The man-hungry Queen of Egypt leads Julius Caesar and Mark Antony astray, amid scenes of DeMillean splendor.
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Title: Cleopatra (1934)
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(1940)
Certificate: Passed
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Edit
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) | |
Edit
Plot Summary
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See All (122) »
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... Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords:
femme fatale | cleopatra character | julius caesar character | marc antony character | deception |Taglines:
History's most seductive woman! The screen's mightiest spectacle! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
5 October 1934 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Kleopatra See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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See more »
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). See more »Goofs
The main doors to Cleopatra's chambers have modern metal hinges. See more »Quotes
Cleopatra: [last line, to Charmion and Iras] Look well for love. Look well. And not finding it, give nothing. But if blessed with Cleopatra's fortune, give all. Now, go.See more »
Alternate Versions
The movie was released in Germany with German direction by Kurt Blemis and German dialogue by Helmut Brandis and Helena von Fortenbach. See more »Contribute to This Page
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I wasn't looking forward to this one as much as THE SIGN OF THE CROSS (considered by many as De Mille's best film) but I must say that I was just as impressed by it. The pacing here is smoother, and we do get to see some wonderful action montages towards the end as opposed to the rather middling arena stuff of CROSS.
Claudette Colbert, too gets a lot more coverage this time around and certainly clinches the title role far better than the positively annoying Elizabeth Taylor in the ill-fated 1963 version. However, the male leads here are less interesting, for lack of a better word: Henry Wilcoxon and Warren William are adequate but, naturally, no match for the thespian skills of Richard Burton and Rex Harrison respectively.
The supporting cast is notable (Ian Keith, Irving Pichel, Joseph Schildkraut, C. Aubrey Smith) and the film features a number of great scenes: Caesar's murder (partly filmed in a POV shot), following which is a delicious jibe at Antony's famous oratory during Caesar's funeral as envisioned by Shakespeare; the long - and justly celebrated - barge sequence, in which Antony (intent on teaching Cleopatra, whom he blames for Caesar's death, a lesson) ends up being completely won over by her wiles; Cleopatra's own death scene is simply but most effectively filmed.
Like in THE SIGN OF THE CROSS, the film's production values are truly awe-inspiring and, in fact, Victor Milner was awarded with a well-deserved Oscar for his lush cinematography here. Needless to say, De Mille's take on Cleopatra, despite feeling hurried since it runs for less than half its length, is a more satisfying viewing experience than the stultifyingly dull, overblown and misguided (if still worthwhile and not quite as catastrophic as the history books would have it) later version.