Cleopatra's Daughter (1960)

Cleopatra, after the civil war that followed the assassination of Caesar, met with Marc Antony in Assyria where they planned the defense of Egypt against the Romans. Before leaving, ... See full summary »

Director:

Fernando Cerchio

Writers:

Damiano Damiani (story and screenplay), Fernando Cerchio (story and screenplay)

Stars:

Debra Paget, Ettore Manni, Erno Crisa

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Debra Paget	...	Shila - Cleopatra's Daughter
Ettore Manni	...	Resi - Pharaoh's Physician
Erno Crisa	...	Kefren - Tegi's Councellor
Corrado Pani	...	Pharaoh Nemorat / Keops
Yvette Lebon	...	Queen-Mother Tegi
Andreina Rossi	...	Kefren's Mistress
Ivano Staccioli
Angelo Dessy
Renato Mambor
Nando Tamberlani	...	(as Fernando Tamberlani)
Stefania Ré
Rosalba Neri
Betsy Bell
Amerigo Santarelli
Pietro Ceccarelli	...	Sutek

Storyline

Cleopatra, after the civil war that followed the assassination of Caesar, met with Marc Antony in Assyria where they planned the defense of Egypt against the Romans. Before leaving, Cleopatra entrusted her young daughter, Shila, to the rulers of Assyria to be brought up as their own. After Marc Antony's defeat and Cleopatra's death, Egypt, for the next twenty years, was torn apart and ruled by a youthful Pharaoh, Nemorat, with his despot Queen Mother, Tegi, who desired to unite both kingdoms and strengthen her son's rule by conquering Assyria and making Shila, now a beautiful woman, his queen.

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Plot Keywords:

egypt | death | murder | murder of family | ancient egypt | 

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Taglines:

More beautiful and desirable than Cleopatra herself!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie has absolutely nothing to do with Cleopatra's daughter. The English version of this movie was translated completely differently from the original Italian script, setting it in the 1st. century BC, rather than the Bronze age when the Pharaoh Khufu reigned between the years of 2589 - 2566 BC. Cleopatra's actual daughter, Selene, lived between the years 40 - 6 BC. After the death of her mother Cleopatra and Mark Antony she was taken to Rome as a child by Octavian Augustus who adopted her. Augustus later in her life arranged her marriage to King Juba II of Numidia. They were given the kingdom of Mauretania, (modern Algeria and Morocco) to rule as vassal king and queen. They named their capital Caesaria in honour of the Emperor. Actually as well, the real Pharoah Khufu is generally considered to have commissioned the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza, which still stands in Egypt today. .

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Quotes

Resi - Pharaoh's Physician: [Resi bows as he approaches the pharaoh] Is my sovereign in good health and suffering no ills?
Pharaoh Nemorat: I want you to answer my question. As a physician to the pharaoh, do you touch and give treatment to beggars?
Resi - Pharaoh's Physician: For a physician, the various elements of anatomy are the same in all men. Studying them helps me to cure you.
Pharaoh Nemorat: Once you suggested removing the top of my skull. But if any skull is to be removed it is your own. Be thankful you're a good physician and I'm in need of you.

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Connections

Featured in Kolossal - i magnifici Macisti (1977)

User Reviews

On the Cutting Out of Tongues

Meanwhile back at the sarcophagus, Italian filmmakers go to great lengths to create an effectively atmospheric Peplum set during the time of the Ancient Egyptian empires. Or there abouts, depends on which language version you encounter. The sets are elegant, the costumes right out of a high school textbook and the film delivers the goods if you like talky period-type drama mixed in with your Swords & Sandals. Lots of intrigue involving royal courts, family lineage, duplicitous religious leaders, and Debra Paget decked out in a Pharaonic babe-getup that is very easy on the eyes. She can lounge around eating grapes over at my place anytime and the dialog is surprisingly fluid for Italian translated to English.

All of which is routine. The film will stand out in my mind as the one where the threat of having one's tongue cut out is repeated sufficient times to prove curious. The first time was cool. The second time was odd. The third time had me wondering if the dubbing was on right, and the fourth time made me laugh. Maybe there's a drinking game to be had here. Nothing else about the film's story made much of an impression though I do not regret the time invested (wasted?), no, consumed by watching it. A mummy subplot could have been cool, or maybe more slave chicks. At least a giant cyclops or something, Guys.

Which is perhaps why having a female lead with a respectable pedigree in such a production will ultimately work against the film's appeal beyond the boundaries of genre viewers. Since Ms. Paget is the intended focus of our ardor the fate of random half naked slave chicks hurled to their doom for the entertainment of some slavering despot becomes less pressing to the needs of the plot, and sadly the filmmakers took the easy way out. Court intrigue or giant a cyclops devouring centurions? If choosing the former, bingo.

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

February 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cleopatra's Daughter

Company Credits

Production Co:

Explorer Film '58, Comptoir Français de Productions Cinématographiques (CFPC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor) (US version) Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1