In this scene where Cleopatra is entering Rome is one of the more visually striking scenes in the whole movie. Her sphinx is perfectly framed by the roman arch and all of the men pushing the sphinx show insinuates how grand the entrance is. The shot displayed here is a long shot which was chosen to show all the pieces and how elaborate Cleopatra's entrance is. In terms of the lighting, it looks brighter as your eyes go further into the shot and as we get closer to an all golden Cleopatra. The colors in this shot are also visually striking as all of the men pushing her are in black clothing but she is wearing an all-gold Isis costume and she has little Isis's on both sides of the sphinx. This color contrast makes it almost impossible for your eyes not to be drawn to Cleopatra. The mise-en-scene is obviously very carefully thought out as it shows every part of the entrance and shows Cleopatra's power, grandeur and wealth.
You are right, our eyes are led to Cleopatra, although at this point she is still so small that all we can make out is a tiny golden figure in front of the gigantic black Sphinx. Still, the two curved rows of swaying, straining men are pulling slightly away from each other so that they create a pathway that leads straight to the Sphinx and Cleopatra.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, multiple frames surround the spectacle in the middle. On the outside, there are two rows of Roman soldiers in red and gold. Then come the half-naked Egyptian laborers in dark blue (not black, I think) skull caps and loin cloths with golden decorations, and in the back there are two white pyramids, two white marble columns, the two side gates of the Arch of Constantine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Constantine), and then two smaller, black columns. It's like looking through a lens whose shutters are slowly closing until they've reached the focal point in the middle, Cleo and her Sphinx.