Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)

Cleopatra hasn't been on the throne of the pharoahs of Egypt very long when Julius Caesar pays a visit. Caesar finds the prospect of romance more tempting than he expected, since Cleopatra ... See full summary »

Director:

Gabriel Pascal

Writers:

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

Stars:

Claude Rains, Vivien Leigh, Stewart Granger

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Cleopatra hasn't been on the throne of the pharoahs of Egypt very long when Julius Caesar pays a visit. Caesar finds the prospect of romance more tempting than he expected, since Cleopatra is a rare woman who is bright as well as beautiful. And for Cleopatra, a friendly relationship with the most powerful man in the world may pay dividends in the future.

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Plot Keywords:

cleopatra | egypt | julius caesar | egyptian | dictator | 

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Taglines:

Days of magnificent adventure... nights of maddest revelry... a temptation in Technicolor!

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | History | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 September 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

César e Cleópatra

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£1,278,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gabriel Pascal Productions, Independent Producers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min 128 min (Encore-Action Library Print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First feature of Zena Marshall.

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Goofs

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 Hadrian 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).

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Quotes

Julius Caesar: What's the matter?
Cleopatra: You're bald! That's why you wear the wreath!

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Connections

Version of César e Cleópatra (1956)

User Reviews

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 barbs tweaking the British character were well delivered. His ideas of what things lead to a civilized life and what things 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.