Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great version of a sensational story, April 18, 2002
Firstly I must say that even though the approach they take is very different I really love and appreciate BOTH versions of "Cleopatra". It seems to be inevitable that the two are endlessly compared as to their general worth but in reality they are very different while essentially telling the same story.I found Claudette Colbert to be an excellent Cleopatra and while she is most famous for portraying sophisticated modern women in "Cleopatra" and her other epic production from that time, "The Sign of the Cross" she captures beautifully the feel of that far off time in history. Claudette was an extremely capable actress equally adept at performing in comedy, drama and spectacle. Here she has a role of a lifetime and it is one of the roles she is justly remembered most for. Contrary to what a lot of reviewers always state I find Cecil B DeMille's work wonderful to watch. I guess being a history buff I just love the times most of his productions are set in.I think that a great deal of thought and care has gone into all his productions...no more obvious than in his 1934 version of "Cleopatra"
The film positvely glows with one exotic scene after another. Cleopatra's seduction of Marc Antony on her barge has to be seen to be believed!! Surely the queen's real barge was never so lavish!! Her entry into Rome as part of Ceasar's entourage while well done can't possibly compare to the incredibly lavish entry scene in Elizabeth Taylor's version unfortunately.
As a history exercise it stays close to what real history says happened but never once does the entertainment let up. The settings , costumnes, music used are pure DeMille and are thus a sight for the eye. I feel that Claudette also has tried to inject more of a human element into her characterisation displaying frustration and fear of things that might occur and tiredness at the burden she must carry as one Queen up against the whole Roman Empire. When she exclaims "It's always Egypt!" meaning it is her resposibilities always ahead of her own needs she displays a great human side to a impressive character. I can't fault this production and it still holds up today as impressive entertainment. I never tire of the story of the Queen of the Nile and all the intrigues of her court. And the costumns and sets make the film well worth viewing for that alone. Not a really great history lesson but terrific entertainment as it was intended. They dont make films like this one nowadays mores the pity!!!.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Cleopatra for all time..., March 28, 2007
After reading the reviews left by other AMAZON folk, I must admit that I am happy to (still) be able to view a cinematic work, using the frame of reference of its (own) time rather than that of the twenty-first century... even though this monument remains thoroughly watch-able today. I regard this film as neither Kamp(sic) nor Kitsch.
To me, whenever a film, of any era, comes close to "opera" , I am won-over... completely; I use "opera" in the sense of spectacle transcending its storyline to become something larger than itself... and this film soars.
Although of a film acting-tradition "of the grand gesture", most of the performances are thoroughly winning... and Henry Wilcoxen is simply STUNNING as Marc Antony... in all senses of that word. Miss Colbert equally triumphs as the young queen, wise beyond her years... "pulling-out all the stops" to secure her position as ruler of Egypt.
As another reviewer attests... that "royal barge" seduction scene, in which Cleopatra secures the devotion of Marc Antony is truly breathtaking... the most beautiful... and effortless "abduction" ever; the poor beguiled Roman wakes-up in Eqypt! This one, single, magically-crafted scene, on its own, warrants seeing this film.
As movie viewers, part of the experience must be acceptance and self-surrender. We must not impose our personal twenty-first century sophistication upon what we are viewing. Instead, we must accept any film on its own terms, understanding the era in which it was conceived, so much as we might be able. To do otherwise will almost invariably diminish the cinematic experience; we must allow a film to "wash over" us. In defense of C.B.deMille, I must cite that so many of the scenes... scenes of "huge-ness", were conveyed with beautiful efficiency by positioning... or "immersing" the camera in such a way as to capture the "intimacy" of that particular scene... even those scenes of battle... and that is something both practical and artistic... and very modern. It would very difficult to realistically capture the vastness of Egypt in any other way; the camera plunges us into the scene, as if the scene were unfolding around us.
I own this movie, and every so often, I indulge all over again, so if you have never seen this film, I encourage you to do so; like so many others, I am certain that you, too, will find yourself recalling the magic of this great movie, long after its viewing. Enjoy!!!
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Claudette Colbert: the only Cleopatra (Elizabeth who?), September 12, 2000
I am probably speaking against popular opinion, but for those who can look beyond the flamboyance of Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra, Claudette Colbert does far more justice to the image of Cleopatra. Not only does she have the perfect sultry and seductive charm, her deep, resonant voice depicts the powerful female far better than Taylor's ineffectively weak one.
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