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Title: Cleopatra (1963)
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| 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 | |
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 ... Written by alfiehitchie
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First of please note this is a review of the recent restored DVD version of the film not the savagely cut older version of the film.
Having watched the documentary on this film it seems amazing this film was ever completed how the director managed to get anything even vaguely coherent to the screen is a minor miracle in itself. Cleopatra is a luscious period epic and it's clear no expense was spared on either scenery or costumes, gorgeous to look at but somehow unsatisfying at the end. The movie seems to lose it's way half way through as Rex Harrison departs so for me does the quality of this movie.
It's difficult to tell whether this is due to over the top performances from Taylor and Burton or the forced cuts to reduce the running time. Roddy McDowell is the highlight of the 2nd half of the film and i'm sure Joaquin Phoenix must have researched his role for Gladiator here, McDowell's Octavian is chilling in the extreme. But the rest of the 2nd half of the movie descends into melodrama, where the 1st gave us the excellent Harrison restrained and regal as Ceaser the 2nd gives us real life lovers Burton and Taylor locked in an over-acted doomed romance. But throughout the film there are supporting actors giving first class performances that without the cuts would be interesting to see Martin Landau, Andrew Keir, Hume Cronyn and George Cole all have their moments it's just a shame there aren't more of them.
If I could split my vote over the two halves of the movie the first half would get 9/10 the 2nd 6/10 as I can't I'm going with a 7/10 overall.