Cleopatra

Plot synopsis:
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 Ptolemy's now greatly outnumbered troops, a sentence of death as the Egyptian army faces off against the Mithridates.Cleopatra is crowned Queen of Egypt. Afterwords, she tells him about her dreams of ruling the world with Caesar. A year later, a pregnant Cleopatra gives birth to their son Caesarion. Caesar accepts him publicly, which becomes the talk of Rome and the Senate.Caesar returns to Rome for his triumph, while Cleopatra remains in Egypt. Two years pass before the two see each other again. After he is made dictator for life, Caesar sends for Cleopatra. She arrives in Rome in a lavish procession and wins the adulation of the Roman people. The Roman Senate grows increasingly discontented amid rumors that Caesar wishes to be made king, which is anathema to the Romans.On the Ides of March in 44 B.C., the Senate is preparing to vote on whether to award Caesar additional powers for the Republic. Despite warnings from his wife Calpurnia (Gwen Watford) and Cleopatra, he is confident of victory. However, he is stabbed to death by various senators.Octavian (Roddy McDowall), Caesar's nephew, is named as his heir, not Caesarion. Realizing she has no future in Rome, Cleopatra returns home to Egypt.Two years later in 42 B.C., Caesar's assassins, among them Cassius (John Hoyt) and Brutus (Kenneth Haigh), are killed at the Battle of Philippi. Marc Antony (Richard Burton) establishes a Second Triumvirate goverment with Octavian and Lepidus. They split up the empire: Lepidus receives Africa, Octavian Spain and Gaul, while Antony will take control of the eastern provinces including Asia Minor and Syria. However, the rivalry between Octavian and Antony is becoming apparent.In 38 B.C., while planning a campaign against Parthia in the east, Antony realizes he needs money and supplies, and cannot get enough from anywhere but Egypt. After refusing several times to leave Egypt, Cleopatra gives in and meets him in Tarsus. Antony becomes drunk during a lavish feast aboard Cleopatra's large golden ship. Cleopatra sneaks away, leaving a slave dressed as her, but Antony discovers the trick and confronts the queen in her bed chaimber. They soon become lovers.Octavian uses their affair in his smear campaign against Antony. When Antony returns to Rome to address the situation brewing there, Octavian traps him into a marriage of state to Octavian's sister, Octavia (Jean Marsh). Cleopatra flies into a rage when she learns the news.A year or so later, when Antony next sees Cleopatra, he is forced to humble himself publicly. She demands a third of the Roman empire in return for her aid. Antony acquiesces and divorces Octavia. Octavian clamors for war against Antony and his "Egyptian whore". The Senate is unmoved by his demands until Octavian reveals that Antony has left a will stating that he is to be buried in Egypt; shocked and insulted, the Senators who had previously stood by Antony abandon their hero and vote for war. Octavian murders the Egyptian ambassador, Cleopatra's tutor Sosigenes (Hume Cronyn), on the Senate steps.The war is decided at the naval Battle of Actium on September 2, 31 B.C. where Octavian's battle fleet, led by General Agrippa (Andrew Keir) lures the overconfident Antony's ships away from land and defeats them in piecemeal. Seeing Antony's ship burning, Cleopatra assumes he is dead and orders the Egyptian forces home. Antony follows, leaving his fleet leaderless and soon defeated.Several months later, Cleopatra manages to convince Antony to retake command of his troops and fight Octavian and Agrippa's advancing army. However, Antony's soldiers have lost faith in him and abandon him during the night. Rufio (Martin Landau), the last man loyal to Antony, is killed. Antony tries to goad Octavian into single combat, but is finally forced to flee to Alexandria.When Antony returns to the palace, Apollodorus, not believing that Antony is worthy of his queen, convinces him that she is dead, whereupon Antony falls on his own sword. Apollodorus then takes Antony to Cleopatra, and he dies in her arms. Octavian captures the city without a battle and Cleopatra is brought before him. He wants to return to Rome in triumph, with her as his prisoner. However, realizing that her son is also dead, she arranges to be bitten by a poisonous asp. In the final shot, Octavian and Agrippa enter Cleopatra's temple afterwords to see her dead, dressed in a gold funeral robe with her two handmaidens, also bitten by the same venomous snake that Cleopatra allowed herself to get bitten, dying by her side. Octavian also finds a last letter from Cleopatra requesting to be buried with Marc Antony.In the voice-over epilogue, the narrator claims that Octavian accepted Cleopatra's last request and allowed her to be buried with full honors next to Marc Antony inside her palace in Alexandria. Octavian returned to Rome several months later in to a hero's welcome for ending the last Roman civil war, and two years later, Octavian adopted the name Augustus and proclaimed himself emperor of the newly formed Roman Empire, and Egypt became a conqured Roman provence.

Tags: violence, murder, melodrama

Review:
Cleopatra is a film of myths.A massively troubled production combined with the extraordinary love affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton made for plenty of hype.But what really matters nearly 40 years on is the film itself.At this distance it is possible to see the film for what it is.
A grand example of the final flowering of Hollywood.In 1963 it seemed old fashioned compared to the excitement of European cinema and what the critics perceived as new (many of their favourite films of that era now just seem dated and pretentious).But Cleopatra grows in stature with time.It is far from flawless.
Whether the missing two hours will reclaim this part of the film is yet to be seen.But compared with Gladiator or similar modern epics, Cleopatra is a brilliant film with an intelligent script, stunning design, masterly and beautiful cinematography in 70mm (which sure beats 35mm and does justice to the intricate sets and design), an evocative and effective musical score and superb costumes and makeup.The big three, Taylor, Burton and Harrison are extremely good and in the case of Harrison, who has many of the best lines, brilliant.
It was originally intended to release Cleopatra as two three hour movies, the first dealing with Cleo's relationship with Caesar, the second her affairs with Marc Antony.
This decision is like taking Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings Trilogy and removing an hour from each film wherever an hours' worth can be removed...a recipe for incoherence and total disaster.So, with two hours of footage gone, major characters are reduced to glorified walk-ons, vital plot points and motivations are lost, and the story loses what LOTR has...length with the proper pacing.
People will not sit and watch 4 hours of stitched together rough cuts...that's what Cleopatra is, even in the DVD roadshow edition...because what we have is something that is too bitty and haphzard to sustain interest.But there is still glory in Cleo....Roddy McDowall, Martin Landau and Rex Harrison all act their socks off, the sea battle is kick ass, and Liz Taylor looks pretty scrummy in Egyptian softcore porn clothes.
The movie seems to lose it's way half way through as Rex Harrison departs so for me does the quality of this movie.It's difficult to tell whether this is due to over the top performances from Taylor and Burton or the forced cuts to reduce the running time.
But the rest of the 2nd half of the movie descends into melodrama, where the 1st gave us the excellent Harrison restrained and regal as Ceaser the 2nd gives us real life lovers Burton and Taylor locked in an over-acted doomed romance.
But throughout the film there are supporting actors giving first class performances that without the cuts would be interesting to see Martin Landau, Andrew Keir, Hume Cronyn and George Cole all have their moments it's just a shame there aren't more of them.If I could split my vote over the two halves of the movie the first half would get 9/10 the 2nd 6/10 as I can't I'm going with a 7/10 overall..
Taylor and Burton were not too bad, but they didn't handle the pompous dialogue as well as Rex Harrison, Hume Cromyn, Martin Landau and especially Roddy McDowell, who was perfection itself and, I believe, accurately portrayed as the very young, ambitious and unscrupulous, but brilliantly intelligent Octavian (later the emperor Augustus).Sure, some of the dialogue stinks, and the movie seems too long (perhaps because so much of it was cut to fit into fours hours).
In addition, because I watched the DVD version of the movie, I also was able to view the outstanding documentary "Cleopatra: The Film that Changed Hollywood".
Mankiewicz,one of the most intelligent director of his time,rewrote the dialogue during the shooting,night after night ,and the results are stunning,considering the difficulties he encountered with his budget and his stars.Cleopatra's dream is perfectly recreated,much better than in De Mille 's version -a good one,though-:It's Alexandre the great 's plan ,this Alexandre from whom she's descended,to make a huge empire,uniting the Orient and the Occident.One of the major scenes takes place near the great conqueror's grave .The second part has Shakespeareans accents:Cleopatra becomes some kind of Lady Macbeth,and Marc Anthony is left alone against the whole Roman army (the Shakespearian trees).The last lines (repeated twice) are some of the finest you can find in an epic movie.And look how Fellini has been influenced by Mankiewicz for the final of his "Satyricon":the photograph turning into a fresco.
As for the epic scenes,they are here,of course but they are little over 20% of the movie.And to Cleo's awesome Rome entrance ,you can prefer Ceasar's epilepsy fit.The actors are not as uneven as it's often said.Elizabeth Taylor had already worked with Mankiewicz (the extraordinary "suddenly last Summer") and she learned a lot with him;she's now ready for the great roles of the sixties:"Virginia Woolf","Secret ceremony" "taming of the shrew".Richard Burton had been "Alexander the great" (coincidence!) in a rather academic movie,and here he portrays a clumsy,almost Don Quixotesque Marc Anthony with art.However,Rex Harrison steals the show in the first half.Supporting actors ,including Roddy MCDowall ,a puny but shrewd Octavious,and Richard O'Sullivan ,an effeminate Ptolemy.
For anyone who knows little of the history of CLEOPATRA, or who was not around at the time, this documentary will give them the feeling of what those last days of old Hollywood was like.
And who can fail not to be enthralled by the real life love story that was taking place at the time with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton?
Breathtaking photography, fabulous costumes, wonderful lead and supporting role performances, a dual love story that is timeless - the romance with Caesar for power and the romance with Marc Antony for love, unmatched music by Alex North, that's what's in Cleopatra.
Similarly, Caesar's [Rex Harrison] opening war scene, Marc Antony's gut-wrenching soliloquy as a broken man after the defeat at Actium , Octavian's [Roddy McDowall] harsh scolding of an officer that let him know of Marc Antony's death, Sosigenes' [Hume Cronyn] death scene, Apollodorus' [Cesare Danova] support for Cleopatra, and Rufio's [Martin Landau] support for Marc Antony are all permanently etched in my memory.The shear lushness of the production has to be seen to truly believed.
This film is worth watching for the excellent cast of talented actors alone, but Richard Burton truly shines as Mark Antony.
I watched this movie over 3 nights on DVD, and was captivated through the whole 4 hours and 10 minutes or so it took.Elizabeth Taylor did a pretty good job in the title role as perhaps the greatest seductress in history, and Richard Burton was superb as Antony, but for my money Rex Harrison (Julius Caeser) and Roddy McDowall (Octavian) stole the show.For me the highlight of the film was the historical backdrop - Egypt vanished as a nation and Rome reached the peak of its power and started the descent into decadence - all in one movie, and as you watch this epic you gain some insight into the psychology and power politics that made the 4 major historical figures of the time.
I hope one day six hours version will be found, and that Cleopatra will take her place as one of the best epics in film history..
Beautiful, sensuous, intelligent, desirous of bringing her beloved Egypt into the forefront of world power and politics.Rex Harrison portrays Julius Caesar's elegance, loyalty to Rome, and the hardness required of a good general and leader, but mixed with kindness and mercy.
No we're not talking about Cleo and Caesar or Cleo and Antony, we're talking about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton on the set of this mammoth epic.
As a serious piece of film, it's far too wooden and dull to appeal to cinephiles; but for the same reasons, it doesn't even satisfy those looking for trashy camp.In terms of its physical production, "Cleopatra" takes the "more is better" approach, and stuffs every frame with gawdy set and costume details.
I can't believe such great actors like Rex Harrison, Richard Burton, and Elizabeth Taylor would be so grossly miscast.
As epic eye candy Cleopatra is great to watch, but there is definitely something missing in the film.The film has an enormous Shakespearian lilt to it; lots of over acting and scenery chewing which allows Taylor, Burton and Harrison to really get into their roles.
In the end, the film is more interested in telling the story of Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony than of the famous Egyptian Queen; because the dire script was D.O.A, the rest could have salvaged it on a certain level but every single actor, except for Richard Burton (who actually looks healthy here and not the alcoholic Burton), is hopelessly miscast.
The film really suffers badly because Rex Harrison, as Julius Caesar, and Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra were truly miscast.
Taylor looks like she's playing "Cleopatra Egyptian Barbie Set" than a serious actress trying to add depth to a legendary historical character.
Perhaps the best way to explain the failure of Cleopatra is to contrast it with another Hollywood epic, Ben-Hur. In the latter film, there is a sublime scene where Ben-Hur is being whipped by a Roman guard on a forced slave march.
Taylor, who was 30 when she made Cleopatra, was actually about the same age as the real Cleopatra when the events of the film transpired but already past the peak of her beauty (watch Ivanhoe, made 11 years earlier).The AMC channel produced an excellent 2-hour documentary of the vagaries of production of this film, its wretched excesses, and the fact that the film was cut very heavily for its final release.
True, many scenes are spectacular and likely never to be excelled, even with modern digital imaging techniques (compare the recent film Gladiator), but no treatment of this film I have seen has ever really gotten hold of the reason this film will never be counted among the classics of film history: And that is Elizabeth Taylor's utter, absolute, complete failure to convince the viewer, for even one single second of screen time, that she is Cleopatra.
Others enjoyed it but this is one picture that stank so much, I still remember how bad it was after all this time (this is being written in 2005).I've seen movies with Liz Taylor that I liked but she is badly miscast in this picture and her acting is probably her worst job ever..
Despite the hype about the Taylor/Burton romance, they do not get to grips until an hour into the action, and Marc Antony's link with Julius Caesar is not properly delineated.Together with Anthony Mann's "Fall of the Roman Empire", this production killed off the ancient-epic cycle which "The Robe" had started a decade earlier.
While some of the supporting actors (particularly Rex Harrison as Caesar) do a credible job, Richard Burton is a rather wooden Marc Anthony and Elizabeth Taylor is terrible.
And for those of us who grew up in the '60s, let us not forgot that Cleopatra makeup we all walked around with.There are also some wonderful performances in this film, notably Rex Harrison as Caesar, Richard Burton as Marc Antony, Roddy McDowell as Octavian -- and let's not forget the perfectly cast Elizabeth Taylor, gorgeous and resplendent and certainly believable as both queen and seductress.The film sticks to the true history, with the exception of the children Cleopatra had with Marc Antony -- four in all, including twins.
Impressive sets and costumes, remarkable styling, large scale epic scenes (such as Cleopatra's spectacular entrance in Rome or the sea battle in Action), thousands extras, excellent cast and, strangely for Hollywood's productions, a very historically accurate script, based on ancient historians (Plutarch, Suetonius, etc) consist an underrated masterpiece.
Cleopatra tries to maintain control of her kingdom and satisfy her ambitions to unite Egypt and Rome in a great empire by having affairs with Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison) and later Mark Antony (Richard Burton) after Caesar's assassination.
In real life Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had a passionate affair on the set of this movie and finally became one of the most celebrated couples in Hollywood.
Richard Burton gives a memorable performance as Mark Antony and Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar simply appears the depth of his great talent.
Elizabeth Taylor is amazing as Cleopatra, and so are Rex Harrison and Richard Burton.
From Rex Harrison - Elizabeth Taylor - Richard Burton & Roddy McDowall, to the opulence seeping from every pore, Cleopatra is a joyous eye opening experience.
Any way the movie is great and awesome the graphics are great and the reall love of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor suites  this epic.
The way I see an epic film is that it is over three hours long, with an overture, intermission and maybe some exit music with beautiful scenery, involving story, memorable characters, great action if there is any which fits all perfectly into a movie you will be patient to sit through.
What is forgotten about the film is that Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor did not have to play the parts they did; and their shortcoming along with a few poorly-written lines here and there are the only negatives most persons take away from this interesting and frequently- beautiful dramatized era of Roman history.
Well the movie was great especially when Cleopatra came to the entrance of rome(i think) Elizabeth Taylor was exquisite.
Richard Burton acted great inthe movie and in true life loved and married Elizabeth Taylor.
Scenes with Taylor and Rex Harrison (as Caesar) in the earlier part of the film are somewhat better.
Mankiewicz, which also provides the script with Ranald MacDougall and Sidney Buchman, has Elizabeth Taylor in the role of Queen of the Nile, Richard Burton as Mark Antony, Rex Harrison as Caesar and Roddy McDowall as Octavian Augustus.This film was severely cut because it would have originally twice the length of the movie has today.
And there will never be another naval battle like the one in this film.Several scenes are very effective because of the acting and dialog: Cleo and Caesar's first scene; when they're in bed together; Cleo and Antony's scene when she demands 1/3 of the Roman Empire (Taylor is particularly good in this one); Cleo and Octavian in her tomb (Roddy McDowall shines here).There are moments of clunky dialog: Cleo talking about "the people" after learning Caesar has been made dictator for life; in Alexander's tomb, Cleo talking about one world living in peace; Octavian's speech upon learning of Antony's death; Caesarion yelling "the enemy" over and over while playing on his toy horse.The cinematography is excellent (a well-deserved Oscar).
If it hadn't been the tabloid headlines screaming about the love affair between ELIZABETH TAYLOR and RICHARD BURTON on the set of CLEOPATRA in Rome, it's unlikely Fox would have released this epic without trimming even more than they did.
The trims were not enough and the film is a boring mess by the time it reaches the end of its first forty-five minutes.Let's face it, Elizabeth Taylor sounds like a shrill fish wife whenever her emotions show any temperament--in other words, her vocal abilities are not good enough to carry the role of a woman who commanded all of Egypt with her willpower and determination and cunning.
Only RODDY McDOWALL emerges triumphant as Octavius (probably one of his best adult roles), but RICHARD BURTON is another casualty as a supposedly impassioned Marc Antony.Cleopatra's eye-filling entrance makes a stunning cinematic treat, but Taylor in later years confessed that she was sick upon seeing the film at a premiere and has since confided that she hates it.
A twist of fate anyway brought Richard Burton (and Rex Harrison) into the cast - begun with Stephen Boyd as Antony and Peter Finch as Caesar, the film spiralled into such a long-term commitment that they dropped out and the replacements came in.How is Elizabeth Taylor as 'Cleopatra'?
(As if Joan Collins could do it!!!!!) This film is about how Cleopatra marry's Ceasar (Rex Harrison) and then falls in love with Anthony (Richard Burton).
Despite everything, the script re-writes, Liz Taylor's eccentricities, over-budget squabbles, the raging love affair with Burton, illnesses....the sequence in which Cleopatra makes her entrance to Rome was (on the gynormous original Panavision 70mm screen) and still IS, by far the biggest spectacle ever witnessed in movie history.
Speaking of huge, Cleopatra's Alexandria Palace remains even today, the largest set ever constructed.Such was the media furore at the time over the Burton-Taylor affair, most people went to see it for all the wrong reasons and fairly negative critiques didn't engender an undying affection for the movie.
Mankiewicz and excellent acting from Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison, Richard Burton, and Roddy McDowall.
Sure, art imitates life too much when you watch this movie knowing all about what went on between Liz and Dick off-camera but that still doesn't diminish the fact that as far as epics go, "Cleopatra", while not in the same class as "Ben Hur" is as good as or better than other quality epics like "Spartacus".
Once again, Liz became a homewrecker, and her love affair and marriage to Burton is one of the most famous of all Hollywood couples.Also, Cleopatra was the most expensive film ever made at the time.
It's on for 4 hours!The film is clearly about Cleopatra and her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony.The movie stars Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra.
Beautifully busted Elizabeth Taylor (as Cleopatra) copulates with seething lover Richard Burton (as Mark Antony), after godly lover Rex Harrison (as Julius Caesar) becomes indisposed.
Mankiewicz ~ Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowall.
Hardly what I would call a bomb, though the film is far from perfect.Over the course of four hours (!) we follow the exploits of Queen Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) as she sets her sights on ruling not just Egypt, but the entire civilized world.