Cleopatra (1934)

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

Bartlett Cormack (from an adaptation by: historical material)
Waldemar Young (screen play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

5 October 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

History's most seductive woman! The screen's mightiest spectacle!

Plot:

The man-hungry Queen of Egypt leads Julius Caesar and Marc Antony astray, amid scenes of DeMillean splendor.

Plot Keywords:

Marc Antony | Egypt | Julius Caesar | Queen | Cleopatra

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Claudette Colbert	...	Cleopatra
Warren William	...	Julius Caesar
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Marc Antony
Joseph Schildkraut	...	Herod
Ian Keith	...	Octavian
Gertrude Michael	...	Calpurnia
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Enobarbus
Irving Pichel	...	Apollodorus
Arthur Hohl	...	Brutus
Edwin Maxwell	...	Casca
Ian Maclaren	...	Cassius (as Ian MacLaren)
Eleanor Phelps	...	Charmion
Leonard Mudie	...	Pothinos
Grace Durkin	...	Iras
Ferdinand Gottschalk	...	Glabrio (scenes deleted)
Claudia Dell	...	Octavia
Harry Beresford	...	Soothsayer
Jayne Regan	...	Lady Vesta (as Jane Regan)
William Farnum	...	Lepidus
Lionel Belmore	...	Fidius
Florence Roberts	...	Lady Flora
Richard Alexander	...	General Philodemas (as Dick Alexander)
Celia Ryland	...	Lady Leda
William V. Mong	...	Court physician
Robert Warwick	...	General Achillas
George Walsh	...	Courier
Kenneth Gibson	...	Scribe
Wedgwood Nowell	...	Scribe (as Wedgewood Nowell)
Bruce Warren	...	Scribe
Robert Seiter	...	Aelius (as Robert Manning)
Edgar Dearing	...	Convict (as Ed Deering)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Agnes de Mille	...	Dancer (scenes deleted)
Jimmy Aye	...	Slave (uncredited)
Zita Baca	...	Handmaiden (uncredited)
Malcolm Ball	...	Extra (uncredited)
Leon Beaumon	...	Egyptian Guard (uncredited)
Martin Beaumon	...	Egyptian (uncredited)
Carlyle Blackwell Jr.	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Marjorie Bonner	...	Roman Girl (uncredited)
George Bruggeman	...	Slave (uncredited)
Edmund Burns	...	Roman (uncredited)
Horace B. Carpenter	...	Roman (uncredited)
John Carradine	...	Roman Soldier (uncredited)
Olga Celeste	...	Slave Girl (uncredited)
Ecki	...	A Leopard (uncredited)
Mary Fahrney	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Jerry Frank	...	Slave (uncredited)
Bob Hall	...	Roman Soldier (uncredited)
Neal Hart	...	Slave (uncredited)
Shep Houghton	...	Roman Soldier (uncredited)
Julanne Johnston	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Edmund Jones	...	Nubian Slave (uncredited)
Jilda Keeling	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Nicholai Konovaloff	...	Roman General (uncredited)
Timothy J. Lonergan	...	Roman General (uncredited)
Wilfred Lucas	...	Roman Greeting Antony (uncredited)
Mary MacLaren	...	Roman Woman (uncredited)
John Roy Marsilio	...	Roman Soldier (uncredited)
John Merton	...	Roman Guard (uncredited)
Charles Morris	...	Cicero (uncredited)
Jack Mulhall	...	Roman Greeting Antony (uncredited)
David Niven	...	Slave (uncredited)
Hal Price	...	Onlooker at Procession (uncredited)
Harry Raven	...	Slave (uncredited)
John Roy	...	Slave (uncredited)
Jack Rutherford	...	Drussus - Model Builder (uncredited)
Carl Saxe	...	Roman Soldier (uncredited)
Charles Schaeffer	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Ynez Seabury	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Phillips Smalley	...	Roman (uncredited)
Ernie Smith	...	Roman Soldier (uncredited)
Bryant Washburn Jr.	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Bryant Washburn	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Dorothy White	...	Dancer (uncredited)

Directed by
Cecil B. DeMille

Writing credits
Bartlett Cormack		(from an adaptation by: historical material)
Waldemar Young		(screen play) and
Vincent Lawrence		(screen play)

Produced by
Cecil B. DeMille	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Rudolph G. Kopp		(music by) (as Rudolph Kopp)

Cinematography by
Victor Milner		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Anne Bauchens		(uncredited)

Casting by
Billy Gordon		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Roland Anderson		(uncredited)
Hans Dreier		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Vicky Williams		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David MacDonald	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Cullen Tate	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ralph Jester	....	sculptor: Caesar's Head (uncredited)
Michael D. Moore	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Treg Brown	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)
Franklin Hansen	....	sound director (uncredited)
Harry Lindgren	....	sound recording engineer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Barney Wolff	....	special effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ray Jones	....	still photographer (uncredited)
William C. Mellor	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Robert Rhea	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Guy Roe	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Cooper Smith	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Travis Banton	....	costumes: Miss Colbert

Music Department
Nat W. Finston	....	musical director (uncredited)
Max Reese	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Milan Roder	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Milan Roder	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Adolph Zukor	....	presenter
Emily Barrye	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Roy Burns	....	business manager (uncredited)
Florence Cole	....	secretary: Mr. DeMille (uncredited)
Gladys Jeans	....	stand-in: Claudette Colbert (uncredited)
Jeanie Macpherson	....	researcher (uncredited)
Gladys Percey	....	researcher (uncredited)
Chester Seay	....	archery instructor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (as Paramount Productions Inc.) (A Cecil B. DeMille Production)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1934) (USA) (theatrical) (A Paramount Picture)
• Paramount Pictures (1952) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Paramount-Film (1953) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• AFEX (1953) (Austria) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (TV)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Eureka Entertainment (2012) (UK) (DVD) (DVD & Blu-ray Release)
• GoodTimes Home Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2009) (Canada) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

100 min | West Germany:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #80) | West Germany:12 (nf) | Argentina:Atp | USA:Not Rated | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

El Segundo, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Adolphe Menjou and John Gilbert were both offered the part of Caesar.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As you look at Pothinos' chariot as it comes at you the horse in the right side is a good hand shorter than the horse on the left.

Quotes:

Cleopatra:It's not the Senate I'm worried about but their fat wives. Do you know anything about senators, Charmion?
Charmion:Well, we only got here yesterday, Majesty.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Girls Next Door: Look Before You Peep (#6.2)" (2009)

The Mother of All Epics!

Impossible to surpass, CLEOPATRA stands out as DeMille's finest work, without question the defining moment of his career. Colbert is ravishingly beautiful as the Egyptian Queen. Warren William is unsurpassed to this day as the quintessential Julius Caesar. Henry Wilcoxon, with his stellar good looks is the doomed Marc Antony in the greatest role of his career. Unquestionably breathtaking to look at down to the last detail of costume and performances. The only misfortune is that DeMille was not given a dream budget so battle scenes are lifted from some of his other pictures. However, this is the definitive CLEOPATRA of all time, superior even to the Elizabeth Taylor version nearly thirty years later. AN EPIC MUST-SEE!!!