diogomanuel They don't make it like they used to is a cliché but a true one when it is about this film.Magnificent sceneries; detailed sets; historical accurate wardrobe; realistic sword fights without artistic martial arts that plague today's films; intelligent dialogs that immerse you in the story; and last but not the least a performance that should be studied by young actresses: the BEST Cleopatra! Elizabeth Taylor made the performance of her life and after seeing this film I'm not surprised to know that she carried on in real life her love affair with Marc Anthony (Richard Burton).This film was one of the most expensive that Hollywood has ever done, and it shows. It deserves to be viewed by everyone who likes to see a good film and although it is a long one you won't feel the time passing by. The very best Hollywood has ever done, and how I would like to see more like this. A 10 out of 10 because I can't give it 15 out of 10.

tomsview When I walked into Sydney's Mayfair Theatre in 1964 to see "Cleopatra", I passed beneath a huge mural that adorned the outside of the theatre above the awning. It was painted by my father. At the time it was thought to be the largest mural in Australia. Other artists were commissioned to do similar ones in New York, Los Angeles and London.Dad's painting was based on American artist Howard Terpning's illustration of Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Rex Harrison. It was so big it was painted in sections using the backdrop machinery of Sydney's old Tivoli Theatre. Although my father worked for his normal weekly wage with a display company, the eventual cost would have been part of that unbelievable $42 million ($340 million in today's money), which was spent on the movie.But what a movie, even with its flaws it's still huge. There are simply no small scenes. Back in the day we were used to major sword and sandals epics: "Land of the Pharaohs", "Ben Hur" and "Spartacus", however for sheer size, "Cleo" topped them all. Even Mithridates' army, which was on screen for 30 seconds, had hundreds of extras costumed down to the last stud on their metal wrist guards.Of course the spectacle had to play second fiddle to the Liz and Dick show. There was so much hype around the film, it was hard to sit back and just buy into the era like you could with other films.Today, a lot of that baggage has gone and it can be viewed more dispassionately, although it's still amusing to catch Liz giving a glimpse of bare thigh and bum cheek as she reclines on her chaise longue. Not to be outdone, Richard Burton's tunics seem way too short. Even now they don't exactly melt into the roles of Cleopatra and Marc Antony; Rex Harrison is more successful as Big Julie.Joseph L. Mankiewicz's script sounds very B.C. up until the moment Liz rolls out of the carpet, and then the whole thing gets more all over the place. When Cleopatra says to Caesar, "I've rubbed you the wrong way", we guess the ancient texts weren't consulted too closely.It's a long film, but you can see where the money went. Cleopatra's entry into Rome and the Battle of Actium would be hard to beat even with the magic of today's special effects. And the music. They got the best. Composer Alex North had excelled himself with the score to "Spartacus" and he came up with another stunning, exotic soundscape for this one. Over the years I have seen "Cleopatra" a number of times, and it passes the true test of a film for me, I can always watch it again and still enjoy it.

LeonLouisRicci The Biggest Box Hit of 1963, Nominated for 9 Academy Awards (winning 4), and one of the Largest Money Makers of All Time, Nearly Bankrupted the Studio (Fox). A Conundrum You Say. Well No. The Movie Cost so much that the Revenue could Not be Recovered, at least until a Future Date, too Late to Salvage the Studio System and Fox's Lingering Time "In the Red".Truth be Told, Nothing could have saved the Studio System. By the Mid-Sixties the Cultural Changes were Virtually Clueless to Major Motion Picture Studios that were being Exposed as Bloated, Myopic, Greedy, Dictatorial Dinosaurs and were being Out Performed at the Box-Office by Inexpensive Independent Movies that were Cutting Edge and Culturally Hip.So the Studio System Died of "Future Shock" and a Lack of Insight about Expanding Consciousness and Art as Commerce.Forget all the Misplaced Blame put on this Gorgeous, Eye-Candy of a Film. It also Tickles the Ear and Tweaks Intellectual Cravings about Empires of Antiquity and the Politics and People who Ruled these Gargantuan Conglomerates of Defeated People and Their Assimilation into what was then a "Practical" Notion of World Domination.The Movie is Infamous for its "Liz and Dick" Tabloid Tussles and Scandal Sheet Salaciousness and the Cost Overrides and Daily Troubles on the Set, mostly because of the Enormity of Everything.What is Impressive, along with the Obvious Beauty of it All, is that the Movie was Made with Organics. Living, Breathing, Actors, Costumed by Needle and Thread Designers, on Sets Constructed by Sweat with Artistic Hubris that was Pushed to the Limit of Physical Applications.Elizabeth Taylor, borders on "too old for the part", Manages enough Natural Beauty with the Help of Make-Up, Costumes, and Camera Angles to make the Part of Egypt's Last Pharaoh Enticingly Attractive, using Her Wits as well as Her Wiles to Seduce and Manipulate Rome's Caesar and General. Rex Harrison (Caesar) Out Performs Liz, but Not So for Richard Burton (Antony) who seems Lost in the Part, or at least too Drunk to Care.Roddy Mcdowell makes an Impression in a Supporting Role, as do Others. But the Biggest Impression of All is the Technicolor Production that Peaks with Cleopatra's Entrance into Rome. The Film cannot Top That and the Second Half is Flaccid and makes the Film Feel like it had a Premature Money Shot.

chaswe-28402 Undeniably spectacular sets and settings, off and on. Amazingly soporific dialogue unimaginatively spoken by miscast actors. Rex Harrison is patrician enough, but he's not my idea of a little, epileptic, balding, battle-hardened veteran who has fought his way from Rome to the British Isles and back; and Miss Taylor is definitely not my idea of Cleopatra. She's more like a chubby housewife from a London suburb, giving herself airs. It's the director and the script that make a movie. They've managed to make more or less nothing here. I'm talking about the first half of the 2 DVD discs, and am taking a few hours off, to recuperate, by scribbling a few thoughts.Back to the sittathon. Contrary to a lot of the opinions on this website, I thought the second disc was slightly better, acting-wise, than the first. Burton was more passionately emotive, and even Liz improved a little. I wouldn't say they were anything special however. Roddy McDowall seemed to me abysmally miscast as Octavian, but I suppose he did his best. There had obviously been an effort to replicate the man's actual appearance, but I can't believe the historical Augustus was quite so fragile looking. In the first disc the entry of Cleopatra's entourage into Rome was definitely spectacular. I can't believe her actual entry was anything remotely like it. In the second disc, the battle of Actium had me lost, I regret to say. I gather the reason this half of the film flowed so badly and was so difficult to follow was because large chunks had been cut from the narrative to reduce the film from 6 hours to 4. If I've got that right. The result was something of a butchered mess. I did wind up feeling sad. But can't bring myself to award more than half marks.