Composer:
Alex NorthCast:
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Pamela Brown, George Cole, Hume Cronyn, Cesare Danova, Kenneth Haigh, Andrew Keir, Martin Landau (more)Plots(1)
In 48 B. C. Caesar pursues Pompey from Pharsalia to Egypt. Ptolemy, now sovereign after deposing his older sister, Cleopatra, attempts to curry favor with Caesar by presenting the conquerer with the head of Pompey, borne by his satraps, Pothinos and Achillas. To win Caesar's support from her brother, Cleopatra hides herself in a rug, which Apollodorus, her minion, presents to Caesar. The Roman is immediately infatuated; banishing Ptolemy, he declares Cleopatra Egypt's sole sovereign and takes her as his concubine. 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 his paramour returns to Egypt. When Mark Antony, Caesar's protege, beholds Cleopatra aboard her barque at Tarsus some years later, he is smitten and becomes both her lover and military ally. Their liaison notwithstanding, Antony, to consolidate his position in Rome, marries Octavia, sister of the ambitious Octavian. The marriage satisfies no one: Cleopatra is infuriated, and Antony, tiring of his Roman wife, returns to Egypt. There he flaunts his liaison by marrying Cleopatra in a public ceremony. Sensing Antony's weakness, Octavian attacks and defeats his forces at Actium. Alarmed, Cleopatra withdraws her fleet and seeks refuge in her tomb. Falsely informed that she is dead, Antony stabs himself. Borne to her sanctuary, he expires in her arms. In despair, Cleopatra applies an asp to her breast and dies of its poison. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (3)
I first saw Cleopatra about 30 years ago and even then the film seemed to me like a marble monument of a certain era of cinema, where it is possible to admire the grandeur of the setting, the monumentality of crowd scenes, the beauty of women, and the masculine appearance of the male characters. But at the same time, I was missing a sense of experience, reality, and real life. I felt a bit like I was in a museum. In the recently filmed series Rome, I had the feeling of touching living history, and I became a part of the ancient world for a moment and experienced the stories of my heroes. Here, I feel like I'm looking at Taylor in historical garb, not the Egyptian queen. Taylor as an actress, for example, is a heroine from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for me, while in her most famous film role, she is just a celebrity on the silver screen... Overall impression: 45%. It's not that Cleopatra doesn't have anything to offer, but somehow it passed me by.
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Clear five stars, a perfect film in every sense. Part of my private trilogy Ben Hur - The Ten Commandments - Cleopatra.
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A beautiful epic film that captivates with stunning scenery and crowd scenes, as well as the beautiful Cleopatra and her companions. It's a powerful story, one of the great epics, but I can't help feeling it doesn't affect me as much anymore as it did when I was younger. That's where the magnificence really struck me. Now it's "just" a great movie.
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Gallery (191)
Photo © 20th Century Fox
![Cleopatra - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/158/032/158032139_625634.jpg)
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