Cleopatra (1963)

Queen Cleopatra of Egypt experiences both triumph and tragedy as she attempts to resist the imperial ambitions of Rome.

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz (screenplay), Ranald MacDougall (screenplay)

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison

Won 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Cleopatra
Richard Burton	...	Mark Antony
Rex Harrison	...	Julius Caesar
Pamela Brown	...	High Priestess
George Cole	...	Flavius
Hume Cronyn	...	Sosigenes
Cesare Danova	...	Apollodorus
Kenneth Haigh	...	Brutus
Andrew Keir	...	Agrippa
Martin Landau	...	Rufio
Roddy McDowall	...	Octavian - Caesar Augustus
Robert Stephens	...	Germanicus
Francesca Annis	...	Eiras
Grégoire Aslan	...	Pothinus (as Gregoire Aslan)
Martin Benson	...	Ramos

Storyline

In 48 B.C., Caesar pursues Pompey from Pharsalia to Egypt. Ptolemy, now supreme ruler after deposing his older sister, Cleopatra, attempts to gain favor with Caesar by presenting the conquerer with the head of Pompey, borne by his governors, Pothinos and Achillas. To win Caesar's support from her brother, Cleopatra hides herself in a rug, which Apollodorus, her servant, presents to Caesar. The Roman is immediately infatuated; banishing Ptolemy, he declares Cleopatra Egypt's sole ruler and takes her as his mistress. A son, Caesarion, is born of their union. Caesar, however, must return to Italy. Although he is briefly reunited with Cleopatra during a magnificent reception for the queen in Rome, Caesar is assassinated shortly thereafter, and Cleopatra returns to Egypt. When Mark Antony, Caesar's protégé, beholds Cleopatra aboard her elaborate barge at Tarsus some years later, he is smitten and becomes both her lover and military ally. Their liaison notwithstanding, Antony, to ...

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Plot Keywords:

egypt | queen | roman empire | epic | peplum | 

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Taglines:

The motion picture the world has been waiting for!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA UK Switzerland

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 July 1963 (UK)

Also Known As:

Cleopatra

Filming Locations:

Desierto de Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$31,115,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$57,777,778

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$71,777,778

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, MCL Films S.A., Walwa Films S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

192 min 233 min (TV) 320 min (director's cut) 248 min (roadshow) 251 min (50th Anniversary) 234 min (HD)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) 4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) Stereo (Westrex Recording System) DTS 70 mm (70mm re-release)

Color:

Color (Color by Deluxe) Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Elizabeth Taylor had met Richard Burton several years prior to their working together on the film, and had found him to be brutish and boorish. However, when Burton showed up for work on this film on his first day, it was with a hangover so severe that he had the shakes. Taylor had to help him around and administer to such basic needs as helping him drink a cup of coffee. This time, she found him to be very endearing.

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Goofs

Around 01:42:59, at the end of the travelling forward, we can see the camera's shadow at the downing left.

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Quotes

Apollodorus: I've always loved you.
Cleopatra: And I have always known.

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Alternate Versions

Premiered at a length of 243 minutes. A week after the premiere, the film was reduced to 222 minutes, and edited further to 194 minutes for general release. The 194-minute version was the default broadcast television version for years; home video and cable television releases are of the full-length cut.

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Connections

Referenced in Full House: It's Not My Job (1988)

User Reviews

Mutilated potential classic

Fritz Lang's Metropolis is rightly regarded as a classic, but many reviews make note of the 'illogical' story and bad character plotting. Characters come and go without rhyme or reason, and the plot makes no sense, they say. Well, yes, but that's not Fritiz's fault, nor the movie's; Metropolis makes little sense because 55 minutes of the film was hacked out and destroyed, never to be seen again, by the US distributors. Of course it's gonna be a dog's dinner with an hour missing, ya clods!!

The same is true of Cleopatra, and this is basically the only reason the film fell flat on its' 1963 release. It was originally intended to release Cleopatra as two three hour movies, the first dealing with Cleo's relationship with Caesar, the second her affairs with Marc Antony. Fox said no to this idea, and demanded a single four hour film instead. This decision is like taking Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings Trilogy and removing an hour from each film wherever an hours' worth can be removed...a recipe for incoherence and total disaster.

So, with two hours of footage gone, major characters are reduced to glorified walk-ons, vital plot points and motivations are lost, and the story loses what LOTR has...length with the proper pacing. People will sit and watch 4 hours of Return Of The King because it flows properly. People will not sit and watch 4 hours of stitched together rough cuts...that's what Cleopatra is, even in the DVD roadshow edition...because what we have is something that is too bitty and haphzard to sustain interest.

But there is still glory in Cleo....Roddy McDowall, Martin Landau and Rex Harrison all act their socks off, the sea battle is kick ass, and Liz Taylor looks pretty scrummy in Egyptian softcore porn clothes. And only a Gen Xer like me could love that hideously pompous overblown dialogue.

Great film! For what it is. It just should have been TWO films, that's all. Real eyepopping trippy spectacle, done in a 'damn the money, full speed ahead' way that just doesn't happen any more. Like Casino Royale, Cleo is a wonderful disaster.