Cleopatra (1963)

How sad is this?

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Rex Harrison is Julius Caesar with a British accent. Elizabeth Taylor is Cleopatra, and Richard Burton is Marc Antony. Cleopatra gives the first half of this long movie to Caesar and the second half to Antony. It makes use of my 3 years of Latin. I saw it that summer with my first girl friend. Egypt meets Rome! I admit the history was over my head at age 17, but I have since grown into it. Caesar was murdered by his friends, while Cleopatra and Antony committed suicide. We only catch a glimpse of the cobra as it slithers away. In 1963, Hollywood was not yet willing to shock audiences. Wimpy Roddy McDowell plays wimpy Octavian, who went on to inherit the Roman Empire. The summer of 1963 was a season of overblown productions, another of which was How the West Was Won.

The script is fraught with putrid misogynistic undertones. I prematurely ended the film due to my overwhelming disgust at how Cleopatra is so ridiculously portrayed as a distressed dame needing an attitude adjustment from her male counterpart. Blah! Yuck.

(Flash Review)I watched the 4hr version. There is a 2hr cut as well as a long lost 5.5hr version. Watch Cleopatra, the ruler of Egypt, use her femininity to attract and try to influence such famous rulers as Caesar and Mark Antony as she tries to increase Egypt's world standing and her own title. Taylor and the male leads do a convincing job with dialog that is engaging, informative and moves the meaty story along at a decent clip to help mask its immense length. The various main and sub plots are solid and easy to follow even with a slew of characters. The sets steal the show and they are huge, realistic and bold. There is humor, drama and sorrow and is a memorable film for the ages.

The story of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Focuses on her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.Mediocre, but an epic in every sense. Incredibly long at over 4 hours, and overly so. Too detailed, yet misses character depth. On the plus side - great sets and costumes. Considering that this was before CGI, the backdrops are amazing.Interesting from an historical perspective, and reasonably accurate. Dialogue is verbose, and makes the 4 hours seem even longer.Probably the most interesting thing about the movie is this is where the Burton-Taylor combination (on and off the screen) started.