Cleopatra is 1999 Mini Series about Cleopatra VII. It is based on the historical romance novel The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George.
When Julius Caesar (Timothy Dalton) arrives in Egypt, Cleopatra (Leonor Varela) ascends the throne and begins her affair with the Roman general. She makes it her mission to restore Egypt's independence and raise her son as the rightful heir to Rome.
This work provides examples of:
- After Action Patch Up: Cleopatra tends to Caesar's wounds after they win the Siege of Alexandra against her rival siblings Ptolemy XIII and Arsinoe IV.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: Arsinoe is executed in her cell by Cleopatra, which infuriates Caesar. After her real life capture, she was taken to Rome for Caesar's triumph, but spared and confined to the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Cleopatra was always worried that Arsinoe would contest her claim to the throne again, who was eventually killed on Antony's orders.
- Historical Beauty Update:
- Once again, Cleopatra is portrayed as a supermodel, this time by Chilean actress Leonor Varela.
- So is Julius Caesar. He was balding in middle age, which Timothy Dalton is not.
- Incest Standards Are Relative: Caesar's solution for the power struggle between Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy is for them to marry. While this would be considered incest in Roman society, Caesar says that there is precedent in the Egyptian royal family.
