The 1963 film πͺππππππππ is the stuff of Hollywood legend. Production began in England at Pinewood Studios, where Oliver Messel designed the costumes for the epic. This behind-the-scenes image shows one of Messelβs creations for Elizabeth Taylor in the title role, likely taken in late 1960. According to @etarchives, Elizabeth was to wear this costume in a scene dining with Caesar, originally played by Peter Finch. Β The gown never made it into the final filmβthough the headdress did, but thatβs a post for another day. After numerous complications, production at Pinewood was shut down, and the film was moved to CinecittΓ Studios in Rome, where Irene Sharaff designed new costumes for Foxβs second attempt. Β One of Messelβs original costumes later surfaced on Hayley Mills. How, why, or where remains unclear. It was likely a promotional photo, perhaps taken between 1960 and 1961, as the presence of the screen-used headdress suggests it predated the move to Rome. Β Could Mills have worn this gown at Pinewood while filming πΎππππππ π«πππ πππ πΎπππ or π°π πΊπππππ ππ πππ πͺππππππππ, both shot before πͺππππππππβπ relocation in September 1961? Or were the Messel costumes sent back to 20th Century Fox in the U.S., where Mills wore them? Β Costumes from πͺππππππππ are known to be scattered across Fox Studios in the U.S., Pinewood in England, and CinecittΓ in Rome, so either is possible. However, since Mills was mainly associated with Disney rather than Fox, so her taking this photo at Pinewood makes sense.
