Cleopatra
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Movie Reviews of Cleopatra
Movie Review: Cleopatra, Queen of Denial
Summary: 4 Stars
This epic blockbuster was interesting and entertaining on many levels, though I wonder if when it was released it was considered either a box office or a critical success. It obviously had a huge budget, so I wonder if it was able to make enough at the box office to pay for itself. Lavish costumes and sets, battle scenes with hundreds of extras, not to mention the big stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowell, and Martin Landau. It was long--it took me three nights spread out over a few months to wade through it. I can imagine the theaters complaining, since they could have fewer showings per day, and the audiences must have also been complaining about the length, too. It was undoubtedly ballyhooed with massive hype, making it even harder to live up to the expectations.
There are two ways to look at it. First, as an epic telling of an historical tale of wars, conquest, the Roman Empire and the dynasty of Egypt and the pharaohs, not to mention Cleopatra. The lavish costumes, sets, and battles certainly contributed to the success of this way of looking at it. Richard Burton was very believable as Mark Antony, a warrior with two fatal weaknesses--women and wine. Perhaps that wasn't too much of a stretch for him. Though Burton came first, I was reminded of Russell Crowe's Oscar winning performance in Gladiator. Both actors were able to convince that they were warriors, yet there was something deeper than that in there as well. Elizabeth Taylor was great at the thrust and parry of seduction and court intrigue, but I couldn't picture her as Cleopatra, she was just too pale to be Egyptian. Besides, she is an Icon of Beauty in her own right, and I found it hard to suspend disbelief. No matter how well she acted, I was always aware that it was Elizabeth Taylor; no matter how much mascara she wore, Liz Taylor, baby. Rex Harrison, even more so. What was Henry Higgins doing pretending to be Julius Caesar? I half expected Dr. Doolittle to talk to the animals. Strangely though, Roddy McDowell was much more successful at portraying Octavian, but I will get to that later, as it pertains to the second way of looking at Cleopatra, the epic blockbuster.
The second way of looking at it was just to enjoy the spectacle, and as much as possible speculate on the drama backstage. Draw parallels with the way Cleopatra uses theatrical techniques to make the most of her power as queen of the Nile. She always seems to be bathing when conducting her diplomatic negotiations. There is one scene where she entertains Mark Antony with a Cleopatra look-alike, and another where she makes her entrance wrapped in a carpet. At other times she is presented as the Queen of the Nile, making another dramatic entrance on the royal barge, and the hype and ballyhoo very much comments ironically on the hype and ballyhoo surrounding Elizabeth Taylor: Big Fat Movie Star. At times I couldn't help imagining Britney Spears or J. Lo in the role, but I digress.
Backstage drama galore, as there was a budding romance between Taylor and Burton, which must have driven the tabloids wild. I think it might have contributed to the bad reviews as there was a lot of wagging of fingers and tsk-tsking over the fact that Liz was still married to Eddie Fisher. But that added a lot of spice to the mix, making the scenes between the two an intriguing guessing game, looking for clues to their infidelity, tracking the precise moment when they fell in love. You could follow this trail from The Sandpiper, all the way through Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?
Finally, Roddy McDowell. His portrayal of Octavian was very well played, especially in the way he used the withering remark, stealth, guile, cunning, and even a well-placed hissy fit or two, while debating in the Roman Senate. Contrast him with Mark Anthony, who may have been a drunk and besmitten with Cleopatra, but he was a strong warrior who fought his battles bravely. McDowell's Octavian was the man you loved to hate, as he achieved his power not through battle, at least not personally, but by manipulating the emotions of the Senate and the masses. He was a perfect demagogue, working the crowd into a fever pitch, getting them to beg him to start a war with Egypt. He gave one of his best performances as the villain, making the fall of Anthony & Cleopatra all the more tragic.
So, I will give this a thumb up, just as Siskel and Ebert might have, or possibly a Roman Emperor would give to a gladiator who had fought bravely. It is entertaining on many levels, though some of the levels aren't the ones intended.
The Sandpiper [DVD] (1965) Authentic Region 1 Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton & Eva Marie Saint
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Antony and Cleopatra (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)
The Yale Shakespeare the Tragedy of Julius Ceasar
National Velvet
A Place in the Sun
Gladiator (Widescreen Edition)
The Night of the Iguana
Doctor Dolittle
My Fair Lady (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Movie Review: Lavish and thoroughly entertaining; all bask in the glory of the Queen!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been a fan of the swords and sandals epics for a long time now. Sure, they aren't all great films, but for the most part they are all entertaining to say the least ("ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?"). When you add a layer of `biopic' on top of that, you have really peeked my interest. Throw the deliciously captivating Elizabeth Taylor in the mix and I am salivating in my seat.
I'll take four hours of that please!
Now, I was thoroughly entertained when watching `Cleopatra', but as my opening paragraph outlines for you, that is not something that should be a shock. This film is right up my ally. The four hour running time may be daunting, but I nestled in my bed (forget the couch) on a rainy Saturday afternoon and just soaked it all in. Despite my thorough enjoyment, I must say that this film was not everything it could have been.
Let's start with the good.
When you think of beautiful and lavish set pieces (which are total requirements for any epic worth its weight) you automatically think of `Cleopatra'. The film is one eye-popping image after another. The costumes are perfectly tailored to embellish the beauty of the stars (talk about three beautiful people) and the scenery is so worth chewing on that at times you can be drawn away from the events as your eyes focus in on the gorgeous surroundings. When you add to that sharp editing and crisp music you have a stunning and captivating canvas. I also loved the overall tone of this film. Some have complained that it was too `talky', but politics are some of the most important and interesting aspects of films of this nature and thus they need to be discussed. In fact, it can be these `politics' that carry the entire film (just look at `Spartacus', a film that fails miserably in scenes that DON'T involve the political side of things). I actually admired the script here, the way in which it is woven, truly fleshing out the entirety of this gigantic story.
One of my issues is the tonal shift when the two halves of the story break. The first half of the film concerns Cleopatra and her husband, Caesar. The second half involves Cleopatra and her lover, Mark Antony. For me, the film feels like two separate films. Overall it works, but it does lack fluidity in that department.
You can feel the `shift'.
When you consider the acting, first and foremost SHOULD be Elizabeth Taylor. I mean, she plays Cleopatra, and the films title IS `Cleopatra'. Sadly, when I think of the acting in `Cleopatra' I immediately think of Richard Burton and Rex Harrison. The fact remains that, while the film is about Cleopatra, the true stars are the men who fell under her spell. Taylor is stunning to watch, but she also overworks a lot of her scenes. Harrison and Burton on the other hand completely melt into their roles and present to us two distinctly dynamic (and extremely memorable) portrayals of these two very important historical figures. Taylor gets lost in the shuffle, and thus Cleopatra as a woman gets lost because we are so enamored with Caesar and Mark.
In the end I can recommend and revel in this films majesty because, despite a few flaws, the film really is captivating and beautifully done. Sure, it can feel longwinded at times, but isn't that what you expect from any biographical epic trying to give us `what we paid for'?
Movie Review: Cleopatra: "There are never enough hours in the days of a queen, and her nights have too many."
Summary: 4 Stars
CLEOPATRA (UK/USA-1963) was a legendary "flop" that won 4 Oscars, ran to full houses for months and eventually earned back its enormous cost. A bloated $44 million budget is still one of the highest ever (in 2011 dollars "Cleo" cost $300 million!).
In recent years the film has gained in popularity (see its IMDb rating). Although the story is often historically inaccurate and moves slowly in spots, this one's also consistently lavish, glamorous, bigger than life and everything a Hollywood epic used to be but is no more. If you like sprawling romantic costume dramas, you're sure to enjoy CLEOPATRA! (Highly recommended.)
We see here the initial sparks between Burton and Taylor that led to Liz's divorce from crooner Eddie Fisher (the poor guy was on the set watching as his wife strayed), and to a pair of tumultous Liz and Dīck marriages. For all her glitter and allure, Rex Harrison commands the screen when he's up against the formidable Taylor.
Supporting cast includes Hume Cronyn, Martin Landau and Roddy McDowall.
CAMEOS:
Long-time British stage actor Laurence Naismith (Arachesilaus) portrayed Merlyn in the '67 film adaptation of CAMELOT.
Desmond Llewlyn (Senator) was "Q" in 16 James Bond thrillers.
Carroll O'Connor (Casca), is best known as TV's Archie Bunker.
Finley Currie (Titus), a commanding presence on screen, was Balthazar in and narrator of William Wyler's version of BEN HUR (1959).
Jeremy Kemp (Agitator) was German pilot George Peppard's aristocratic rival in THE BLUE MAX (1966).
Calvin Lockhart (unspecified) was a familiar face in such '70s blaxploitation films as UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT, COTTON COMES TO HARLEM, LET'S DO IT AGAIN, GET CHRISTIE LOVE! and HONEYBABY, HONEYBABY.
Movie Review: A grand tribute to a time from history
Summary: 4 Stars
Cleopatra is a majestic and sumptuous film. The stage sets of Rome and Alexandria are nothing short of amazing, especially given that none of it is computer generated. For anyone who has watched the HBO series "Rome" this will be a treat to watch. The HBO series portrayed a grittier side of Roman life, and never dealt at all with the two years Cleopatra lived in Rome with Julius Caesar so watching "Cleopatra" is almost like seeing six more episodes of the series with the focus on life in Alexandria where the Macedonian lived.
Elizabeth Taylor puts in a fine performance as Cleopatra, as does Rex Harrison portraying Julius Caesar, Roddy McDowell playing Octavian, and Richard Burton as Antony. Relying mostly on Plutarch's "Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans" Cleopatra covers the years that she knew Caesar before his death, and then up to her own death. The difference between HBO's representation of her apparently debaucherous final years living with Antony are in striking contrast to the elegant presentation we have here. It is constantly mentioned in writings about her that she was a highly educated woman who knew many languages. And if she were living today she would have mingled easily with the intelligentsia. It would have been interesting to see more of this side of her. She was not known to have been overly beautiful, but it is this glamorous angle that is usually presented. Perhaps someday someone will make a film from this point of view. Elizabeth Taylor, however, does convey convincingly a complex woman who lives with great fervor.
This movie is 248 minutes long but I wished that there had been more. I would have liked to see a reconstruction of the Library of Alexandria before it was burnt, and more about Cleopatra's life before she met Julius Caesar.
This movie is a magnificent spectacle of pomp and pageantry. Some of the sets are nearly beyond belief, such as the grandeur of the palaces of Alexandria, and the grand procession of Cleopatra's entrance into Rome as she is regally attired and perched on the extended legs of a colossal black stoned sphinx being pulled through the gates of Rome by hundreds of men. The quality of this DVD is also splendid and richly showcases the breathtaking colors and textures of the film. It is hard to imagine that this movie is almost fifty years old.
Movie Review: Watch the First Half, the rest is up to you
Summary: 4 Stars
"Cleopatra" got a great deal of noteriety when it was in production because of the romance that developed between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Their romance got more publicity than this movie about the historical romance they reinacted. I guess that soured me on the movie and I never took the opportunity to watch it until this last weekend. I must say that the first half of "Cleopatra" was quite impressive but that was largely due to the outstanding performance by Rex Harrison as Julius Ceasar. There was the added help of a seemingly limitless budget and a lot of attention to detail. Everything about the settings and costumes was elaborate to say the least. In addition, Elizabeth Taylor has probably never been quite so alluringly beautiful. After the intermission, the death of Julius Ceasar brings Mark Anthony, played by Richard Burton, to the leading male role. Burton is an excellent actor but he is no Rex Harrison; at least not in "Cleopatra". Part of that is undoubtably due to the "tragic" character he plays in comparison than the "bigger-than-life" character of Ceasar. So be it, but it was a bit overdone. Mark Anthony constantly with a drink in his hand was harder to believe than Richard Burton constantly with a drink in his hand. That may have been part of the problem of Burton's apparent failure as Mark Anthony; he may have been Too good as a washed-up man. The last half of the movie just seemed to drag on and on. It could have easily been cut by an hour's length with the result being a better movie. I give it four stars based on Harrison's talent, Taylor's looks and 20th Century Fox's extravagance.