Cleopatra (1963)
Cleopatra is famous for many reasons, but it’s not generally well-liked. Obviously, casting Elizabeth Taylor to play one of the world’s most beautiful women, and cladding her in unspeakably beautiful costumes, is one reason this movie has been remembered. Liz was married at the time to Eddie Fisher, a union that cost her her reputation, but that couldn’t stop the sparks from flying between her and her married costar, Richard Burton. Once again, Liz became a homewrecker, and her love affair and marriage to Burton was one of the most famous of all Hollywood couples. In an interesting twist of life, Peter Finch was supposed to play Marc Antony, but after two years of waiting around (Elizabeth’s health and the studio’s money problems resulted in a three-year production), he couldn’t take it anymore and dropped out. If he’d held out a little longer, Liz would never have met Richard Burton!
Also, Cleopatra was the most expensive film ever made at the time. It cost $44 million, and almost bankrupted the studio. Can you imagine a world without 20th Century Fox? Audiences at the time felt it was too long and too wordy, but even though modern audiences are used to long epics like Gladiator and Alexander, the four-hour running time will still drag on our last nerves. It’s so long, so tedious, and so badly acted by its leading lady, it’s a wonder anyone makes it through the entire thing without screaming. Seeing Cleopatra’s gigantic procession with the elephants and all the gold is very beautiful, but it’s also quite tragic. This movie took three years to make, and that was the best performance Joseph L. Mankiewicz could get out of Elizabeth Taylor? Her delivery was so awful, it was as if she was the stand-in who was told to shout out every single line for the other person’s closeup; then an error showed the camera accidentally captured the stand-in’s closeup rather than Elizabeth Taylor’s. It’s shocking that this woman had been a Hollywood actress for twenty years and spoke her lines that badly.
I wouldn’t call Cleopatra a must-see, unless you’re particularly attached to Liz and Dick and want to see the movie that made them fall in love. For the first hour and a half, Rex Harrison is the lead (in the role he later said was his favorite), and Richard Burton doesn’t even make an appearance. I’m not a Harrison fan, and the part of Caesar could have been played by someone else: David Niven, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, John Gielgud, James Mason. And while the movie is very pretty to watch, you might be better off putting it on mute so you don’t have to suffer through Elizabeth Taylor’s voice. And make sure you know where your remote control is; you’re going to fast-forward.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "omar omar" for posting!
More Richard Burton movies here!
More Rex Harrison movies here!
More Elizabeth Taylor movies here!
Also, Cleopatra was the most expensive film ever made at the time. It cost $44 million, and almost bankrupted the studio. Can you imagine a world without 20th Century Fox? Audiences at the time felt it was too long and too wordy, but even though modern audiences are used to long epics like Gladiator and Alexander, the four-hour running time will still drag on our last nerves. It’s so long, so tedious, and so badly acted by its leading lady, it’s a wonder anyone makes it through the entire thing without screaming. Seeing Cleopatra’s gigantic procession with the elephants and all the gold is very beautiful, but it’s also quite tragic. This movie took three years to make, and that was the best performance Joseph L. Mankiewicz could get out of Elizabeth Taylor? Her delivery was so awful, it was as if she was the stand-in who was told to shout out every single line for the other person’s closeup; then an error showed the camera accidentally captured the stand-in’s closeup rather than Elizabeth Taylor’s. It’s shocking that this woman had been a Hollywood actress for twenty years and spoke her lines that badly.
I wouldn’t call Cleopatra a must-see, unless you’re particularly attached to Liz and Dick and want to see the movie that made them fall in love. For the first hour and a half, Rex Harrison is the lead (in the role he later said was his favorite), and Richard Burton doesn’t even make an appearance. I’m not a Harrison fan, and the part of Caesar could have been played by someone else: David Niven, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, John Gielgud, James Mason. And while the movie is very pretty to watch, you might be better off putting it on mute so you don’t have to suffer through Elizabeth Taylor’s voice. And make sure you know where your remote control is; you’re going to fast-forward.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "omar omar" for posting!
More Richard Burton movies here!
More Rex Harrison movies here!
More Elizabeth Taylor movies here!