cleopatra ( 1934 film )
‎cleopatra (1934) directed by cecil b. demille • reviews, film + cast • letterboxd
cleopatra (1934) - - (movie clip) she is ...
cleopatra (1934) review, with claudette colbert | pre - code. com
cleopatra (1934) - - (movie clip) golden streams of ...
the 1934, pre - code version of
cleopatra
celebrates its 75th on dvd .
cleopatra (1934) - - (movie clip) opening, in the ...
warren william as julius caesar in cecil b. demille' s cleopatra (1934) urltoken
the master showman cecil b. demille' s cleopatra (1934) is a modernistic 1930s costume spectacle that reshapes the cleopatra story
cleopatra (1934) (sn & r - film - in the mix - dvd / video - 06. 04. 09 )
cleopatra (1934) - - (movie clip) opening, in the year 48 b. c .
cleopatra
was the second most popular movie at the u. s. box office for 1934 .
claudette colbert is the queen of the nile in cecil b. demille' s cleopatra (1934). >
it kicked off the opera in film craze. don’t ask why. one night of love (1934 )
looking for movie tickets? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing cleopatra (1934) near you .
demille' s cleopatra won' t do that! there' s far too much action, pageantry and claudette colbert for the 1934 film to ever be considered boring .
cleopatra masters of cinema dual format edition blu - ray 1934: urltoken claudette colbert, cecil b. demille: dvd & blu - ray
claudette colbert had a banner year in 1934, with three of her films being nominated for academy awards for best film: this picture, imitation of life (1934) and it happened one night (1934). she, of course, won the oscar for best actress for the last .
, in grateful recognition of her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the year 1934 .
citizenbore (sn & r - film - film reviews - 09. 22. 16 )
( claudette colbert in title role of cecil b. demille’s film cleopatra. sources from, chuckpalahniuk. net, this image was also published in life magazine, jan 01, 1934 )
cleopatra (1934) cleopatra wurde 1934 von cecil b. demille gedreht und handelt von der ägyptischen königin cleopatra. dieser film ist nach den bekanntesten stummfilmen von 1912, 1917 und 1920 der erste wichtige tonfilm über die berühmte königin. er gewann einen oscar für die „beste kamera“. ✪video ist an blinde nutzer gerichtet ✪text verfügbar unter der lizens cc - by - sa ✪bild quelle im video
opening and preservation credits for cecil b. de mille' s cleopatra, 1934, starring claudette colbert, warren william and henry wilcoxon. >
claudette colbert was sick from april 10, 1934 to april 16, delaying the production .
you can see the navy only if you can find the film: here comes the navy (1934) is still hard to find .
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it inspired a remake and an r. e. m. song. i prefer the song to either film. imitation of life (1934 )
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turns out cleopatra (claudette colbert) was dressing for her wedding to caesar (warren william) when he was assassinated, arthur hohl as brutus, in cecil b. de mille' s version of roman history, in cleopatra, 1934. >
director cecil b. de mille goes pretty large for the arrival of caesar (warren william) and cleoopatra (claudette colbert) in rome for their wedding in cleopatra, 1934 .
the 7th academy awards, for the film year of 1934. the nominations were announced on february 5, 1935 and the ceremony was held on february 27, 1935 .
studio: a cecil b. demille production paramount pictures premiered: august 16, 1934 (new york premiere )
don’t let the cast fool you. the barretts of wimpole street (1934) is no better than okay .
director cecil b. de mille goes pretty large for the arrival of caesar (warren william) and cleoopatra (claudette colbert) in rome for their wedding in cleopatra, 1934. >
q: from the defeat of actium to the end of the film, cleopatra manages to appear calm about her dwindling fortune. why ?
the master showman cecil b. demille' s cleopatra (1934) is a modernistic 1930s costume spectacle that reshapes the cleopatra story - the kind of film for which demille was best known. unarguably, the paramount studios film is campy, grandiose and unreal and ludicrous historically - filled with demille' s usual mixture of sin and sex. sexually - suggestive costumes adorn most of the female characters .
( 1934). the latter film is notable not only for the sophisticated flavor colbert brings to the role of the doomed monarch, but also for its lavish sets and art direction .
frank capra (left) with clark gable and claudette colbert on the set of it happened one night (1934), the first film to win oscars in the five major categories .
the italian comedy film totò e cleopatra (
totò and cleopatra
, 1963), directed by fernando cerchio, is a parody of the original classic, featuring italian comedy star totò as mark antony and french actress magali noël as cleopatra. although a farce from beginning to end and completely deviating from both the plot of the original and historical events, the film does effectively satirize some of cleopatra' s elements, such as the lavish and costly production and the tormented nature of antony and cleopatra' s relationship .
), making it the only film ever to be the highest - grossing film of the year yet to run at a loss .
great review heather. cleopatra has always engendered the most dramatic of film costumes, this one and irene sharaff’s for elizabeth taylor being the best. we’ll see how angelina jolie comes out looking when she stars as the next cleopatra .
burns, kevin; zacky, brent .
cleopatra: the film that changed hollywood .
american movie classics. 3 april 2001. television .
this is one of two films based on the life of cleopatra vii to receive an academy award nomination for best picture. the second was cleopatra (1963) .
the main doors to cleopatra' s chambers have modern metal hinges. see more »
cleopatra travels through an arch that was built at least 300 years after her death .
in this film, queen cleopatra uses her feminine wiles to become sole ruler of egypt. by turns kittenish and cold - blooded, cleopatra wraps such otherwise responsible roman worthies as julius caesar and marc antony around her well - manicured little finger .
fyi: cleopatra to reclaim the egyptian theater on september 22, following a screening of demille’s “cleopatra, ” (1934), at the hollywood blvd egyptian theatre, leonard maltin will interview author scott eyman about his new biography, “emperor of dreams: the epic life of cecil b. demille. ” urltoken
cleopatra (claudette colbert) is beginning to make headway with the businesslike antony (henry wilcoxon), who' s come with the intent of avenging caesar on behalf of rome, with some fairly decadent display from cecil b. de mille' s, in the producer - director' s cleopatra, 1934. >
the film earned elizabeth taylor a guinness world record title ,
most costume changes in a film
; taylor made 65 costume changes. this record was beaten in 1996 in the film evita by madonna with 85 costume changes .
claudette colbert' s next film during her very successful 1934 would be universal' s imitation of life (1934) which began production almost two months after cleopatra had completed. her co - star in imitation of life would be. yes, warren william. meanwhile william' s home studio, warner brothers, would squeeze both a philo vance and a perry mason out of him in between that pair of classics opposite colbert, their only two screen appearances together .
while the film obviously acknowledged elizabeth browning’s affliction, she was supposedly in pain her whole life. the film hardly portrays a woman enduring that kind of pain .
this film about a priest facing serious questions balances philosophical ideas with shock humor .
you be cleopatra and i' ll be antony. note the flower in antony' s head gear
…1934 capra made the hit it happened one night, starring clark gable and claudette colbert; it won the academy award for best picture of 1934. capra’s other comedies for columbia include mr. deeds goes to town (1936) and mr. smith goes to washington (1939). during this same period, howard hawks…
it’s been a little while since i posted anything on film costume history. to that end, here are some tasty tidbits on claudette colbert and her costumes for the 1934 version of cleopatra. speaking to the often difficult task of costuming a mega - star like colbert, writer leon surmelian explained what happened in an article for a fan magazine in 1938 :
queen cleopatra of egypt experiences both triumph and tragedy as she attempts to resist the imperial ambitions of rome .
the life and times of cleopatra by c. m. franzero histories by plutarch, suetonius, and appian
was a box office success and garnered five academy award nominations, including one in a brand - new category: film editing. the film won an oscar for best cinematography .
on the egyptian side irving pichel turns in one of the few noticeable performances as cleopatra' s confidante, apollodorus. he serves as cleopatra' s political drive in overcoming her desires, always reminding her to put egypt first. then there' s leonard mudie as pothinos, cleopatra' s enemy who has her exiled in the opening scene of cleopatra. he' s effective but, er, not around for too long .
the film' s screenplay by waldemar young and vincent lawrence was based on an adaptation of historical material by barlett cormack. the 20th century fox extravagant, four - hour version of the same film, cleopatra (1963) starring elizabeth taylor and richard burton, nearly bankrupted the studio .
nominated for five academy awards, cleopatra would win one for victor milner' s cinematography. none of the individual actors nor demille himself were nominated for their work on this film, but the 1935 awards were a banner time for colbert who won best actress as part of it happened one night' s (1934) then unprecedented sweep of the four major awards .
if i have to be completely frank, i have to admit that i at one point during this film went from seeing it as a cleopatra biopic to it simply being a film about an interesting woman during a completely different time period. my knowledge about cleopatra and her era isn' t very large, but claudette colbert isn' t exactly who i imagined as the title role. however, she was still the ultimate highlight of the film and it' s impossible to not enjoy watching her. also, cleopatra' s hiccups? super duper cute, if that is allowed to say .
every film that has ever been nominated for an academy award in any category. enjoy !
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when cecil b. demille was in pre - production on this film, he asked to screen the original version, cleopatra (1917) with theda bara. no prints could be found on in los angeles, so a copy of it was borrowed from the fox office in new york. after demille viewed the film it was sent back to little ferry, new jersey. on july 9, 1937, a fire at the storage facility destroyed almost all of fox' s known archived prints, most likely including cleopatra. the screening for demille' s company, on february 15, 1934, may have been the last time anyone saw the legendary film .
cleopatra' s story had been brought to the screen prior to 1934, most famously in the 1917 lost production starring theda bara. it' s also been done several times since including vivien leigh' s performance in 1945' s caesar and cleopatra and with elizabeth taylor taking the title role of the 1963 production, which i have to admit has put me to sleep a few times .
claudette colbert, warren william and henry wilcoxon in c. b. de mille' s
cleopatra .
a brilliant film amazing sets for the period and a good challenger for the late elisabeth taylor film, the film has been restored to a high standard. it has an intelligent story and requires the use of brain cells so may not be popular with fans of modern films .
when cecil b. demille was in pre - production on this film, he asked to screen the original version, cleopatra (1917) with theda bara. no prints could be found on in los angeles, so a copy of it was borrowed from the fox office in new york. after demille viewed the film it was sent back to little ferry, new jersey. on july 9, 1937, a fire at the storage facility destroyed almost all of fox' s known archived prints, most likely including cleopatra. the screening for demille' s company, on february 15, 1934, may have been the last time anyone saw the legendary film. see more »
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on may 21, 2013, the restored film was shown at a special screening at cannes. the film was later released as a 50th anniversary version available on dvd and blu - ray. unfortunately fox had long ago destroyed all of the trims and outs from negatives to save costs years before, preventing the release of traditional outtakes. the home media packages did include commentary tracks and two short films
the cleopatra papers
and a 1963 film about the elaborate sets
the fourth star of cleopatra
.
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the film largely came about because cecil b. demille' s previous film, four frightened people (1934) - which also starred claudette colbert - had been a huge flop. paramount head adolph zukor wanted demille to replicate the success of the sign of the cross (1932) and told him he had to make another historical epic next with lots of sex in it .
… (lady for a day, 1933; it happened one night, 1934; mr. deeds goes to town, 1936), hawks (twentieth century, 1934; bringing up baby, 1938), gregory la cava (my man godfrey, 1936), mitchell leisen (easy living, 1937), and leo mccarey (the awful truth, 1937) .
on urltoken i wrote a second cleopatra article focused entirely on warren william as julius caesar. you can read that here .
the academy also ignored another josef von sternberg (and marlene dietrich) film, the scarlet empress .
the film: this is one of those best picture nominees that is extremely difficult to find. sadly, it’s kind of easy to see why. while the characters in the film, the powerful and rich rothschild family, combats anti - semitism throughout the film, there are also a lot of places where the film falls right into jewish stereotypes, especially during the first parts of the film. the film is a biopic of the entire family and their rise to power in the late 18th century and how they came to rule the world of european finance, rising to esteem during the napoleonic wars .
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this movie has to say the least a checkered misbegotten past. big budget epic, flawed but has value, but given time and expense it is rather ho hum. 1934 ...
in 1934 the hays code was only just being implemented so cecil b. demille made sure to flaunt its restrictions while he was still legally able to do so. he opens the film with an apparently naked but strategically lit slave girl holding an incense burner in each hand as the title appears onscreen .
( 1964), which is a parody of this film. both burton and james played mark antony .
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…row”—for the frank capra comedy it happened one night (1934). the punishment turned out to be a coup for gable, as the film—the story of a spoiled runaway heiress (portrayed by claudette colbert) and the newspaper reporter (gable) who tries to exploit her story—swept the academy awards in all five…
a fairly standard film that even starts to stray towards boring at times. but claudette colbert is mesmerizing as cleopatra and saves most scenes that she is in and brings the viewer right back into the mood. she gives cleopatra charm, sensuality and a grace the befits her reputation from history. not to mention a bit of wit to spar with caesar and antony ,
the french comic book asterix and cleopatra, published first in serial form the same year the film was released, parodies the film. in particular, the cover of the comic book mocks the film' s massive casts and sets by claiming it is the
greatest story ever drawn
and that
14 litres of india ink, 30 brushes, 62 soft pencils, 1 hard pencil, 27 rubbers, 1984 sheets of paper, 16 typewriter ribbons, 2 typewriters, 366 pints of beer went into its creation !
cleopatra herself is drawn to look somewhat like elizabeth taylor .
five year old, popular fox studios money - maker shirley temple (born on april 23, 1928, she was almost six years old at the time of the academy banquet held on march 16, 1934) was presented with a miniature statuette - a special award - for her
outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the year 1934
. by some accounts, she remains the youngest oscar recipient in history .
the film: it was going tolerably for a while. certainly warren william wasn’t any good as julius caesar and claudette colbert wasn’t any good as cleopatra. but it wasn’t painful to watch, just not a good film. then come the ides of march and we should all beware. in fact, anyone who ever decides to watch this film should beware. because the assassination is so ineptly handled, so mind - bogglingly bad, so pathetically awful as to inspire either ferocious head - shaking or uncontrollable laughter. it is simply that bad and the film never recovers .
... demille' s lavish but stilted film... is all production value and no style .
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so what do we have left? a decent film, filled with decent performances that probably wouldn’t be very interesting if it didn’t involve robert browning and elizabeth barrett browning. yet, here i have it ranked fourth among the 12 nominees for the year. well, that says quite a bit about the nominees from 1934 .
claudette colbert, warren william and henry wilcoxon in c. b. de mille' s
cleopatra .
- the new york times
with the headline: claudette colbert, warren william and henry wilcoxon in c. b. de mille' s
cleopatra .
.
all in all, this movie is a great informant of how cleopatra’s image is warped by society and how racist and sexist hollywood is .
ilias chrissochoidis (ed .), the cleopatra files: selected documents from the spyros p. skouras archive (stanford, 2013) .
what it comes down to is this. this is a great film. it is funny, charming and endearing. the scene where colbert stops the car is still one of the most famous scenes in film history. the ending is perfect, doing exactly what was possible under the code. it is well written, well acted, well directed. it works just as well now as it did in 1934. what more do you need ?
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with the headline: the screen:' cleopatra' has premiere at rivoli; 4 - hour epic is tribute to its artists' skills .
the film: oh good lord. i’m thankful i’m already done with 42nd street. now the only dick powell performance i have to sit through is a midsummer night’s dream. i don’t think i could take another one. this film is so ridiculous and stupid. there’s really nothing that could make it a good film. i suppose perhaps another actor, one who could actually act, instead of just smile smugly, could have at least made it a decent film .
claudette colbert had previously starred in demille' s historical epic the sign of the cross (1932) as the depraved emperor nero' s lascivious, vixenish wife poppaea. it was unusual that in the same year that colbert starred as the legendary egyptian love goddess, she also starred as the female lead in frank capra' s romantic comedy it happened one night (1934) and in john stahl' s soapy drama imitation of life (1934) .
by edward copeland as hbo' s rome neared its end, i decided it was finally time to catch up with two oscar - nominated best pictures that covered some of the same material: 1934' s cleopatra by cecil b. demille and starring claudette colbert and the infamous 1963 cleopatra directed by joseph l. mankiewicz but best known for its excess and for bringing together elizabeth taylor and richard burton. i figured i' d assess the three versions of the story and the various cleos, antonys, caesars and octavians .
demille' s film was nominated for five academy awards, including best picture, best sound recording, best assistant director, and best film editing (a new category) - it won a single oscar for best cinematography (victor milner) .
[ … ] cliff at immortal ephemera has a nice rundown of the film. he notes about wilcoxon: [ … ]
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yet again cecil b. demille produces an epic. probably the best movie version of this subject. intensely watchable with a superb performance from claudette colbert, who of course as cleopatra carries the film. the dvd also has some fascinating extras about the making of the film and they really knew how to make them in the 30' s no cgi - all real extras and real sets .
cleopatra' s love for antony is re - kindled when he assembles the troops to do battle with octavian, caesar' s nephew and heir. cleopatra falls dramatically at antony' s feet to pledge herself to him, and he vows to fight with her, disavowing his allegiance to rome :
claudette colbert as the egyptian temptress in master showman cecil b. demille' s classic cleopatra (with four nominations and one win - best cinematography )
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans. it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
the cut of the film which mankiewicz screened for the studio was six hours long. this was cut to four hours for its initial premiere, but the studio demanded (over the objections of mankiewicz) that the film be cut once more, this time to just barely over three hours to allow theaters to increase the number of showings per day. as a result, certain details are left out of the film, such as rufio' s death and the recurring theme of cleopatra' s interaction with the gods of egypt .
the story of cleopatra, the fabulous queen of egypt, and the epic romances between her and the greatest men of rome, julius caesar and antony .
i could only find the german poster. and it took me an extra three and a half years to see the film .
burn after reading (sn & r - film - in the mix - dvd / video - 12. 04. 08 )
antony: you' re charming. cleopatra: all right. i' m ready to go now. antony: why? oh, you don' t find me charming. cleopatra: yes, i do. i could fall in love with you, but i don' t intend to. what for? antony: do you mean that? cleopatra: there' s no one like you. (they embrace and kiss, reclined on her dias )
i' m not really familiar with cleopatra' s story so i didn' t have many expectations for this but i still felt disappointed. the ten commandments is the only cecil b. demille film i' ve seen previously, so i guess i imagined something of that calibre. positives were the costumes, the sets, and cleopatra herself, played by claudette colbert, whom i liked a lot here than in it happened one night .
he separately informs each of them that octavian let it be known that if cleopatra were to poison mark antony, rome would forgive her and egypt would be saved. antony thinks this is the most ridiculous thing he' s every heard and is crippled with laughter as he marches off to tell cleopatra the grand joke .
this list collects every film from the starting list that became they shoot pictures don' t they' s 1000 greatest films. this…
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the film’s combination of chilly repression and warming desire make it feel like an heir to director james ivory’s “a room with a view. ”
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it was the highest - grossing film of 1963, earning us $ 26 million ($ 57. 7 million total; equivalent to $
the film: it’s strange to look at what people write about this film and no one seems to mention the similarities between aunt delilah and her pancake mix and aunt jemima. it seems so obvious that delilah and her mix were based on jemimah, right down to the smile and even the name that sounds so similar. all of that adds to the question of how we should feel about this film these days .
so now the next question. why isn’t it available? it’s certainly not a bad film. it’s just as good as any film like it and since it has cagney, there certainly would be interest among people in seeing it, even outside of the oscar completists. although another hard to find nominee, one foot in heaven, is also a warners film. but there’s one other thing about this film. a lot of the action takes place on one particular ship and the name of the ship is mentioned throughout the film. that ship was the battleship u. s. s. arizona, now famous for having been destroyed and sunk during the attack on pearl harbor. perhaps people can’t bring themselves to release the film and force people to relive all of that. i don’t know for certain. but it certainly offers at least some sort of explanation why a decent, harmless film that was nominated for best picture still has yet to see a home video release .
a pre - code film that sneaked onto screens just as the censorious hays office began cracking down on hollywood’s racier propositions, cleopatra is a libertine paean to decadence and depravity that can still send a viewer’s mind reeling and pulse thumping – all courtesy of the golden age’s swampiest psychosexual auteur, cecil b. demille .
the film started off ok, but the script did the character of julius caesar no favors and there was little to no buildup to make his assassination more dramatic. no more than a throwaway line spoken to cleopatra that king is a dirty word in rome, and then we are already seeing the plotting of the…
“cleopatra reveals mr. de mille in an emphatically lavish, but nevertheless a relatively restrained mood. he may not neglect to dwell upon cleopatra’s amorous behavior and has evidently preferred that she does not overdress. but, even so, the scenes wherein she is beheld are less blatant than those he has depicted of other sorceresses in previous films. claudette colbert, the poppaea of the sign of the cross, is entrusted with the part of cleopatra. she wears a dark wig and looks even more attractive than usual. ”
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 ...
why dominate the whole of a friday night viewing with the theme of cleopatra? more tomfoolery in programming, especially with this early dud. i like c... .
from the outset, cecil b. demille was determined to bring the cleopatra story to the masses, feeling that the william shakespeare and george bernard shaw versions were too highbrow .
there are horribly racists parts to this film. it came out in 1934, so i guess it’s to be expected, but it’s impossible not to be distracted viewing it today. that being said, the costumes and set pieces are truly spectacular and transportive. claudette colbert gives a great yet troubling performance, considering she is as white as they come & plays an egyptian queen. the comedic scenes hold up nicely .
“already de mille’s ‘cleopatra’ opus is starting fashion trends. around hollywood, clips of burnished gold in lotus flower motifs are worn on filmy lace evening gowns. an egyptian collar effect is seen here and there. and most interesting of all, the winged bandeaus worn by claudette colbert promise to replace the tiara as an evening headdress. ” (whitney, diane. “designer’s say shorter skirts! ” shadoplay. july 1934 3 (5): 16. )
i think you’re harsh on ‘viva villa’, it is a rather strange film, true, but not a bad one. and certainly not mediocre !
clash of the titans (2010) (sn & r - film - in the mix - dvd / video - 08. 19. 10 )
mankiewicz unsuccessfully attempted to convince the studio to split the film in two in order to preserve the original cut. these were to be released separately as
cleopatra: i' ve seen a god come to life. i' m no longer a queen. i' m a woman. antony: you choose me, cleopatra, against the world. cleopatra: against the world. antony: then we' ll meet it. we' ll smash it to pieces, put it together again, and call it ours! war! ... cleopatra: so rome would forgive and take you back. and all they demand is for us to part. why don' t they ask the sun to fall right out of the sky? antony: yes, we' ll fight them. we' ll fight them all, if we have to fight alone .
cleopatra: that was part of the plan, too. i was going to get you so - irresponsible. antony: you didn' t think one goblet would do it, did you? cleopatra: yes, wouldn' t it? antony: (he bursts out laughing) well, that does amuse me! (he drinks from the goblet) cleopatra: but it' s such a large goblet. antony: yes, isn' t it. (he finishes the entire goblet' s contents and pours a second one )
cleopatra is not only a supercolossal eye - filler (the unprecedented budget shows in the physical opulence throughout), but it is also a remarkably literate cinematic recreation of an historic epoch .
casino jack and the united states of money (sn & r - film - in the mix - dvd / video - 10. 28. 10 )
forget elizabeth taylor and what' s his face, this is the definitive cleopatra movie for the 20th century. the restore is beautiful and claudette colbert is a treat to watch on screen .
but, of course, this is cecil b. demille and historical accuracy was never really one of his trademarks (one little ditty about him and his lack of accuracy was “he wanted to put moses / in the war of the roses”). his trademark was making large historical epics. they were grand, big, sweeping and ever so badly acted. there’s no question that demille was an important person in the evolution of hollywood, that he almost single - handedly made paramount but are there film critics today who take him seriously as a director? cleopatra is very badly directed, with no sense of timing or suspense. warren william blunders through the first part of the film and henry wilcoxon blusters his way through the second half. neither is believable in their roles and neither is believable as a potential mate for cleopatra. but of course colbert was never believable as cleopatra either .
the film is not as good as advertised. i am not sure that if i were the dvd production company i would release this. however, the performance of the main lead claudette colbert is brilliant and it is always interesting to watch a cecil b de mille film, especially as this is clearly a predecessor to the much better elizabeth taulor version of cleopatra which is clearly based on this. nice packacking and interesting extras, especially the documentary whose information seems to be more accurate than the commentary' s
i think i like the image of life better than life because i don' t think real life is as satisfying as film .
— françois truffaut
remarked that the film is
a giant of a movie that is sometimes lumbering, but ever watchable thanks to its uninhibited ambition, size and glamour .
antony: jewels! you are a good fisherman. cleopatra: the golden streams of egypt never run dry. (she tosses the jewels to her subjects) (to antony) throw them !
the only reason to watch this movie is for colbert. otherwise, it' s just the same old story we' ve seen over and over in other movies about cleopatra, nothing new .
taylor inhabits the role with a focussed but uninhibited imperiousness, as when she turns cleopatra' s entrance into rome, aboard a giant rolling sphinx, into the ultimate red - carpet photo op .
cleopatra: the sound to the stars. they must think we' re funny people, scheming to destroy each other as if we had forever to live. they must wonder - why don' t egypt and rome meet in the public square to plan union instead of conquest? yes, it' s very funny. antony: i' ve said things to caesar i wish i hadn' t. there' s beauty in the egyptian queen besides her face. do you miss him? cleopatra: no, he didn' t love me. antony: is that really the reason? cleopatra: no, not really. i admire men who don' t love women. antony: what do you mean by that? cleopatra: oh, i don' t know. women should be but toys for the great. it becomes them both. antony: to you for that. (he toasts her) cleopatra: (reciprocating) and to you for that .
but of course, the point of putting a movie like
cleopatra
on dvd isn' t to please the
fast & furious
crowd. it' s to preserve the film for students of cinema history. and despite a few scenes that still show their grainy age, universal has done a decent job of that, delivering a mostly solid digital print of the motion picture, an intermittently engaging commentary track from writer and filmmaker f. x. feeney and a trio of featurettes that help place
cleopatra
in a larger cultural context .
the white parade is a woman’s film. i say this, not as a dismissive statement, but as a description. it is a story about six women who set out to be nurses, what happens to them through their studies and their eventual entry into the world of nursing. as most of the main characters are women and it continues to make them the stars, no matter what else happens in the film, that is part of the reason it’s a woman’s film. but the other reason is that this film is, for 1934, very surprisingly strong in its viewpoint that these women don’t need men to survive. there are three main male characters in the plot. one of them comes through a variety of circumstances and his role is to look handsome and essentially be a pain. the second, though he eventually comes through in a vital part of the film in support of young’s character, ignores her earlier in the film because he has just been dumped via telegram and is so crest - fallen that he can’t function at all. the third is a complete cad, a young intern who won’t reveal his part in keeping a nurse out of her room all night even though it is going to cost her career and almost ends up costing her her life .
cleopatra sells caesar on egypt' s importance by virtue of india and being a good businessman caesar romances her in efforts to gain more land and riches. it' s pretty clear she' s fallen for him but nobody is convinced caesar wants any more out of cleopatra than her possessions. still caesar' s romans are in an uproar thinking caesar is going to divorce calpurnia, marry cleopatra and declare himself king of the world. a couple of trouble makers work on a bearded and reluctant brutus (arthur hohl) and soon enough daggers are slashing through the senate and warren william is done .
it does not help of course that this film doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to any of the actual historical events. if there was at least some history behind it, perhaps something could be done with it, other than to watch it because it was a best picture nominee or watch in horror at wallace beery hamming it up through every single scene. the problem is, that since the film is based entirely around his character, he is in most of the scenes in the film .
the first chapter, “establishing the conventions: cleopatra (1934), ” treats demille’s version of the exotic, erotic egyptian queen in the context of the first generation of movies, the shift to sound, the emergence of the production code, and treatment of gender roles. after summarizing the plot, blanshard and shahabudin discuss the movie’s anachronistic social content, the seduction of spectacle within the theater as well as within the plot (here a box describes the dazzling, seductive barge scene), and gender games .
lavish, of course, it is a cecil b. demille picture, but beyond the grand scope of demille' s historical vision is a movie that held up better than i had expected. claudette colbert powers cleopatra in the title role by sheer force of personality. her cleopatra is manipulative, yet good - natured, and all sex appeal in every frame, surely straining the newly enforced production code .
pothinos crowns her
queen of the desert ,
leaving her for dead in the middle of nowhere with only apollodorus for company. abandoned by their captors apollodorus explains the situation to cleopatra. pothinus is returning to ingratiate himself with caesar; with cleopatra out of the way, they can deal with her brother with no interference. colbert only wants to know one thing :
how old is this caesar ?
this is the case with cleopatra. there are some wonderful shots and scenery. the opening shot is alluring; there are the gorgeous costumes, racy to a tea. there is the foregrounded harpist gently caressing…
capra’s “golden period” began with it happened one night (1934), the first motion picture to win an academy award in five major categories: best picture, best actor, best actress, best director, and best adapted screenplay. the making of this enduring romantic comedy about a runaway heiress (claudette colbert) and the…
…whose cheerful screwball comedies (it happened one night, 1934) and populist fantasies of good will (mr. smith goes to washington, 1939) sometimes gave way to darker warnings against losing faith and integrity (it’s a wonderful life, 1946). other significant directors with less - consistent thematic or visual styles were william wyler…
i really wish i could have made it exhibition. great article, heather. she is one of my favorites and this role is one of the reasons why i grew - up dressing as cleopatra every halloween !
i like this film a lot. claudette colbert is alive, sexual, enticing and with great personality. she is simply wonderful in this, very believable as ...
soon after a murderer is brought before cleopatra, who' s to decide his mode of execution. antony sees the man' s corpse being carried away and asks the guards what' s going on .
the queen is testing poisons ,
he' s told. now he' s a bit leery of cocktail time with cleopatra. i won' t say whether she poisons him or not, but their evening is interrupted by c. aubrey smith' s enobarbus presenting an ultimatum to antony from octavian. antony wins cleopatra over for good when he refuses enobarbus' proposals and soon enough demille gives us a classic war scene .
antony settles in with cleopatra in egypt which as you might imagine doesn' t set well back in rome where octavian is looking to take complete control. a messenger arrives in egypt in the form of someone i hadn' t mentioned earlier, joseph schildkraut as king herod. herod, with sharp beard and narrowed eyes, is presented as a friend of both cleopatra and antony; however, all he does is cause trouble .
cleopatra achieved notoriety during its production for its massive cost overruns and production troubles, which included changes in director and cast, a change of filming locale, sets that had to be constructed twice, lack of a firm shooting script, and personal scandal around co - stars taylor and burton. it was the most expensive film ever made up to that point and almost bankrupted 20th century - fox .
strange now as the film was eclipsed by the love affair it started, so that one now views: 1) the story of antony and cleopatra, a real life tragedy for the ages, 2) the hollywood film to that effect, a tragedy all by itself, and then 3), the two souls playing the leads, taylor and burton, who would go on to nearly live what first they merely played at doing, or tried to live it, or something. they recite lines to each other that they couldn' t know was their future and yet we now know as true... chilling. opulent to the extreme, a pompous film, bullying, and finally... perhaps more than merely memorable, a tragedy .
for a demille pageant film this one is not too over the top with claudette suitably seductive in the lead although the 1930' s eyebrows are a distraction. the production design and costumes are the real attraction here. not a great film, not terrible but if you are looking for full on demille debaunchery cloaked in piety watch the sign of the cross instead .
later, in the film' s finale, after cleopatra has unsuccessfully attempted to have octavian spare antony' s life in exchange for egypt' s crown, she witnesses antony' s death (he has fallen on his own sword, believing that she has betrayed him) :
i am dying egypt, dying .
realizing that she will be quickly conquered, cleopatra is attended to by her loyal handmaidens - she is dressed in black with a low - cut decolletage. she requests a basket to be extended to her on the throne :
it holds victory .
she removes a real, one - foot long snake / asp and applies it to her breast in one of the most memorable suicidal death scenes in film history. she sits immobile and defeated on her throne as her kingdom is conquered.
cleopatra is a 1934 epic film directed by cecil b. demille and distributed by paramount pictures , which retells the story of cleopatra vii of egypt . it was written by waldemar young , vincent lawrence and bartlett cormack , and produced and directed by cecil b. demille . claudette colbert stars as cleopatra , warren william as julius caesar , and henry wilcoxon as mark antony . 
cleopatra is a 1934 epic film directed by cecil b. demille and distributed by paramount pictures, which retells the story of cleopatra vii of egypt. it was written by waldemar young, vincent lawrence and bartlett cormack, and produced and directed by cecil b. demille. claudette colbert stars as cleopatra, warren william as julius caesar, and henry wilcoxon as mark antony.
cleopatra is a 1934 epic film directed by cecil b. demille and distributed by paramount pictures, which retells the story of cleopatra vii of egypt. it was written by waldemar young, vincent lawrence and bartlett cormack, and produced and directed by cecil b. demille. claudette colbert stars as cleopatra, warren william as julius caesar, and henry wilcoxon as mark antony.