Son of Cleopatra (1964)
"Il figlio di Cleopatra" (original title)

In Roman-dominated Egypt, the corrupt administration of a governor named Petronius has sparked a revolt headed by El Kabir, a young man who learns that he's actually the son of Cleopatra ... See full summary »

Director:

Ferdinando Baldi

Writers:

Franco Airaldi (screenplay), Ferdinando Baldi (screenplay),

Stars:

Mark Damon, Scilla Gabel, Arnoldo Foà

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Damon	...	El Kebir
Scilla Gabel	...	Livia
Arnoldo Foà	...	Varrone
Livio Lorenzon	...	Petronio
Samira Ahmed	...	Meroe
Alberto Lupo	...	Octavian
Shukry Sarhan	...	Akro
Leila Fawzi	...	Hermia (as Laila Fawzi)
Paolo Gozlino	...	Furio
Yehia Chahine	...	Safar (as Yehia Shaine)
Hassan Youssef	...	Uro
Corrado Annicelli	...	Longino
Franco Fantasia	...	Vetero
Alberto Cevenini
Mahmoud Farag	...	Tarok

Storyline

In Roman-dominated Egypt, the corrupt administration of a governor named Petronius has sparked a revolt headed by El Kabir, a young man who learns that he's actually the son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. When Petronius' daughter, Livia, newly-arrived from Rome, falls into his hands, El Kabir uses this opportunity to win her over to his side before releasing her to her father. Livia's efforts to promote peace, however, are thwarted, and only the arrival of Octavian Caesar can bring about a resolution to the troubled situation.

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Plot Keywords:

revolt | chained to wall | blood on back | action hero | flogging | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

Italy Egypt

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

31 December 1964 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Son of Cleopatra

Filming Locations:

Incir De Paolis, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Copro Film, Egyptian General Company for International Film Production, Seven Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

A "Sword & Sandal" with lots of sand

Mark Damon plays the leader of a desert tribe in 1st-century-B.C. Egypt. Angered by the corrupt rule of the Roman governor, he leads a revolt against this governor, even though he's become romantically involved with the governor's daughter whom he holds hostage.

Damon played in a few of these "Sword & Sandal" movies but his good looks had a softness to them which kept him from becoming a truly-persuasive action hero. His upper teeth also seemed a bit too-widely spaced for one of those Cinemascope smiles, but unlike Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, and other stars of this genre, he had hair on his chest! (His torso is put on display here when he kneels down, hugs a stone altar, and is given a lashing across his bare back by horsemen wielding whips. This flogging ranks 23rd in the book "Lash! The 100 Great Scenes of Men Being Whipped in the Movies.")

Fans of this kind of movie will find the usual array of battles, intrigue, romance, colorful costumes, gaudy sets, comic-book dialog, etc. What puts "Son of Cleopatra" a bit apart from the others are some impressive desert tableaux of armies marching across desert scenery. It may not match "Lawrence of Arabia," but all that sand and sky still looks pretty impressive.

One note: the movie's script seems to forget that Cleopatra was not Egyptian but was actually Greek.