Limelight: Exit: the Queen By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Beauty reached perfection on the face of . Dead at age 79, every voice united in applauding the stirring dark looks of this legendary Hollywood icon. Hers was the Golden Age of Cinema, of super glamour and divine creations; the age of Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Sofia Loren, Kim Novak, etc. etc. etc. Only one has reigned as queen in the public eye for 7 decades, the incomparable, indomitable, irresistible Ms Liz. With her departure, the curtain descends, alas, too soon, on the greatest era of mega-stardom in the history of Cinema. If you can believe it, she was even more beautiful off-screen than on. I was one of those lucky souls, who saw her in person and in her prime, not just once but several times We both resided at the same hotel in London, and often caught the same lift, and I would let my eyes feast on her incredible beauty. Though reckless in her regard for elegance, nothing mattered except these ebony locks of Night, that rosy glow of her face, and those magnetic eyes. It was her eyes that tantalized and mesmerized. Flashing like jewels,their brilliance made it hard to distinguish their colour. On close inspection they appeared to be of a dark amethyst hue, or was it more a velvety violet? One eye was somewhat lighter, more of a lilac shade, and Heaven help us, it had one perfect triangle of a deep midnight blue. No wonder she cast a hypnotic spell on all who looked into them. No wonder men of all ages prostrated themselves at the feet of such supernatural splendour. There was more to Ms Taylor than physical appeal. Some critics may give her little credit for her talent, but Taylor had a powerful screen presence, and in the hands of a good director, she turned out unforgettable performances such as Maggie the Cat, in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", the disturbed Catherine in "Suddenly Last Summer", and Martha the disillusioned drunk in:" Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" She received six nominations, and won two Oscars. Talent she had indeed, but it was mostly overshadowed by her beauty, her illnesses, her lifestyle, and her many marriages. Richard Burton: there's a name she held close to her heart for the most of her life. Although they had casually met years before, sparks started flying on the "Cleopatra" set, at Cinecitta Studios, lighting up the Roman sky with their flaming passion. Married to different partners, they scoffed at all conventions, making Rome the love capital of the world. While the Pope condemned their blatant adulterous affair, the rest of the world could not get enough of the romance of the century. Theirs was indeed a legendary love, and the electricity between them kept the fire sizzling. Their fights were also legendary, earning them the name of the Battling Burtons. Their marriage survived 10 years, and two divorces, interrupted by violent storms, until the final shipwreck. Burton recalls when he first set eyes on his queen in Rome: " She was so extraordinarily beautiful, I nearly laughed out loud. She was famine and fire, destruction and plague." Their marriage did not survive, but their love did: "We were always madly and powerfully in love: Liz always said. No Borgia was she, but a grande Dame with a grand passion for love and a lust for life. She gave back to life as much as she took. A loyal friend she stood by Montgomery Clift after a car accident had disfigured him, and insisted he star in her pictures, " Suddenly Last Summer', and "Raintree County". She remained close to Rock Hudson even after his affliction with AIDS. She has worked hard and long for the American Foundation for Aids Research (AMFAR) raising over $100 million, and she staunchly defended Michael Jackson during his trial for child molestation. On his death she said she had nothing to live for anymore. Our paths did cross, and I met Ms Taylor in Rome during the Cleopatra shooting. When I was introduced as an Egyptian, she said: "I would like to visit your country, but only if it becomes part of Israel I was stunned, but I promptly replied:, "What a shame! In that case you shall never visit my country." Taylor had converted to Catholicism to marry her first husband, and then to Judaism to marry her third. She remained a member of the Jewish faith until the end, when a rabbi came to administer her last rites. I was pleased when years later I learned that she had indeed visited a free and independent Egypt, at the invitation of her friend, the late Egyptian archeologist/ art critic Kamal el Mallakh , as a guest of the Cairo International Film Festival. Her life was fraught with pain and suffering, tragedy and loss, but she also knew love and love's bliss, as few have.. She died March 23, 2011, with a picture of Richard Burton by her side. He had once said that he would be forgotten within five years, but that she would go on forever . A woman of great passion, great convictions and an unquenchable thirst for life, she is best described in poet Rupert Brooke's words, as: " Incredibly, inordinately, devastatingly, immortally, calamitously, hearteningly, adorably, beautiful". Chances are, she will go on forever. Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who's the fairest of them all? -- Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
