on goofs. To a certain degree, every film has "goofs" (reflection of studio lamps, multiple shadows in supposedly outdoor scenes, doubles who never look *exactly* the same as the substituted actors/actresses, etc.). These "goofs" are part of this particular form of art just as much as brush strokes are unavoidable elements of (traditional) paintings.
ReplyDeleteLikewise, no historical film (or book) is (or can, in theory, be) absolutely correct historically (or if it is a science fiction film, scientifically) - and if they were, then they would be rather boring.
Did they wear high heels back in those days? I believe a film should be as historically accurate as possible right down to the sandals or shoes they wore.
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ReplyDeletePerhaps tan lines might not be so anachronistic after all. Check out:
https://archaeostore.com/blog/girls-in-bikini-mosaic/
https://sites.google.com/site/ad79eruption/pompeii/regio-i/reg-i-ins-11/house-of-venus-in-a-bikini
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_bikini