Asterix and Cleopatra (1968)
"Astérix et Cléopâtre" (original title)

Popular animated hero Asterix and his faithful sidekick Obelix travel to ancient Egypt to help Cleopatra build a new summer home. Cleopatra and Julius Caesar have made a bet, with Caesar ... See full summary »

Directors:

René Goscinny, Lee Payant,

Writers:

René Goscinny (comic book), Albert Uderzo (comic book),

Stars:

Roger Carel, Jacques Morel, Micheline Dax

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Roger Carel	...	Astérix (voice)
Jacques Morel	...	Obélix (voice)
Micheline Dax	...	Cléopatre (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patrick Allen	...	Caesar (voice)
Jacques Balutin	...	Tournevis (voice)
George Birt	...	(voice)
Walter Bluhm	...	Numerobis (voice)
Hal Brav	...	Obelix (voice)
Otto Czarski	...	Majestix (voice)
Jean Fontaine	...	Cleopatra (voice)
René Goscinny	...	Commentator (voice)
Ursula Herwig	...	Kleopatra (voice)
Hans Hessling	...	Asterix (voice)
Martin Hirthe	...	Pyradonis (voice)
Alexandre Klimenko	...	(voice)

Storyline

Popular animated hero Asterix and his faithful sidekick Obelix travel to ancient Egypt to help Cleopatra build a new summer home. Cleopatra and Julius Caesar have made a bet, with Caesar wagering the project cannot be completed in a few weeks time. With the help of a magic potion, Asterix comes to the rescue of the Queen of the Nile as Caesar and an angry architect plot against them.

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Plot Keywords:

asterix | cleopatra | egypt | architect | based on graphic novel | 

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Taglines:

Astérix meets the Queen of the Nile!

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | History

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Details

Official Sites:

asterix .com [fr]

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

19 December 1968 (France)

Also Known As:

Asterix og Kleopatra

Company Credits

Production Co:

Belvision, Dargaud Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jacques Balutin's French dubbing of character Tournevis is an obvious imitation of Louis de Funès' persona from the 1950s.

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Goofs

Many sound effects are off-sync, for example an urn falls into the floor at one point, after the crash is heard.

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Connections

Followed by Astérix chez les Bretons (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Le Gâteau Empoisonné"
Music by Gérard Calvi
Lyrics by Pierre Tchernia
Performed by Bernard Lavalette and Jacques Balutin

User Reviews

disappointing and without the wit of the comic strip

I read Asterix cartoons over and over in my youth so know them well, but had never seen the animation until today and I'm sad to say I was disappointed. The film didn't have the language wit of the comic strip (the Latin asides) and the animation was naive. You can't say, "Oh but it was 1968" because look what Disney was doing then! It was entertaining and fun to watch but not great. The drawing was poor, which was proved when my film froze a few times to reveal the sketchiness of the artwork! It was similar to the comic in the design of the characters - they looked the same - but song and dance numbers? Really? Maybe I'm being too pedantic about a much loved comic book but there were many points where I thought it was lazy production. I didn't even laugh. I guess for older children, who this is supposed to be for, it would be okay, but it lacked continuity, was too stop-start, limited dialogue (I suppose they were keeping to the comic) so it seemed too simple and not entertaining enough and I got the impression it was trying to be Disney but falling well short. I think I'll stick to reading Asterix.