Purely Joyful Movie!

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The script is fraught with putrid misogynistic undertones. I prematurely ended the film due to my overwhelming disgust at how Cleopatra is so ridiculously portrayed as a distressed dame needing an attitude adjustment from her male counterpart. Blah! Yuck.

(Flash Review)I watched the 4hr version. There is a 2hr cut as well as a long lost 5.5hr version. Watch Cleopatra, the ruler of Egypt, use her femininity to attract and try to influence such famous rulers as Caesar and Mark Antony as she tries to increase Egypt's world standing and her own title. Taylor and the male leads do a convincing job with dialog that is engaging, informative and moves the meaty story along at a decent clip to help mask its immense length. The various main and sub plots are solid and easy to follow even with a slew of characters. The sets steal the show and they are huge, realistic and bold. There is humor, drama and sorrow and is a memorable film for the ages.

CLEOPATRA is an epic historical drama as a kind of group of non-complementary film segments, which are building an attractive epic story. The plot follows the eighteen tumultuous years that led to the founding of the Roman Empire. Cleopatra seduces Julius Caesar in order to forge an alliance with Rome so that she may hold on to her Egyptian empire. However, her plans crumble when Caesar is stabbed to death in the Roman Senate. Cleopatra is left without an ally, and Egypt is up for grabs. However, she seduces the Roman general Mark Antony in order to make him over into her new protector, but, a powerful general becomes dissolute drunk under her influence. He is defeated in a decisive battle, then the fate of Egypt, Cleopatra and his life come into danger...Film runs a few minutes more than four hours, excluding the intermission. It is difficult to follow, especially if there is no cohesion between the constant conflicts, political intrigue and erotic romance. Of course, some will say that this is an adventurous tragedy of historical dimensions. I think, this film constantly loses its point, realism, motives and passions and becomes a vulgar soap opera of epic proportions.The costumes are superbly designed. The scenery is very poor. Soundtrack is impermanent, despite epic overtones. Characters are not developed to the end, despite the duration of this film. Mr. Mankiewicz is focused on a visual excitement to the detriment of the direction and melodrama. Well, Cleopatra's entrance into Rome is truly spectacular, but an epilogue is too theatrical.Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra is one of the most erotic phenomena in the history of cinema. However, I think that it was not the ultimate goal. She is a strong and capable woman, who is poisoned by her own ambition to rule the world or maybe just a few powerful men. The arrogance and pride in her character are truly impressive. However, her performance is nothing special.Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar is a wise and generous ruler, who fell in love with a clever woman. He is torn between his duty, ambitions and desires. When the ruler loses his head .... we all know what's coming .... Mr. Harrison has offered a good performance.Richard Burton as Mark Antony is an exciting, emotional and arrogant general or lover. His character, in addition to a lack of self-confidence, corresponds to the character of Cleopatra. However, he can not follow her ambitions.This is a sumptuous, attractive and, unfortunately, boring experience.

This truly has a cast of thousands. All before the age of CGI, there are hordes of costumed people all doing something all the way to the horizon. It is spectacular.Elizabeth Taylor is supposed to be playing a teenager. No amount of makeup can disguise the fact she is 30. I pegged her as 40 because of her double chin and rather plump back and thighs that she reveals in a massage scene.Cleopatra is a spoiled brat, and nobody plays spoiled brats better than Elizabeth Taylor.I thought it would be all costumes and spectacle, but it has an interesting and involved plot.The violence in the first part of the movie tends to occur off screenThe most jarring scenes were the dancing girls in either Day-Glo bikinis or pasties looking like they had just stepped out of a Texas stripper bar. The real Egyptians were not shy about breasts. Day-Glo colours abound. I am pretty sure they had not been invented yet.For pure spectacle, Cleopatra's entrance into Rome is indeed amazing. Each stage of it is replaced by something even more astounding.What makes this movie work are the crowd scenes. The whole screen is alive with action. There is so much going on, you cannot possibly take it all in. These crowd scenes are so much more impressive than anything you see in modern movies.One of the odd things, though many of the characters lead entire countries, they never spend any time at all in administration. They make no laws, consult with no committees etc. One scene I found jarring was when the library at Alexandria burned. Cleopatra expressed distress that a Jewish bible had been destroyed. I found that highly improbable. Compare that with the one-of-a-kind Greek and Roman documents lost.Cleopatra is such schemer. She is so Machiavellian. She is like Lady Macbeth with her snake-like ambition. You would think anyone on encountering her would run in the other direction. Yet we know from history both Caesar and Mark Anthony were ensnared. In the scenes where she tries to be seductive, I just felt creeped out. Perhaps in 1962 that sort of behaviour was considered sexy. Perhaps she was trying to project insincerity.There is a great scene where Octavian persuades the senate to go to war with Egypt for the silliest reason. The ensuing war is pointless and depressing. The wild excitement at the start of the war contrasts with the sombre actuality.I normally find battle scenes in movies exceedingly boring. However, here they were interesting, fascinating and original. They were full of terror, sadness and dread.The language, especially in some of the longer speeches was stilted. I had some trouble understanding it. It was almost Shakespearian. The musical score has nothing in it that evokes Rome or Egypt. It is like Mantovani soaring strings. It feels out of place.