In Roman-dominated Egypt, the corrupt administration of a governor named Petronius has sparked a revolt headed by El Kabir, a young man who learns that he's actually the son of Cleopatra and... Read allIn Roman-dominated Egypt, the corrupt administration of a governor named Petronius has sparked a revolt headed by El Kabir, a young man who learns that he's actually the son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. When Petronius' daughter, Livia, newly-arrived from Rome, falls into his h... Read allIn Roman-dominated Egypt, the corrupt administration of a governor named Petronius has sparked a revolt headed by El Kabir, a young man who learns that he's actually the son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. When Petronius' daughter, Livia, newly-arrived from Rome, falls into his hands, El Kabir uses this opportunity to win her over to his side before releasing her to h... Read all
- Akro
- (as Shukry Sharhan)
- Hermia
- (as Laila Fawzi)
- Safar
- (as Yehia Shaine)
Featured reviews
Damon played in a few of these "Sword & Sandal" movies but his good looks had a softness to them which kept him from becoming a truly-persuasive action hero. His upper teeth also seemed a bit too-widely spaced for one of those Cinemascope smiles, but unlike Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, and other stars of this genre, he had hair on his chest! (His torso is put on display here when he kneels down, hugs a stone altar, and is given a lashing across his bare back by horsemen wielding whips. This flogging ranks 23rd in the book "Lash! The 100 Great Scenes of Men Being Whipped in the Movies.")
Fans of this kind of movie will find the usual array of battles, intrigue, romance, colorful costumes, gaudy sets, comic-book dialog, etc. What puts "Son of Cleopatra" a bit apart from the others are some impressive desert tableaux of armies marching across desert scenery. It may not match "Lawrence of Arabia," but all that sand and sky still looks pretty impressive.
One note: the movie's script seems to forget that Cleopatra was not Egyptian but was actually Greek.
It is beautifully made with wonderful desert settings, great riding sequences on horseback, while at the same time it is almost a melodrama, as El Kebir (Caesarion) gets involved with the daughter of the Roman prefect, the villain of the play called Petronius, who has earned the displeasure of Octavian for embezzling funds and riches of Egypt. His daughter is nothing short of a blonde bombshell. There are reminiscences too obvious of both "Ben Hur" and "Lawrence of Arabia", the director has clearly been inspired by these mammoth epics and tried to at least accomplish something next to them. It is not unsuccessful. To its merits is added a marvellous score by Carlo Rustichelli, whose music generally has the power to elevate any film to a higher position than its realities. It is not a great film but highly intriguing, inspiring and interesting for its concept and impressive style.
Storyline
Details
- Runtime2 hours 8 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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