Cleopatra

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Pamela Brown, George Cole, Hume Cronyn, Martin Landau, Roddy McDowall, Cesare Danova, Kenneth Haigh, Andrew Keir, Desmond Llewelyn (uncredited)
Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Rating: G
Genre: Drama
1963

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Queen Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) of Egypt befriends and falls in love with two Roman leaders, and her choices have major ramifications for the civilized world.

Review:

Tim: I was so interested in seeing Cleopatra. Before seeing the film, I knew it was notorious- at the time, it was the most expensive film ever made, nearly bankrupting 20th Century Fox. Its two stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had an affair on set, which brought bad publicity to the film. There were a series of production troubles, firings, squabbles over whether to release the film as one or two movies. It sounds like an absurd production. But, all of that is just simply interesting background. The real question is how this film holds up. I'd say the movie is good, but deeply flawed.

I actually agree with Joseph L. Mankiewicz that this film should have been broken into two movies. The final film is over three hours long and easily could have supported two movies. Plus, there is a natural break about halfway through filming that lends itself to this. I found the first half of the film to be far superior to the second half. The first half features Cleopatra and Julius Caesar and I was significantly more interested in the story and the characters. It felt like a focused, entertaining story about two global heavyweights. I really enjoyed the performance of Rex Harrison as Caesar. Halfway through the film, I was really enjoying it. The second half is about Cleopatra and Marc Antony and I simply found it far less engaging. There was a lot more drama, more overacting, and it just felt like a less effective story. It follows the typical film and sequel route- the sequel isn't quite as good as the original. This film just crammed the two together. The second half of the film really brought the whole movie down.

Now, I have to say that the budget certainly shows up on screen. This is one of the most epic, opulent movies I've ever seen. Elizabeth Taylor made the Guinness Book of World Records for the most costume changes (65!) in a movie. Every scene, she's wearing something different. I certainly have never seen a production quite like this one- the massive sets, the battles, the costumes- it all adds up to a remarkable, original viewing experience. That's one of the big strengths of the film.

I really enjoyed the performance of Rex Harrison. It didn't surprise me that he was the only cast member to receive an Academy Award nomination (for Best Actor). Richard Burton simply felt significantly less interesting and effective to me. I didn't care about Antony. He too often overacted and turned the latter half of the film into a melodrama. Harrison was subtle, yet still had these incredible moments of energy and emotion. Burton paled in comparison. Elizabeth Taylor was interesting and I'm not exactly sure how to evaluate her performance. There were moments when she seemed to embody the larger-than-life character of Cleopatra. However, I simply found her performance underwhelming. Outside of a few strong moments, she didn't feel talented enough to carry so much of the film for over three hours. She was fine, but I expected more. She looked the part and had fun with the costume changes, but her acting performance did not meet the level needed. It was fun seeing Martin Landau in a supporting role.

This movie is certainly a bear to sit through. You certainly hope a 3 hour, 12 minute movie is going to be better than "good". However, technically, the film is certainly worth seeing. We can't forget it won 4 Academy Awards- Best Cinematography Color (absolutely deserving), Best Art Direction/Set Direction Color (no brainer), Best Costume Design Color (obviously deserving), and Best Visual Effects (yup). This was a technically incredible film. Unfortunately, the problematic production created too many insurmountable issues. While Cleopatra is a good movie, you expect more from the most expensive movie ever made.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Julius Caesar, Lawrence of Arabia