Cleopatra (1963)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz
(more)

Writers:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz (screenplay) and
Ranald MacDougall (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

31 July 1963 (UK)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

The motion picture the world has been waiting for!

Plot:

Historical epic. The triumphs and tragedy of the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra.

Plot Keywords:

Cleopatra | Egypt | Roman Empire | Epic | Marc Antony

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Elizabeth Taylor	...	Cleopatra
Richard Burton	...	Antony
Rex Harrison	...	Caesar
Pamela Brown	...	High Priestess
George Cole	...	Flavius
Hume Cronyn	...	Sosigenes
Cesare Danova	...	Apollodorus
Kenneth Haigh	...	Brutus
Andrew Keir	...	Agrippa
Martin Landau	...	Rufio
Roddy McDowall	...	Octavian - Caesar Augustus
Robert Stephens	...	Germanicus
Francesca Annis	...	Eiras, Cleopatra's handmaiden
Grégoire Aslan	...	Pothinus (as Gregoire Aslan)
Martin Benson	...	Ramos
Herbert Berghof	...	Theodotos
John Cairney	...	Phoebus
Jacqui Chan	...	Lotos, royal taster
Isabel Cooley	...	Charmian (as Isabelle Cooley)
John Doucette	...	Achillas
Andrew Faulds	...	Canidius
Michael Gwynn	...	Cimber
Michael Hordern	...	Cicero
John Hoyt	...	Cassius
Marne Maitland	...	Euphranor
Carroll O'Connor	...	Casca
Richard O'Sullivan	...	Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII
Gwen Watford	...	Calpurnia
Douglas Wilmer	...	Decimus
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Elisabeth Welch	...	Children's nurse (scenes deleted)
John Alderton	...	1st Officer (uncredited)
Ronald Allen	...	(uncredited)
John Alvar	...	Valvus (uncredited)
Audrey Anderson	...	(uncredited)
María Badmajew	...	(uncredited)
Michèle Bailly	...	(uncredited)
Marina Berti	...	Queen at Tarsus (uncredited)
Salvatore Billa	...	Egyptian Slave / Centurion (uncredited)
Bruna Caruso	...	(uncredited)
Finlay Currie	...	Titus (uncredited)
Rod Dana	...	One of Caesar's entourage (uncredited)
Marie Devereux	...	Bacchanal reveler (uncredited)
Peter Forster	...	2nd Officer (uncredited)
John Frederick	...	Captain Palace Guard (uncredited)
María Luz Galicia	...	(uncredited)
John Gayford	...	Guard (uncredited)
Peter Grant	...	Palace guard (uncredited)
Rosalba Grottesi	...	Cleopatra's servant (uncredited)
Rupert John	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
John Karlsen	...	High Priest (uncredited)
Jeremy Kemp	...	Agitator (uncredited)
Maureen Lane	...	(uncredited)
Margaret Lee	...	(uncredited)
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Senator (uncredited)
Calvin Lockhart	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Loris Loddi	...	Caesarion at Age 4 (uncredited)
Jean Marsh	...	Octavia (uncredited)
Kathy Martin	...	(uncredited)
Luigi Martocci	...	Marcellus (uncredited)
Gesa Meiken	...	(uncredited)
Furio Meniconi	...	Mithridates (uncredited)
Simon Mizrahi	...	(uncredited)
Violeta Montenegro	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Boris Nacinovic	...	Gladiator (uncredited)
Laurence Naismith	...	Arachesilaus (uncredited)
Kenneth Nash	...	Caesarion at Age 12 (uncredited)
John Pepper	...	Caesarion (uncredited)
Paola Pitagora	...	Cleopatra's servant (uncredited)
Michela Roc	...	Cleopatra's servant (uncredited)
Del Russel	...	Caesarion at Age 7 (uncredited)
Sandra Scarnati	...	Cleopatra's servant (uncredited)
Mike Steen	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Jack Taylor	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Meri Welles	...	Cleopatra's Handmaiden (uncredited)
Ben Wright	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Rouben Mamoulian		(uncredited; fired, replaced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
Darryl F. Zanuck		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Joseph L. Mankiewicz		(screenplay) and
Ranald MacDougall		(screenplay) and
Sidney Buchman		(screenplay)
Plutarch		(histories) and
Suetonius		(histories) and
Appian		(histories)
Carlo Mario Franzero		(book "The Life and Times of Cleopatra") (as C.M. Franzero)
Ben Hecht		uncredited

Produced by
Walter Wanger	....	producer
Peter Levathes	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Alex North

Cinematography by
Leon Shamroy		(director of photography)
Jack Hildyard		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer
Elmo Williams		(uncredited)

Production Design by
John DeCuir		(as John De Cuir)

Art Direction by
Herman A. Blumenthal		(as Herman Blumenthal)
Hilyard M. Brown		(as Hilyard Brown)
Boris Juraga
Maurice Pelling
Jack Martin Smith
Elven Webb

Set Decoration by
Paul S. Fox
Ray Moyer
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Vittorio Nino Novarese		(costumes: men)
Renié		(costumes: women) (as Renie)

Makeup Department
Alberto De Rossi	....	makeup artist (as Alberto de Rossi)
Vivienne Walker	....	hair stylist: Miss Taylor (as Vivienne Zavitz)
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
C.O. Erickson	....	production manager
Forrest E. Johnston	....	production manager
Saul Wurtzel	....	production manager: second unit
Francisco Ariza	....	production manager (uncredited)
Edward Joseph	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ray Kellogg	....	second unit director
Andrew Marton	....	second unit director
Fred R. Simpson	....	assistant director

Art Department
José Algueró	....	assistant set decorator: Spain (uncredited)
Ferdinand Bellan	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Bill Dennison	....	chief draughtsman: exteriors (uncredited)
Harold Michelson	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Giovanni Natalucci	....	set designer (uncredited)
Don Picton	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Italo Tomassi	....	scene painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
James Corcoran	....	sound recording supervisor
Bernard Freericks	....	sound recordist
Fred Hynes	....	sound recording supervisor
Murray Spivack	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Emil Kosa Jr.	....	special photographic effects
Herbert Cheek	....	miniatures supervisor (uncredited)
William F. Mittlestedt	....	mechanical effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Ken Buckle	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Cooper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alberto Dell'Acqua	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Sullivan	....	stunt double: Richard Burton (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Piero Portalupi	....	photographer: second unit (as Pietro Portalupi)
Claude Renoir	....	photographer: second unit
Bernie Abramson	....	publicity photographer (uncredited)
Sherman Kunkel	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Bob Penn	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Stuart Lyons	....	casting consultant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene Sharaff	....	costumes: Elizabeth Taylor

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant

Music Department
Lionel Newman	....	associate conductor
Alex North	....	conductor
Henry Brant	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
David Tamkin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Hermes Pan	....	choreographer
Bill Batchelor	....	publicist (uncredited)
Marie Devereux	....	stand-in: Elizabeth Taylor (uncredited)
Geoff Freeman	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Ralph M. Leo	....	production accountant (uncredited)
Lucie Lichtig	....	continuity (uncredited)
Elaine Schreyeck	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (as Producers Pictures Corporation)
• MCL Films S.A.
• Walwa Films S.A.

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1963) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox Films (1963) (Finland) (theatrical)
• P.P. Film Polski (1970) (Poland) (theatrical) (Polish subtitles)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• CBS/Fox Video (1985) (Belgium) (video)
• CBS/Fox (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2004) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (2001) (USA) (VHS) (pan-and-scan)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (200?) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Fox Video (19??) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Gativideo (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)

Other Companies

• American Optical Company  development of Todd-AO
• Magna Corporation  development of Todd-AO

Also Known As:

Aiji yan hou (China: Mandarin title) [zh]
Cléopâtre (France) [fr]
Cleópatra (Brazil) [pt]
Cleopatra (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Cleopatra (Spain) [es]
Cleopatra (Denmark) [da]
Kleopatra (Finland) [fi]
Kleopatra (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Kleopatra (Poland) [pl]
Kleopatra (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

192 min | Germany:233 min (TV version) | Sweden:232 min | USA:320 min (director's cut) | 243 min (roadshow version) | Argentina:233 min

Country:

UK | USA | Switzerland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) | Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Unrated (video rating) | Iceland:L | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | USA:Approved (certificate #19756) (original rating) | Canada:G (video rating) | Brazil:Livre | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:G (1971 re-release) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

When Fox employees were searching for a successful Fox property that could be remade, they decided upon Cleopatra (1917), a silent epic starring Theda Bara. However, they could only made their judgment from an archived copy of the original script and some stills from the production. There were no prints surviving of the movie itself.

Goofs:

Continuity: During Cleopatra's big parade as she enters Rome there are tire tracks on the dirt road

Quotes:

Cleopatra: You come before me as a suppliant.
Antony: If you choose to regard me as such.
Cleopatra: You will therefore assume the position of a suppliant before this throne. You will kneel.
Antony: I will *what*?
Cleopatra: On-your-knees!
Antony: You dare ask the Proconsul of the Roman Empire?
Cleopatra: I *asked* it of Julius Caesar. I *demand* it of you!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "3satfestival: Rainald Grebe & Die Kapelle der Versöhnung - 1968 (#9.6)" (2008)

A Cleopatra Comeback?

I'm pleased to read all the positive reviews of this film, which I first saw when it was released and have seen perhaps five times since. In 1963 the movie was almost universally condemned by critics, and I was just about the only person who admitted that I loved it. Part of that, though, had to do with the Taylor/Burton affair and the scandal it created. Liz Taylor in 1963 was not only considered the most beautiful woman in America, she was also thought of as a serial home-breaker and a real threat to the morals of the American Republic.

Why? I don't agree with many positive comments about the acting. Taylor and Burton were not too bad, but they didn't handle the pompous dialogue as well as Rex Harrison, Hume Cromyn, Martin Landau and especially Roddy McDowell, who was perfection itself and, I believe, accurately portrayed as the very young, ambitious and unscrupulous, but brilliantly intelligent Octavian (later the emperor Augustus).

Sure, some of the dialogue stinks, and the movie seems too long (perhaps because so much of it was cut to fit into fours hours). Nevertheless, for sheer magnificence and recreation of a most critical time in the history of two vanished high civilizations it has never been, and probably never will be, surpassed.