Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Gabriel Pascal

Writers:

George Bernard Shaw (play)
George Bernard Shaw (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 September 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

The most lavish picture ever on the screen!

Plot:

Cleopatra hasn't been on the throne of the pharoahs of Egypt very long when Julius Caesar pays a visit...

Plot Keywords:

Cleopatra | Julius Caesar | Egypt | Roman Empire | Royalty

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Claude Rains	...	Julius Caesar
Vivien Leigh	...	Cleopatra
Stewart Granger	...	Apollodorus
Flora Robson	...	Ftatateeta
Francis L. Sullivan	...	Pothinus
Basil Sydney	...	Rufio
Cecil Parker	...	Britannus
Raymond Lovell	...	Lucius Septimus
Anthony Eustrel	...	Achillas
Ernest Thesiger	...	Theodotus
Anthony Harvey	...	Ptolemy
Robert Adams	...	Nubian Slave
Olga Edwardes	...	Cleopatra's Lady Attendant
Harda Swanhilde	...	Cleopatra's Lady Attendant
Michael Rennie	...	Quayside Centurion

Runtime:

138 min | USA:123 min | USA:128 min (Encore-Action Library Print) | Argentina:129 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Germany:16 (nf) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Gabriel Pascal Productions

Trivia:

First feature film of Peter Bayliss.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Caesar refers to his nose as "rather long" and "a Roman nose," but the idea of a "Roman nose" was not introduced until almost 150 years later, when the Emperor Hardian erected statues of his favorite, Antinous, throughout the Empire (where many of the people had never seen a Roman), and Antinous's long nose was taken as typical of Romans (even though Antinous was a Greek).

Quotes:

Julius Caesar: And so to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right, and justice, and peace, until the gods create a race of men that can understand.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Vivien Leigh: Scarlett & Beyond (1990) (TV)

One of my all time favorites

I saw this when it first came out (1945-46) and it struck me then as a really great film. I saw it again tonight on video and still have the same opinion. This is NOT an historical film. This is a movie version of G.B. Shaw's play just as "My Fair Lady" is a musical play/musical movie based on Shaw's "Pygmalion."

The performance by Vivien Leigh (32 yrs. old at the time) as a 15-16 yr. old Cleopatra was stunning as was the performance by Raines as Caesar. This is not a vehicle to describe history but rather, a vehicle for Shaw to present his ideas and comments. This movie served him well. His little barb's tweaking the British character were well delivered. His ideas of what leads to civilized life and what to a spiral of vengeance and barbarism are timeless and as appropriate to 2002 as they were to the 1930s and 1940s. The cast was great, and the chemistry between all, especially Leigh & Raines, was superb -- as well as the sets and filming, too.