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Caesar and Cleopatra

  • 1945
  • Approved
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
3K
YOUR RATING
Vivien Leigh, Stewart Granger, and Claude Rains in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
Home Video Trailer from Independent Pictures
Play trailer2:42
1 Video
51 Photos
BiographyComedyDrama

At the height of the Roman Civil War, a young Cleopatra (Vivien Leigh) meets a middle-aged Julius Caesar (Claude Rains), who teaches her how to rule Egypt.At the height of the Roman Civil War, a young Cleopatra (Vivien Leigh) meets a middle-aged Julius Caesar (Claude Rains), who teaches her how to rule Egypt.At the height of the Roman Civil War, a young Cleopatra (Vivien Leigh) meets a middle-aged Julius Caesar (Claude Rains), who teaches her how to rule Egypt.

  • Director
    • Gabriel Pascal
  • Writer
    • George Bernard Shaw
  • Stars
    • Claude Rains
    • Vivien Leigh
    • Stewart Granger
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gabriel Pascal
    • Writer
      • George Bernard Shaw
    • Stars
      • Claude Rains
      • Vivien Leigh
      • Stewart Granger
    • 57User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Caesar and Cleopatra
    Trailer 2:42
    Watch Caesar and Cleopatra

    Photos51

    Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
    Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
    Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
    Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
    Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
    Vivien Leigh in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
    Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
    Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
    Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
    Vivien Leigh, Stewart Granger, and Claude Rains in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
    Vivien Leigh, Claude Rains, and Basil Sydney in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
    Vivien Leigh and Flora Robson in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Claude Rains
    Claude Rains
    • Caesar
    Vivien Leigh
    Vivien Leigh
    • Cleopatra
    Stewart Granger
    Stewart Granger
    • Apollodorus
    Flora Robson
    Flora Robson
    • Ftatateeta
    Francis L. Sullivan
    Francis L. Sullivan
    • Pothinus
    Basil Sydney
    Basil Sydney
    • Rufio
    Cecil Parker
    Cecil Parker
    • Britannus
    Raymond Lovell
    • Lucius Septimius
    Anthony Eustrel
    Anthony Eustrel
    • Achillas
    • (as Antony Eustrel)
    Ernest Thesiger
    Ernest Thesiger
    • Theodotus
    Anthony Harvey
    Anthony Harvey
    • Ptolemy
    Robert Adams
    • Nubian Slave
    Olga Edwardes
    • Cleopatra's Lady Attendant
    Harda Swanhilde
    • Cleopatra's Lady Attendant
    Michael Rennie
    Michael Rennie
    • 1st. Centurion
    James McKechnie
    James McKechnie
    • 2nd. Centurion
    • (as James Mc Kechnie)
    Esme Percy
    Esme Percy
    • Major Domo
    Stanley Holloway
    Stanley Holloway
    • Belzanor
    • Director
      • Gabriel Pascal
    • Writer
      • George Bernard Shaw(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The role of Caesar was originally offered to Sir John Gielgud, who turned it down, because he detested Director Gabriel Pascal.
    • 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).
    • Quotes

      Julius Caesar: And so to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right, and justice, and peace, until the gods create a race of men that can understand.

    • Crazy credits
      Closing credits cast list finishes with And The Crowd.
    • Connections
      Featured in Great Performances: Laurence Olivier: A Life (1983)

    User reviews57

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    A filmed stage performance that feels like one
    British Technicolor adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's historical play, from Eagle-Lion and director Gabriel Pascal. Roman conqueror Julius Caesar (Claude Rains) arrives in Alexandria, Egypt to supervise the occupation of the newly-acquired territory. He meets young queen Cleopatra (Vivien Leigh), a submissive girl without the skill or training to wield power. Caesar decides to personally tutor her in the ways of ruling others, while also fending off various uprisings.

    This was the most expensive British film ever made at the time, and it looks it, with large, impressive sets, dozens of extras, colorful costumes, and elaborate set-pieces. The film was scripted by Shaw, and it retains the "Shakespeare-lite" quality to the dialogue. It may take modern ears a bit to get used to, but it's more accessible than the Bard's densest prose. I thought Rains was very good as older, wiser and often bemused Caesar. Stewart Granger is youthful and heroic, and Flora Robson is a scene-stealer as a powerhouse of a nurse to Cleopatra. The weakest link is Vivien Leigh, who I never bought into here. I read after watching that she suffered a miscarriage and a mental breakdown while filming, so that explains a lot of the uneven nature of her screen work. Director Pascal does a poor job of opening up the play, despite his big budget. There are a scattered few cinematic shots, but most of it feels liked a filmed stage performance. The movie earned an Oscar nomination for Best Color Art Direction.
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    • AlsExGal
    • Aug 1, 2020

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 6, 1946 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra
    • Filming locations
      • Egypt
    • Production companies
      • Gabriel Pascal Productions
      • Independent Producers
      • National Symphony Orchestra
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • £1,278,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      2 hours 3 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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