Cleopatra [VHS] [1963]: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Pamela Brown, George Cole, Hume Cronyn, Cesare Danova, Kenneth Haigh, Andrew Keir, Martin Landau, Roddy McDowall, Robert Stephens, Darryl F. Zanuck, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Rouben Mamoulian, Appian, Ben Hecht, Carlo Mario Franzero, Plutarch: Amazon.co.uk: Video

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Still the most expensive movie ever made, Cleopatra nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. It also scandalised the world with the very public affair of its two major stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. But Joseph L Mankiewicz's 1963 epic deserves to be remembered for more than its off-screen troubles. An extravagantly elaborate production, the sets and costumes alone are awe-inspiring; Mankiewicz's own literate screenplay draws heavily on the classics and Shakespeare; while the supporting cast, led by Rex Harrison as Caesar and Roddy McDowall as his nephew (and future emperor) Octavian, are all first-rate thespians and generally put in more convincing performances than either of the two leads.

Mankiewicz's original intention was to make two three-hour films: the first being Caesar and Cleopatra, the second Antony and Cleopatra. But before the film’s completion, and following a boardroom coup worthy of Ancient Rome itself, legendary mogul Darryl F Zanuck took back control of Fox and insisted that Cleopatra be cut to a more economical length. A heartbroken Mankiewicz was forced to trim his six-hour vision down to four. This was the "roadshow" version shown at the film’s premiere and now restored here for the first time. Then following adverse criticism and pressure from cinema chains Zanuck demanded more cuts, and the final released version ran a mere three hours--half the original length.

Capitalising on the feverish publicity surrounding Burton and Taylor, the shortened version played up both their on- and off-screen romance. This longer four-hour roadshow version allows for a broader view of the film, adding some depth to the politics and manipulation of the characters. But the director’s original six-hour edit has been lost. Perhaps one day it will be rediscovered in the vaults and Mankiewicz’s much-maligned movie will finally be seen the way it was meant to be. Until then, Cleopatra remains an epic curiosity rather than the complete spectacle it should be.

On the DVD: this handsome three-disc set spreads the restored four-hour print of the movie across two discs. The anamorphic widescreen print looks quite magnificent and Alex North’s wondrous score comes up like new in Dolby 5.1 sound. There’s a patchy and only intermittently revealing commentary from Chris Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky. Much better is the comprehensive two-hour documentary that occupies disc three, which tells in hair-raising detail the extraordinary story of a film production that became totally out of control. This is accompanied by some short archival material, but the documentary alone is a compelling reason to acquire this set. --Mark Walker

From the Back Cover

WINNER OF 4 ACADEMY AWARDS
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Rex Harrison star in this sweeping tale of power and betrayal - the legendary story of the Queen of the Nile and her conquest of Julius Caser and Marc Anthony. Here is the truly unforgettable portrayal of the beguiling beauty who seduced two of Rome's greatest soldiers and changed the course of history. Breathtaking in scope and grandeur, the picture won Oscars for cinematography, art, direction, costumes, sets and special effects. In that tradition of epic romantic adventures like Braveheart and Titantic comes the greatest spectacle of all...Cleopatra

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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful

DVD Print Quality Simply Outstanding 17 Nov 2005

By father2 TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

For a film that is now more than forty years old this DVD is simply outstanding. The film itself is contained on two DVDs and the extra features can be found on the third DVD. But if you view the film you will feel that this has just been produced, such is the quality. Sure the special effects are not there, so obvious in modern films like the 2004 epic Troy, but everything is done on a grand scale. The film remains the most expensive film ever made and you can understand why. Whereas today many of the grand sets would be done on computers, 20th Century Fox had to produce everything as a real set. So when you see Cleopatra's grand entrance to Rome this is the real deal, not pixels. The colours are vivid, the sound very powerful and the acting of the two main stars - Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton - is highly charged. Impressive historical entertainment.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

Historical epic or simple love story? 29 Mar 2010

By D. Arrowsmith

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This film was derided by the critics as overblown, too expensive to produce and a relative failure. It is however a film that has lodged itself in our collective memories as one of the best purely entertaining films ever made.
Watching it on the theatre screen one is almost overwhelmed by the great set piece scenes of excessive splendour and the battle at sea (Actium). Watching at home the impact of these scenes is somewhat diminished and one is able to concentrate more on the private scenes between Cleopatra and Mark Anthony, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. I am not sure whether they were married at the time or between marriages but the crackling atmosphere created between them makes the hairs stand up at times.
The sets were wonderful, the colour resplendent and the dialogue intelligent, a class above some of the epics of the same period.
This is one of those films every movie buff should have in their collection as it will bear repeated viewings. There is something new to notice every time it is watched.

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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

Spectacular Blu Ray 30 Jan 2012

By Alice in Wonderland

Format:Blu-ray

One of my favorite films. I've been watching this movie since i was a kid and must have seen it a hundred times, but never like this. A Stunning transfer on to blu ray, It's sharp and crisp, the colours are stunning as technicolor should be, its like watching the film for the first time again. You can see so much detail, things you may not of noticed in previous cinema/dvd/video screenings, so much going on in the back ground that I never took note of before. You can see the intricate detail of the costumes and how well the sets look, even the painted backdrops stand out now, and it finally does justice to how beautiful Elizabeth Taylor looks.
Most of the extras are the same as the last DVD release, though there is quite an interesting new Fox Legacy documentary. Nice packaging and outer sleeve with new art work on cover. A booklet would have been nice for the 50th anniversary edition, but all you get is the 2 discs.
Well worth the price for the picture quality alone.
Recommended.

Cleopatra [VHS] [1963]

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