Plot Summary 

Queen Cleopatra tries to keep Egypt free of Roman dominance by forging personal bonds with its most important men. 

Review 

Cleopatra tells the classic story of the last days of the Roman Republic and the role queen Cleopatra played.  Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) is irresistible to both Julius Caesar and later Mark Antony but pays the ultimate price when neither survives the power struggles of the late Roman Republic. 

The film opens on the battlefield of Pharsalus where Caesar (Rex Harrison) has just defeated Pompey the Great.  Pompey flees to Egypt pursued by Caesar.  Arriving in Alexandria, Caesar finds that Pompey has been murdered on the orders of King Ptolemy.  The young ruler has also deposed his sister despite Rome being the guardian of both siblings.  Cleopatra eventually turns the tables on her brother when she uses her daring and beauty to form a bond with Caesar. 

Caesar and Cleopatra begin an affair that produces a son but, eventually, events in Rome force Caesar to return home.  Cleopatra follows and, along with Mark Antony (Richard Burton) encourages Caesar in his efforts to become the supreme ruler of the city and its vast empire.  Their plans fall apart when Caesar is assassinated on the Ides of March.  Cleopatra is furious to learn that Caesar has made his nephew Octavian his heir rather than her son by Caesar, Cesarian. 

After defeating Caesar’s assassins, Antony and Octavian divide the empire with Antony controlling the half that includes Egypt.  Desperate for resources and facing personal demons after living in Caesar’s shadow for years, Antony begins making overtures to Cleopatra.  Knowing that Octavian will never accept her son as Caesar’s heir, Cleopatra begins an affair with Antony in another attempt to protect Egypt.  Unfortunately, she picks the wrong side.  When Octavian and Antony come blows, Octavian wins the Battle of Actium.  Now, it is Octavian who pursues the couple to Egypt.   

Cleopatra the film was plagued by problems from the very start.  Elizabeth Taylor was signed to play the lead role but became ill after shooting began.  Shooting resumed a year later with a new director, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, but still lacking a shooting script.  Next, a scandal erupted as it was reported that co-stars Taylor and Richard Burton, both married, were having an affair.  Eventually, the film was finished at an estimated cost of $31 million, making it the most expensive production up to that point.  Despite going on to become the highest-grossing film of 1963 at $57.7 million, it initially lost money when marketing and other costs were factored in. 

The length of film caused further problems.  Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz initially cut the film to around six hours.  Further cuts brought the film to about 5 and a half hours.  Mankiewicz then lobbied the studio to release the film in two parts, but the deep financial hole created by the production made this impossible.  In addition, the studio feared that audiences interested in the affair between Taylor and Burton might not go to see the first half where Burton appears only briefly.  Finally, the film premiered at 4 hours but was further cut to just over three hours by the time of its general release. 

Watching Cleopatra is like watching the end of an era.  It is one of the last traditional sword and sandal epics produced in the classic era.  Elizabeth Taylor is often thought of as the last major star produced by the studio system.  The budget overruns and troubled production have given the film a reputation as a disaster and almost the last hurrah of the studio system about to be changed forever by the end of the code.   

However, the film’s reputation is not deserved.  The sets are lavish and well done.  It is believed that the forum set built for the production was bigger than the actual forum in Rome.  The costumes are not historically correct, but neither are they as absurd as some of the other sword and sandal costumes from earlier films.  The story is interesting and Taylor, Burton and, in particular, Harrison play their roles very well.  While the film initially lost money, it was by no means a flop as proven by its first year box office receipts of $57 million. 

The film was also well received at the time, earning nine Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor for Rex Harrison.  It won four awards, including Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Color, Best Cinematography – Color, Best Costume Design – Color, and Best Special Effects.  On Rotten Tomatoes, the film aggregates a 56% critic score but a much higher audience rating of 69%. 

Why You Should Watch It 

Cleopatra features a lot of star power.  Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were two of the biggest stars in Hollywood at the time.  

Rex Harrison was a respected actor who went on to win a Best Actor Oscar the next year for his role in My Fair Lady.  Roddy McDowell and Martin Landau also appear in the film. 

Cleopatra is an interesting example of the films Hollywood was making around 1960.  The film is long and epic in scope in the tradition of Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments.  It recounts an interesting historic story in typical over-the-top Hollywood fashion. 

Things to Watch For 

Elizabeth Taylor wears 65 different costumes during the film, a record at the time.  In all, 26,000 costumes were created for the film along with 79 sets. 

In several close ups, you can just barely see a small scar on Elizabeth Taylor’s neck.  The scar is from the emergency tracheotomy she received in London during filming and great pains were made to cover it up. 

Did You Know? 

After initial editing, the film’s length was 320 minutes (about 5 and a half hours).  Joseph L. Mankiewicz lobbied hard for the film to be released in two parts.  He was overruled by the studio and fired.  However, having written the script, Mankiewicz was best suited to fill in the gaps left by cutting and was rehired to reshoot several scenes.  The end result was the 244 minute (about 4 hours) version initially released. 

The studio erroneously listed Roddy McDowell in a lead rather than a supporting role in the film.  When the time came for Academy Award nominations, they tried to correct the error, but the Academy refused, saying the ballots were already at the printer. 

Rating (17) 

Overall (4) A film that does not deserve its reputation as a flop. 

Star Power (5) A star-studded epic including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Rex Harrison. 

Movie History (4) Many consider this film to have been the beginning of the end for the Hollywood studio system. 

Innovation (4) Lavish sets, costumes, and an Academy Award for Best Special Effects.