Fantastic!

A different way of telling a story

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This film was fun and entertaining, for sure, Timothy Dalton as Ceasar and Billy Zane as Marc Anthony were brilliant, in my opinion. And Leonor Varela did an OK job as Cleopatra, i think. The story is fine, i liked the cinematography and costumes, but the battle scenes are very poor, to be honest. But i guess that is to be expected of a TV movie. The most important thing for me tho was Cleopatra herself, because i am a big fan. I used to read many books about her when i was younger, and she always fascinated me. She still does. I doubt she was beautiful to the standards of our time, but when i saw Cleopatra in this movie, i didn't care, i wanted to believe she was as completely insanely beautiful and seductive as Leonor Varela is in this movie. A few times in this film she says that she's a goddess, and she does indeed look like one, amazing!

I give it a 7 ONLY for the first part where Timothy Dalton performs as Julius Caesar. He was FABULOUS!!! Great performance as usual from this man. Having been a longtime fan of Mr. Dalton's, I can't believe I'm just now seeing it. I actually bought the DVD so I can watch his performance over and over. Even though Leonor Varela was okay, she DID have HOT chemistry with Dalton, more so than she had with Billy Zane. But then what woman doesn't have on screen chemistry with Dalton (well, maybe Mae West!). I read that Varela and Zane were engaged but never married. I can see why when watching them on screen......LOL!!!! BORING!!! Oh and Caesar's death scene is AMAZING, even though I winced throughout. Anyone who is a Timothy Dalton fan should rent (or buy) and watch the first 90 minutes. You won't be sorry.

Based on the novel The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George, this mini-series is an okay adaption of a truly fascinating piece of literature. I think that it gives a fairer portrayal of Cleopatra is important, though Leonor Varela isn't that good an actress. I found her acting so amateurish next to that of Timothy Dalton and Billy Zane; at least she was better than Kassandra Voyagis was as Arsinoe. Also she made Cleopatra seem very childish and whiny at times, which was annoying.Otherwise I liked this story, Timothy Dalton as Julius Caesar was fine in the role, though too dark and good looking (someone tell Daniel Craig please play Caesar sometime in his career!) and Billy Zane did a good job as Marc Antony. The sets lived up to what Alexandria probably looked like, except there was little sign of the Greek influence on the city. The costumes were lovely and the supporting cast were some of the best (though I could have changed some of their lines for them), and I was able to overlook historical inaccuracies, such as Arsinoe being murdered in the dungeons of the palace of Alexandria under Cleopatra's orders. Arsinoe appeared as a prisoner in Caesar's Triumph, and since the public showed sympathy for her, Caesar allowed her to be released. They also didn't explain at the end that Caesarion was executed under Octavian's orders, but I guess they wanted to leave the audience with a bit of hope. Fine to watch on a wet or snowy afternoon.

I don't know much about Cleopatra... well, to tell you the truth, before watching this, I didn't know anything at all. The name ringed a bell, and that's about it. I bought this along with the 1997 TV version of The Odyssey partly because my father expressed interest in seeing them, and partly out of my own interest in the epics. While, according to my father, this film gets many details right, it still throws some stuff in that makes little to no sense and which is hardly historically accurate; some parts were obviously doctored to make for more drama or Hollywood-like scenes(at one point, Cleopatra picks up a sword to fight several Roman legionnaires with ease). The sets and costumes are gorgeous, no argument there. Most of the effects were see-through, but that's no wonder for a TV-movie with a TV-movie budget. The costume people are all in my cool book, though, if for nothing else, putting Leonor Varela in so many sheer, thin and/or tight dresses throughout the film. The plot is mostly accurate. The pacing is fair. Much of the film was clearly based on the real events, the real clothes worn and the real places. They must have done extensive research, and it definitely shows. Bit of a pity they throw away some credibility with aforementioned Hollywood scenes. The acting is fairly good; Zane, as usual, does not disappoint. Dalton proved to me that he had talent, something I never would have believed about him before. Varela is decent. The visual side of the film is fine, but nothing innovative or impressive is to be found here. Same goes for the depth of the film. I enjoyed the somewhat erotic, though at times nearly soap-opera-like relationships Cleopatra had, but I can see why some wouldn't. All in all, it tells the story(most of it) and looks 'real' enough. Nothing mighty impressive, but most of us have come to expect much, much less of the typical TV-movie. I recommend this to people who want a retelling of the story and want drama more than accuracy. 7/10