Build a movie plot around this: How old was Cleopatra when she ascended the throne? She refuses and demands that her son be allowed to rule Egypt.
The movie opens in 48 B.C. shortly after the Battle of Pharsalus where Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison) has defeated Pompey's army in a brutal civil war for control of the Roman Republic. Caesar learns that Pompey has fled to netrual Egypt, hoping to enlist the support of the young teenage Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII (Richard O'Sullivan) and his sister Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor).A few months later, Caesar arrives in Alexandria, the then-capital of Egypt. He meets the teenage Ptolemy whom is frequently surrounced by an entourage of ministers and advisers, who seem to do most of the thinking and decision-making for him. As a gesture of 'goodwill', the Egyptians present Caesar with Pompey's severed head, but Caesar is not pleased; it is a sorry end for a worthy foe.As Caesar settles in at the palace, Apollodorus (Cesare Danova), disguised as a rug peddler, brings a gift from Cleopatra. When a suspicious Caesar unrolls the rug, he finds Cleopatra herself concealed within. He is intrigued with the young queen's beauty and warm personality as she persuades him to help her take back her thrown from her younger brother.Days later, Cleopatra warns Caesar that her brother has surrounded the palace with his soldiers and that he is vastly outnumbered. Caesar is unconcerned. He orders the Egyptian fleet burned so he can gain control of the harbor. The fire spreads to the city, burning many buildings, including the famous Library of Alexandria. Cleopatra angrily confronts Caesar, but he refuses to pull troops away from the fight with Ptolemy's forces to deal with the fire. In the middle of their spat, Caesar begins kissing her.The Romans hold the main gate to the city after a fierce nightime battle. The next day, the armies of Mithridates arrive on Egyptian soil and drive off the armies of Ptolemy. The following day, Caesar passes judgment in a show trial. He sentences Ptolemy's lord chamberlain to death for arranging an assassination attempt on Cleopatra, and rules that Ptolemy and his tutor be bannished to the desert to join...