Cleopatra is a 1963 film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Joseph L. Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Mario Franzero. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowall and Martin Landau. The music score was by Alex North. It was photographed in 70 mm Todd-AO by Leon Shamroy and Jack Hildyard.
Cleopatra chronicles the struggles of Cleopatra VII, the young Queen of Egypt, to resist the imperialist ambitions of Rome.
Production
The film is infamous for nearly bankrupting 20th Century Fox. Originally budgeted at $2 million[2], it was made at a cost of $44 million — the equivalent of $295 million in 2007 dollars (see the list of most expensive films to produce), making the movie the third-most costly ever produced worldwide and the second most expensive in United States after Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which has a budget of US$300,000,000 (accounting for inflation in each case). This was partly due to the fact that the film's elaborate, complicated sets, costumes and props had to be constructed twice, once during a botched shoot in London and once more when the production relocated to Rome.
Filming began in London in 1959. Mankiewicz was brought into the production after the departure of the first director (Rouben Mamoulian), who had in mind African-American actress Dorothy Dandridge for the lead role.[3] He inherited a film which was already $5 million over budget and had no usable footage to show for it. This was in part because the actors originally hired to play Julius Caesar (Peter Finch) and Marc Antony (Stephen Boyd) left due to other commitments. Mankiewicz was later fired during the editing phase, only to be rehired when no one else could piece the film together.
Elizabeth Taylor was awarded a record setting contract of $1 million. This amount eventually swelled to $7 million due to the delays of the production, equivalent to over $47 million today. Taylor became very ill during the early filming and was rushed to an emergency room where a tracheotomy had to be performed to save her life. The resulting scar can be seen in some shots. All of this resulted in the film being shut down. The production was moved to Rome after six months as the English weather proved detrimental to her recovery, as well as being responsible for the constant deterioration of the costly sets and exotic plants required for the production (the English sets were utilised for the spoof Carry On Cleo). During filming, Taylor met Richard Burton and the two began a very public affair, which made headlines worldwide. Moral outrage over the scandal brought bad publicity to an already troubled production.
The cut of the film which Mankiewicz screened for the studio was six hours long. This was cut to four hours for its initial premiere, but the studio demanded (over the objections of Mankiewicz) that the film be cut once more, this time to just barely over three hours to allow theaters to increase the number of showings per day. As a result, certain details are left out of the film, such as Rufio's death.[4] Mankiewicz unsuccessfully attempted to convince the studio to split the film in two in order to preserve the original cut. The film has been released to home video formats in its 243-minute premiere version, and efforts are under way to locate the missing footage (some of which has been recovered).
The arduous process and enormous cost of completing Cleopatra resulted in the end of the sword and sandal epic.
Plot
The film opens with Julius Caesar defeating Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus. Pompey flees to Egypt, where he hopes to enlist the support of the young Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII and his sister Cleopatra, as he was on good terms with their father.
Caesar pursues Pompey and arrives in Alexandria in early October 48 BC. He meets Ptolemy and the boy's advisers, who seem to do most of the thinking for him. As a gesture of 'goodwill', the Egyptians present Caesar with the severed head of Pompey, but Caesar is not pleased. As Caesar settles in at the palace, Apollodorus arrives disguised as a rug peddler, bearing what he says is a gift from Cleopatra. When a suspicious Caesar unrolls the rug, he finds Cleopatra concealed within. After a short conversation, Cleopatra leaves for her chambers with an escort of Roman soldiers. Later, she returns to spy on Caesar and witnesses him suffer an epileptic seizure. Days later, she warns Caesar that her brother has surrounded the palace with his soldiers and that he is vastly outnumbered. Caesar is unconcerned and insists that he can hold them at bay for the time being.
Caesar orders the Egyptian fleet burned so he can gain control of the harbor. The fire spreads to the city, burning many buildings, including the famous Library of Alexandria. Cleopatra angrily confronts Caesar, but he refuses to pull Roman troops away from the fight with Ptolemy's forces to deal with the fire. In the middle of their spat, Caesar begins kissing her to silence her. They are interrupted by news that Ptolemy's troops are attacking one of the palace gates. The Romans hold and the armies of Mithridates arrive to reinforce the Roman legions.
The following day, Caesar passes judgment regarding the conflict between Ptolemy and Cleopatra. He sentences Ptolemy's lord chamberlain to death for arranging an assassination attempt on Cleopatra, and rules that Ptolemy and his tutor shall be sent out to join Ptolemy's now vastly outnumbered troops, where it is certain that both will die.
Cleopatra is crowned Queen of Egypt. Soon after, Cleopatra promises to bear Caesar sons. She dreams of ruling the world with him. When their son Caesarion is born, Caesar accepts him publicly, which becomes the talk of Rome and the Senate.
Caesar now returns to Rome for his triumph, while Cleopatra remains behind in Egypt. Two years pass before the two see each other again. After he is made dictator for life, Caesar sends for Cleopatra. She arrives in Rome in a lavish procession and wins the adulation of the Roman people. The Senate grows increasingly discontented amid rumors that Caesar wishes to be made king, which is anathema to the Romans.
On the Ides of March, the Senate is preparing to vote on whether to award Caesar additional powers. Despite warnings from his wife Calpurnia and Cleopatra, he is confident of victory. However, he is stabbed to death by various senators as he is making his way to the Senate.
After the funeral pyre, Octavian is named as Caesar's heir, not Caesarion. Realizing she has no future in Rome, Cleopatra returns home to Egypt. Caesar's assassins, among them Cassius and Brutus, are killed at the Battle of Philippi. Marc Antony establishes a second triumvirate with Octavian and Lepidus. They split up the empire: Lepidus receives Africa, Octavian Spain and Gaul, while Antony will take control of the eastern provinces. However, the rivalry between Octavian and Antony is becoming apparent.
While planning a campaign against Parthia in the east, Antony realizes he needs money and supplies, and cannot get enough from anywhere but Egypt. After refusing several times to leave Egypt, Cleopatra gives in and meets him in Tarsus. Antony becomes drunk during a lavish feast. Cleopatra sneaks away, leaving a slave dressed as her, but Antony discovers the trick and confronts the queen. They soon become lovers.
Octavian uses their affair in his smear campaign against Antony. When Antony must later return to Rome to address the situation brewing there, Octavian traps Antony into a marriage of state to Octavian's sister, Octavia. Cleopatra flies into a rage when she learns the news.
When Antony next sees Cleopatra, he is forced to humble himself publicly. She demands that a third of the empire be awarded to Egypt in return for her aid. Antony acquiesces and divorces Octavia. Octavian clamors for war against Antony and his "Egyptian whore". The Senate votes for war and Octavian murders the Egyptian ambassador, Cleopatra's tutor Sosigenes, on the Senate steps.
The war is decided at the Battle of Actium. Seeing Antony's ship burning, Cleopatra assumes he is dead and orders the Egyptian forces home. Antony follows, leaving his fleet leaderless and soon defeated. Cleopatra somehow manages to convince Antony to retake command of his troops and fight Octavian's advancing army. However, Antony's soldiers have lost faith in him after Actium and abandon him during the night; Rufio, the last man loyal to Antony, is killed. Antony tries to goad Octavian into single combat, but is finally forced to flee into the city.
When Antony returns to the palace, Apollodorus, not believing that Antony is worthy of his queen, convinces him that she is dead, whereupon Antony falls on his own sword. Apollodorus then takes Antony to Cleopatra, and he dies in her arms. Octavian captures the city and Cleopatra is brought before him. He wants to return to Rome in triumph, with her as his prisoner. However, realizing that her son is also dead, she arranges to be bitten by a poisonous asp.
Cast
- Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra
- Richard Burton as Marc Antony
- Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar
- Carroll O'Connor as Servilius Casca
- Roddy McDowall as Octavian, alias Augustus
- Martin Landau as Rufio
- Hume Cronyn as Sosigenes
- Andrew Keir as Agrippa
- Kenneth Haigh as Brutus
- George Cole as Flavius
- Pamela Brown as the High Priestess
- Cesare Danova as Apollodorus
- Francesca Annis as Eiras
- Richard O'Sullivan as Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII
- Gregoire Aslan as Pothinus
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_(1963_film)
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