Cleopatra (1934)

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

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

Waldemar Young (screen play), Vincent Lawrence (screen play)

Stars:

Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Henry Wilcoxon

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

In 48 BC, Cleopatra, facing palace revolt in her kingdom of Egypt, welcomes the arrival of Julius Caesar as a way of solidifying her power under Rome. When Caesar, whom she has led astray, is killed, she transfers her affections to Marc Antony and dazzles him on a barge full of DeMillean splendor. But the trick may not work a third time...

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Plot Keywords:

femme fatale | cleopatra character | julius caesar character | marc antony character | deception | 

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Taglines:

Set In A Spectacle of Thrilling Magnificence!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is one of two films based on the life of Cleopatra VII to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. The second was Cleopatra (1963).

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Goofs

The main doors to Cleopatra's chambers have modern metal hinges.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

The movie was released in Germany with German direction by Kurt Blemis and German dialogue by Helmut Brandis and Helena von Fortenbach.

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Connections

Edited into Spisok korabley (2008)

User Reviews

Cleopatra one of DeMille's more literate pictures

I have been very fond of this movie for years, particularly as compared with Fox's bloated monstrosity of 1963. Colbert is admittedly somewhat miscast (her face is altogether Parisienne), but she handles the part with considerable charm. Warren William, usually a very limited actor, is as good a Caesar as I have seen on film, commanding and uncomfortable by turns; while Henry Wilcoxon is the definitive Mark Antony, laughing, brawling, swaggering, crude and brooding. C. Aubrey Smith as Enobarbus, the last of the hardcore Roman republicans, is perfect. Victor Milner's cinematography is superb, if old-fashioned. There is one magnificent pullback shot aboard Cleopatra's barge, with more and more stuff entering the frame, which as pure cinema is worth more than all four hours of the Liz Taylor version for my money. Shakespeare and Shaw have both been drawn upon here and there, and the movie has generally good (and fun) dialogue, not always one of DeMille's strengths. Consider also the scene of Cleopatra's entrance into Rome: contrary to DeMille's usual reputation, this scene is underplayed, depicting a plausible parade through a very real Roman street with authentic trappings, compared to the outrageously bogus and overblown spectacle given us in 1963. A word is also in order for the music of Rudolph Kopp, an extremely obscure Hollywood composer, who turns in an atmospheric score redolant of the old silent movies. This style is easy to make fun of, but see how effective it is in the highly theatrical opening credits! DeMille used silent film technique well into the talkie era, particularly in crowd scenes, and it still works. The battle scenes are the weakest point, since evidently Paramount ran out of cash and C.B. had to make do with a bunch of short shots put together with Russian cutting; nevertheless, this is still as good a picture on the subject as has yet been made, a bit of extravagant old Hollywood at its most polished.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cleopatra

Filming Locations:

El Segundo, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1