Determined to hold on to the throne, Cleopatra seduces the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. When Caesar is murdered, she redirects her attentions to his general, Marc Antony, who vows to take power—but Caesar’s successor has other plans.
Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film Cast:
- Cleopatra: Elizabeth Taylor
- Julius Caesar: Rex Harrison
- High Priestess: Pamela Brown
- Flavius: George Cole
- Sosigenes: Hume Cronyn
- Apollodorus: Cesare Danova
- Brutus: Kenneth Haigh
- Agrippa: Andrew Keir
- Rufio: Martin Landau
- Octavian – Caesar Augustus: Roddy McDowall
- Germanicus: Robert Stephens
- Eiras: Francesca Annis
- Pothinus: Grégoire Aslan
- Ramos: Martin Benson
- Achillas: John Doucette
- Cicero: Michael Hordern
- Cassius: John Hoyt
- Casca: Carroll O’Connor
- Canidius: Andrew Faulds
- Cimber: Michael Gwynn
- Palace Guard (uncredited): Peter Grant
- Euphranor: Marne Maitland
- Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII: Richard O’Sullivan
- Calpurnia: Gwen Watford
- Decimus: Douglas Wilmer
- Bacchanal Reveler: Marie Devereux
- Theodotos: Herbert Berghof
- Lotos (as Jacqui Chan): Jacqueline Chan
- Charmian (as Isabelle Cooley): Isabel Cooley
- Minor Role (uncredited): Mike Steen
- Titus: Finlay Currie
- Marcus Antonius: Richard Burton
Film Crew:
- Sound Recordist: Murray Spivack
- Original Music Composer: Alex North
- Set Designer: Giovanni Natalucci
- Producer: Walter Wanger
- Set Decoration: Ray Moyer
- Production Manager: C.O. Erickson
- Art Direction: Jack Martin Smith
- Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott
- Sound Recordist: Bernard Freericks
- Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
- Director of Photography: Leon Shamroy
- Editor: Dorothy Spencer
- Art Direction: Herman A. Blumenthal
- Costume Design: Vittorio Nino Novarese
- Makeup Artist: Alberto De Rossi
- Art Direction: Hilyard M. Brown
- Screenplay: Sidney Buchman
- Screenplay: Ranald MacDougall
- Costume Design: Renié
- Camera Operator: Gerry Fisher
- Second Unit Director: Andrew Marton
- Camera Operator: Franco Di Giacomo
- Casting Consultant: Stuart Lyons
- Art Direction: Elven Webb
- Second Unit Director: Ray Kellogg
- Choreographer: Hermes Pan
- Art Direction: Maurice Pelling
- Art Direction: Boris Juraga
- Book: Carlo Maria Franzero
- Executive Producer: Peter Levathes
- Production Design: John DeCuir
- Assistant Art Director: Don Picton
- Set Decoration: Paul S. Fox
- Assistant Director: Fred R. Simpson
- Still Photographer: Bob Penn
- Hairstylist: Vivienne Walker
- Production Manager: Forrest E. Johnston
- Scenic Artist: Ferdinand Bellan
- Script Supervisor: Elaine Schreyeck
Movie Reviews:
- John Chard: On Your Knees!
On your knees! It’s something that Cleopatra her self shouts at a stunned Mark Antony, but it could quite literally have been shouted by many in Hollywood at 20th Century Fox as their gargantuan epic threatened to sink them. The trials and tribulations surrounding the film are stuff of legend, all of which makes for a film itself, but I will not go over old ground, there’s a couple of great documentaries available out there and they are required viewing. They also help to explain somewhat why Cleopatra is not the genre defining classic many hoped it would be. Truth is is that no film could have lived up to the expectation that surrounded Cleopatra, as it is, with flaws and all, it’s still a enjoyably lavish spectacle, harking back to a time when grandiose meant something. In fact a time of film making we could do with in today’s day and age of retreads, remakes and soppy sequels.
Split in to two narratives, that of Caesar & Cleopatra and Antony & Cleopatra, film basically deals with how Rome sought to conquer Egypt as Cleopatra clung on grimly in power and affairs of the heart. A cast of quality thespians stand straight backed and deliver the plot machinations, set to the backdrop of magnificent ornate sets, period costuming, piercing photography and a pulse pounding musical score. Quite simply the grandeur and scope is stunning in its presentation. Not all the dialogue works, and there are passages of exchanges that come off as undernourished; while soap operatics take a hold in the second part of the film. Yet for the historical epic fan there is just too much that is great for this to be ignored or considered a stinker. From Rex Harrison – Elizabeth Taylor – Richard Burton & Roddy McDowall, to the opulence seeping from every pore, Cleopatra is a joyous eye opening experience. Yes! Flaws and all. 8/10