bsmith5552 Director Cecil B. DeMille pulled out all of the stops for this epic production of "Cleopatra". Following his success with "The Sign of the Cross" two years earlier, and the emergence of Claudette Colbert as a major star, and in spite of the poorly received "Four Frightened People", he went back to what he knew best: the Roman epic.The story in brief, centers around the relationships between the seductive Cleopatra (Colbert), Julius Caesar (Warren William) and Marc Antony (Henry Wilcoxen). First when Caesar moves to take over Egypt, she seduces him and convinces him to divorce his wife Calpurnia (Gertrude Michael) and to return triumphantly with her to Rome. Some members of the Roman Senate object to Caesar's plans and assassinate him on the fateful "ides of March".Cleopatra with the help of her faithful Egyptian aide Apollodorus (Irving Pichel), escapes to Egypt. Caesar's friend and ally Marc Antony vows revenge and sets out for Egypt to bring Cleopatra back in chains. Antony's rival Octavian (Ian Keith in a part similar to the one he played in "The Sign of the Cross") waits for Antony to make a mistake. Antony arrives in Egypt and is immediately taken under Cleopatra's spell. Apollodorus sees his opportunity and leads a movement in Rome to have Antony declared a traitor and wage war against Antony and Cleopatra. Antony's generals led by the steadfast Enobarbus (C. Aubrey Smith) desert him and..............................As the new Production Code was adopted in 1934, DeMille didn't have the leeway with nudity, sex and violence that he had two years earlier. Still and all he managed to sneak a few scenes past the censor. Colbert's costumes though less revealing still left the viewer with the impression that he had seen something. The scenes on Cleopatra's barge with the scantily clad dancers and the drawing of the drapes scene, left little to the imagination.As was the custom with DeMille epics, he spared no expense when it came to the lavish costumes and stunning sets. The battle scenes are excellent and realistically staged.Claudette Colbert was the perfect choice as Cleopatra. She was at the top of her game at this time and created what is widely believed to have been her greatest role although she never worked with DeMille again. Warren William makes an excellent Julius Caesar displaying poise and maturity as the Roman emperor and the weakness which ultimately proves to be his downfall. Henry Wilcoxen makes a viral and ambitious Antony who follows Caesar into Cleopatra's web of lust and deceit. Mention should also be made of Joseph Schildkraut as the deceitful King Herod who brings word from Rome. David Niven is listed on the cast list as a slave, but I couldn't spot him.Demille was able to tell the same story in 100 minutes that took the 1963 re-make with Elizabeth Taylor over four hours to tell. No body could better Demille's skill with epic film.

utgard14 Spectacular DeMille hokum that, like most of his work, is hard to dislike despite its flaws. Say what you will about Cecil B. DeMille but he knew how to put on a show. The sets, costumes, and pageantry are excellent. The actors are all very enjoyable even if they ham it up some. Claudette Colbert is sexy and a treat to watch. Warren William's Julius Caesar seems like he would be more at home shooting craps or hustling pool than ruling Rome. Henry Wilcoxon is quite good as Marc Antony. The rest of the cast is solid, as DeMille supporting casts usually were. I have no sympathy for history buffs who gripe about this movie's failure to adhere to historical accuracy. If you watched a movie, especially a C.B. DeMille movie, looking for a history lesson then the fault is on you and not him. It's a fun piece of escapism loosely based on real people and events. Lighten up and enjoy the movie.

mikhail080 Well, I never remember seeing this DeMille blockbuster, so I was happy to see a screening of a restored "George Eastman House" print the other day. Certainly most everyone reading here at IMDb is familiar with the DeMille brand, and most would probably agree that he seldom disappoints his audience. DeMille liked to think big, and it shows by his making some really fantastic entertainments that even today pack a wallop. And obviously, Adolph Zukor invested big bucks to make DeMille's vision come to reality here.No one would confuse DeMille's "Cleopatra" with a historical documentary. But he does lay out an interesting and nuanced storyline revolving around the Queen of the Nile and two of her lovers -- Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. The movie moves along very nicely, and the boredom sometimes associated with these kinds of historical epics is not apparent.Colbert is extraordinarily sexy, sporting some of the most revealing costumes and looking just absolutely gorgeous. Her sometimes ironic and sometimes earnest delivery of dialog makes her Cleopatra both slyly humorous and sympathetic. She's absolutely fantastic and utilizes her huge eyes to great effect, being perfectly cast as this legendary vixen she expertly shoulders the weight of the film.Amazing set pieces abound, and I won't discuss the specifics here, but needless to say, DeMille had the studio put in a gigantic effort to make the elaborate sets, costumes, battles, and every extra look genuine. Marc Antony's first visit to Cleopatra's barge becomes a marvel of choreography, with even Agnes DeMille involved! Yeah, the dialog might be somewhat hokey and dated, but always relevant and insightful into the characters. A slight downside was the obvious use of stock footage in the final battle scene, obviously taken from something filmed at least a decade before -- but that's a small complaint.The supporting cast is led by Warren William as Caesar and Henry Wilcoxon as Antony who both fill out their roles admirably, and in a way that's not stereotypical. Colbert needs strong men to play off of, and these two are up to the challenge. And Ian Keith supplies a few powerful moments as Cleo's smoldering nemesis Octavian. A special mention too goes to Joseph Schildkraut who has a memorable little cameo as King Herod.No one paying full admittance back in 1934 would have come away disappointed by DeMille's spectacular "Cleopatra." Wasn't that the core of his populist genius?***** out of *****

Jay Harris Cecil B.DeMille was not the best director in Hollywood history, He was a story teller,He also was not known for being very factual when he made these historical dramas, He changed facts, characters & even history to please both himself & the motion picture public at he time.Most of the movie goers back then wanted to be only entertained, they did not want much history or even truth, They wanted excitement & to laugh or even cry.Messages were for Western Union.Mr. De Mille knew this & made his films that way. He did make very entertaining movies for HIS time. The one film of his that won the Oscar for best film was more of a Hollywood salute to him & his way of making lasting films. That circus film of his was fun to watch & thats about all. This is about my general opinion of all his films.Now CLEOPATRA is a well acted & very well made movie, using many of his usual excellent montage sequence & crowd scenes,Claudette Colbert was a very good Cleopatra, Both Warren William & Henry Wilcoxsin as Ceasar & Mark Antony were good as always, They were part of CB's stock company. I did catch one obvious casting error, Ian Keith was way to old to play Octavius was under 21 yrs old & not middle aged.When watching films from the 30's we must realize how different things were & how people did not act like they do today.Ratings: *** (out of 4) 89 points (out of 100) IMDb 8 (out of 10)