Cleopatra DVD

 BEAUTIFUL PICTURE
IT WAS JUST LIKE BEING BACK AT THE MOVIE AGAIN. BEAUTIFUL COLOR AND DETAIL
Submitted by CAROL.MIDDLETON (PLAINFIELD, IN) 
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 One of the true great epics.
A great movie. An epic and continues to match any movie made today!
Submitted by deborah (Jacksonville, FL) 
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 Hard-to-acquire Classic
A 1963 epic...getting difficult to find. A Classic! Everyone knows the storyline (or do they?) Good battle of the sexes...not always won by the Romans! Many good 'young' & upcoming actors/actresses...Martin Landeau, John Rhy-Davies (LotR), etc. Most 'historians' would want this one!
Submitted by auer (Auckland, New Zealand) 
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 Less than meets the eye but the DVD bonuses save the day!
As a spectacle, this elaborate $44 million (1963 dollars) production has few equals, but as historical drama, it leaves something to be desired. The acting ranges from brilliant (Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar) to uneven (Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra). Richard Burton, as Mark Antony fluctuates between the two. Critical reaction to the film was as diverse as the performances. Bosley Crowther of the "New York Times" hailed "Cleopatra" as "a surpassing entertainment, one of the great epic films of our day," while over at the "New York Herald Tribune", Judith Crist called it "a monumental mouse." My opinion of the film lies somewhere in between. Long before the film's release, the advance publicity had pre-sold "Cleopatra". There was, after all, the chemistry of the two stars--Taylor and Burton--who, while playing the passionate lovers, had themselves become passionate lovers, much to the scandal and delight of everyone in the world except their spouses at the time, Eddie Fisher and Sybil Burton. Despite the film being the most popular release of 1963, "Cleopatra" had gone so far over budget that it could never possibly bring back its costs at the box office--at least, not for a very long time. Significantly, after "Cleopatra" the costume spectacle disappeared from American screens. The audiences who approached the film believing they'd encounter the ultimate in sensationalism were surprised--perhaps even disappointed--to discover something else entirely. At a running length of over four hours, the production often proved as tedious as it was long, detailing carefully not only the love affair between Cleopatra and Anthony but also the workings of the political systems, both in Rome and on the Mediterranean. Director Joseph Mankiewicz's modern films such as "All About Eve" and "A Letter to Three Wives" offer brittle, sophisticated character studies with biting dialogue and fascinatingly devious people embroiling themselves deeply into difficult situations, and the filmmaker viewed the material of "Cleopatra" as more of the same--only in a different setting. Therefore, his conception of the romantic triangle involving Cleopatra, Antony, and Caesar was not offered as an episode from the past, between stuffy figures whose motivations are beyond our comprehension. For Mankiewicz, people are the same, several thousand years ago or today--only the costumes change--and these figures emerge not so much as legendary giants from times gone by but as interesting people. Where the film's major fault lies, is that Mankiewicz did not maintain a proper tone throughout. At moments, the characters are provided with modern equivalents for expressions they might have tried to use informally--"Hey, dude, hand me that spear!" type of talk. In other scenes, however, they speak in elevated language, hinting at Shakespearean poetry. Either approach might have been highly effective but the two just don't jell when mixed. As for such other elements as Alex North's brilliant score, the Oscar-winning costumes, sets, and photography, no such problems emerged. Mankiewicz and his designers managed to effectively combine what information they were able to lay their hands on about the sights and scenes of the ancient world with a modern approach to fashion and styles, giving us a unique world that belongs totally in this film--neither pure history nor pure speculation, but rather an imaginative combination of the two. Aside from the quibbles above, Fox has provided an outstanding DVD of "Cleopatra." The main attraction is a new documentary called "Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood." Hosted by Robert Culp, this two-hour program combines film clips, behind the scenes footage, and recent interviews to create a terrific look at the troubled production. The interviews include a few surviving (at the time) actors such as Hume Cronyn and Martin Landau, plus 1995 bits from Roddy McDowall; unfortunately, Elizabeth Taylor is nowhere to be found. This is a very entertaining documentary and it's been afforded a top-notch presentation. At a list price of $26.98, this DVD is a bargain. Highly recommended if only for all the marvelous DVD bonuses. [filmfactsman]
Submitted by filmfactsman (Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
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 A true rarity -- an intelligent epic
One of the greatest casualties of the traumas at 20th Century Fox studios was the film that the future of the company depended upon. "Cleopatra" was hit by every calamity imaginable from Fox's declining fortunes to its fragile star's precarious health to Egypt's refusal to allow the filmmakers to shoot locations in that country because of Taylor's adoption of the Jewish faith after her marriage to Eddie Fisher. The wonder of “Cleopatra” is that when the film is good, it is as good as these rather top-heavy spectacles get. Miss Taylor's verbal skirmishes with Rex Harrison's Julius Caesar in the film's first half are as witty and barbed as anything writer/director Joseph Mankiewicz wrote for “All About Eve.” If the second half of “Cleopatra” is a disappointment, the same can certainly be said of “Gone With the Wind.” Many people took issue with Taylor's occasionally strident performance as the Egyptian queen, but even the most vocal of her detractors would have to admit that she is unquestionably the most gorgeous aspect of a visually gorgeous movie. And none of it originated in a computer.
Submitted by Alden (North Bennington, VT USA)
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