artpf Cleopatra, after the civil war that followed the assassination of Caesar, met with Marc Antony in Assyria where they planned the defense of Egypt against the Romans. Before leaving, Cleopatra entrusted her young daughter, Shila, to the rulers of Assyria to be brought up as their own. After Marc Antony's defeat and Cleopatra's death, Egypt, for the next twenty years, was torn apart and ruled by a youthful Pharaoh, Nemorat, with his despot Queen Mother, Tegi, who desired to unite both kingdoms and strengthen her son's rule by conquering Assyria and making Shila, now a beautiful woman, his queen.Sounds intriguing, right?Not sure what the budget was for this period piece, but it's tedious

Marcin Kukuczka The 1950s and 1960s were probably the times in the cinema history that for long will be associated with sword and sandal epics, not only those made by Hollywood studios but also by the Italian producers whose careers did not spread worldwide. Since the famous Cinecitta Studios near Rome grew popular for colossal American epics, such directors like Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia or Fernando Cerchio also took a chance to make movies of the genre with an attempt to depict historical periods in their own way, sometimes more original, sometimes more influenced. And in this way, we had movies like ANNIBALE, ERODE IL GRANDE, GIUSEPPE VENDUTO DAI FRATELLI, and many others. IL SEPOLCHRO DEI RE, sometimes misleadingly translated as CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER, is perhaps the least popular of them but appears to convey something rare. To make my comment clear, let me introduce short headlines before each paragraph.WHAT IS SO RARE ABOUT "CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER?" Let me say one significant thing: this movie builds a strong bridge between Hollywood epics and Italian ones, like ANNIBALE did. This time, the link is not the well built male star, a pioneering actor of the genre, Victor Mature, but beautiful, subtle actress who must have made this epic a vehicle to be seen in 1960, Debra Paget. The beautiful Lucia from DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS and the unhappy Lilia from THE TEN COMMANDMENTS plays the main role here, the role of exotic Shila from a faraway kingdom of Assyria. And the effect is sheer delight. She is absolutely brilliant in the role of the Assyrian princess - Egyptian hostage who becomes the wife of Pharaoh but is soon, due to jealousy and sick ambition, accused of assassination and sentenced to cruel fate... SPOILER: But as long as there is romance, there is hope of survival, there is room for justice, for punishing the wicked and for a happy end... WILL THE LEADING ACTRESS MAKE YOUR DAY?It is true that the film was and still is worth seeing due to Debra Paget who makes the story interesting and the whole film pretty enjoyable to watch. The rest of the cast have their moments, but moments of strength and weakness as well. Among better ones, I would mention the famous Italian actor of that time, Ettore Manni. However, generally these are average performances. It is only Debra Paget who will make your day. TOO MUCH HAUNTED BY MORE COLOSSAL EPICS?If you expect this movie to stun you like some American movies of the time, I once again refer to what I have already said: it is more ANNIBALE than THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Due to low budget, this film can mostly offer interior sets, some are clearly fake, the costumes mix the dynasties ruling in Egypt throughout centuries. The same can be said about historical accuracy. The movie is rather an adventure than history. Moreover, its content is built upon previous American films. Resi (Ettore Manni), the surgeon, for instance, reminds me much of Sinuhe, particularly in the scene when Pharaoh accuses him of healing the poor. Ambitious Kefren is pretty much like Rameses from DeMille's film, the only difference being the fact he is not the Pharaoh's son.JUST A FEW WORDS AT THE END...Not to make my comment too wordy because it is not one of those movies that can be analyzed in more details, I'll put this in a nutshell: IL SEPOLCHRO DEI RE is a film for epic buffs, for people who already have some knowledge of the genre. Then, this may be understood in the right way being seen as one among many others. Otherwise, the movie will be an average adventure for you that you will see and will soon forget. Unless, we take into consideration one more aspect that everyone will find impressive: Debra Paget. 5/10

clearwoodlouis I remember this film being on TV as a movie, which my mother didn't like, so I never got a chance to see it for over 40 years until now. I notice that this Italian movie is probably not about Cleopatra's Daughter at all. Debra Paget somewhat fresh from "The Ten Commandments" again revisits ancient Egpyt in this classic. The title of the Italian original is "Sepolchro dei re," "Sepulchre of the King" shows that this film could be about a New Kingdom pharaoh (16th to the 11th centuries B.C.) rather than about a Ptolemaic one (4th to the 1st centuries B.C.). I liked the film, and I was glad to be finally able to see it. A famous reviewer says that the film is sadistic.

ccmiller1492 The beautiful young Sushila (Debra Paget) is forced into a political marriage with young Pharaoh Nemorat in order to consolidate power. However, the young Pharaoh is beset with mental illness and the marriage becomes dangerous, all the while the chief advisor Kefren (a menacing Erno Crisa) and his scheming mistress plot to destroy the unstable pair. The girl is framed for an attempt on the vulnerable king's life and sentenced to death. Meanwhile, her sympathetic would-be lover, the handsome physician Resi (Ettore Manni in one of his best roles)concocts a scheme to save her by drugging her to appear dead and reviving her later when they can escape. However, she is sealed into her former young husband's tomb with the air supply rapidly running out. The action plot proceeds at a brisk pace and holds viewers interest which is increased by well-acted parts with attractive players, great costumes and sets.