Cleopatra
This edition has the movie spanning two discs, but will be shipped together and treated as only one title on your ZipList. Disc 3 is a special features disc, and can be added to your ZipList seperately as an additional title.
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Rex Harrison star in this sweeping tale of power and betrayal -- the legendary story of the Queen of the Nile and her conquest of Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. Here is the truly unforgettable portrayal of the beguiling beauty who seduced two of Rome's greatest soldiers and changed the course of history. Breathtaking in scope and grandeur, the picture won Oscars® for cinematography, art direction, costumes, sets and special effects. In the tradition of epic romantic adventures like Braveheart and Titanic comes the greatest spectacle of all…Cleopatra.
Member Reviews
Taylor at her most infamous - feliper
This is quite the train wreck. Some of the lines, especially those given to Elizabeth Taylor, are absolute howlers. And everybody seems to be in a different movie. Rex Harrison acts like Henry Higgins at a costume ball. Richard Burton thinks it's Shakespeare. And poor Taylor, trying to take it all seriously, looks gorgeous but fails to present Cleopatra's noted charm and intelligence. Just looking at the movie, you can see why it almost bankrupted the studio - there's money everywhere. Unfortunately, it doesn't hold together. Still, given it's notorious history, it's worth watching.A Great Epic From a Lost Era - MovieProf
The 1950s and 1960s were an exciting time in Hollywood for those who loved the historical epic. Numerous films were made on a variety of time periods, though Ancient Rome was featured extensively. No film, however, was bigger than this one. And at just over four hours, "Cleopatra" is an epic just to watch. This is not to diminish the film in any way--"Cleopatra" is great fun--it's just so very long. And, as the excellent accompanying documentary tells us, there were over two hours of additional material cut from the final version. It was the most expensive movie ever made, if one adjusts for inflation--though some modern films may have eclipsed "Cleopatra" in this respect--and its production was itself an epic. Filming began in England in 1961, though poor weather and a very sick Elizabeth Taylor halted the production. It was resurrected in Rome--with completely new sets and some actors changing hands--and finally premiered over two years after it all began, in 1963. The affair between the two leads, Taylor and Richard Burton, is the stuff of legends now, too. Lots of fun here, but make sure you have enough time to get it all in. Something to watch for: try and count how many different costumes Taylor wears throughout the course of the film: this must be a Hollywood record.As big a production as it gets - Coconut_Willy
As an epic of grand scale, one cannot ask for more. Unbelievable sets and locations, props, costumes, makeup. A cast of numerous favorites of the era. Scenes of battles both on ground and sea, thousands of extras. The storyline is good enough and is well developed through political schemes, love affairs and treachery. I don't know how historically acurate this is but it has to be well romanticized for the big screen. I admit that clocking at around 4 hours, it is a bit long but I did not find too many boring moments. The cast is very good, particularily the 3 main characters and especially Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra who plays the role very well. The dialogue is well written and gives most actors an opportunity to show what they can do. The soundtrack is also quite good. After watching this film, I can certainly understand why it won the best art direction Oscar that year. This film absolutely deserves to be seen even if only for the sets themselves. Highly recommended.
Member Reviews
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Taylor at her most infamous - feliper
This is quite the train wreck. Some of the lines, especially those given to Elizabeth Taylor, are absolute howlers. And everybody seems to be in a different movie. Rex Harrison acts like Henry Higgins at a costume ball. Richard Burton thinks it's Shakespeare. ...A Great Epic From a Lost Era - MovieProf
The 1950s and 1960s were an exciting time in Hollywood for those who loved the historical epic. Numerous films were made on a variety of time periods, though Ancient Rome was featured extensively. No film, however, was bigger than this one. And at just ...As big a production as it gets - Coconut_Willy
As an epic of grand scale, one cannot ask for more. Unbelievable sets and locations, props, costumes, makeup. A cast of numerous favorites of the era. Scenes of battles both on ground and sea, thousands of extras. The storyline is good enough and is well developed ...