Cleopatra (1934 film)
Cleopatra | |
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Directed by | Cecil B. DeMille |
Written by | Waldemar Young Vincent Lawrence Bartlett Cormack (adaptation: historical material) |
Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille |
Starring | Claudette Colbert Warren William Henry Wilcoxon |
Cinematography | Victor Milner |
Edited by | Anne Bauchens (uncredited) |
Music by | Rudolph G. Kopp Milan Roder (uncredited) |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $842,908[2] |
Box office | $1,929,161[2] |
Cleopatra is a 1934 American epic film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and distributed by Paramount Pictures. A retelling of the story of Cleopatra VII of Egypt, the screenplay was written by Waldemar Young and Vincent Lawrence and was based on Bartlett Cormack's adaptation of historical material.[2] Claudette Colbert stars as Cleopatra, Warren William as Julius Caesar, and Henry Wilcoxon as Mark Antony.
Cleopatra received five
Plot
In 48 BC, Cleopatra vies with her brother Ptolemy for control of Egypt. Pothinos (Leonard Mudie) kidnaps her and Apollodorus (Irving Pichel) and strands them in the desert. When Pothinos informs Julius Caesar that the queen has fled the country, Caesar is ready to sign an agreement with Ptolemy when Apollodorus appears, bearing a gift carpet for the Roman. When Apollodorus unrolls it, Cleopatra emerges, much to Pothinos' surprise. He tries to deny who she is.
Caesar sees through the deception, and Cleopatra soon beguiles Caesar with the prospect of the riches of Egypt and India. Later, when they are seemingly alone, she spots a sandal peeking out from underneath a curtain and thrusts a spear into the hidden Pothinos, foiling his assassination attempt. Caesar makes Cleopatra the sole ruler of Egypt, and begins an affair with her.
Caesar eventually returns to Rome with Cleopatra to the cheers of the masses but Roman unease is directed at Cleopatra.
Cleopatra is heartbroken at the news. At first, she wants to go to him, but Apollodorus tells her that Caesar did not love her, only her power and wealth, and that Egypt needs her. They return home.
Bitter rivals Marc Antony and
King Herod (Joseph Schildkraut), who has secretly allied himself with Octavian, visits the lovers. He informs Cleopatra privately that Rome and Octavian can be appeased if Antony were to be poisoned. Herod also tells Antony the same thing, with the roles reversed. Antony laughs off his suggestion, but a reluctant Cleopatra, reminded of her duty to Egypt by Apollodorus, tests a poison on a condemned murderer (Edgar Dearing) to see how it works. Before Antony can drink the fatal wine, however, they receive news that Octavian has declared war.
Antony orders his generals and legions to gather, but Enobarbus informs him that they have all deserted out of loyalty to Rome. Enobarbus tells his comrade that he can wrest control of Rome away from Octavian by having Cleopatra killed, but Antony refuses to consider it. Enobarbus bids Antony goodbye, as he will not fight for an Egyptian queen against Rome. A short montage sequence shows the fighting between the forces of Antony and Octavian, ending in the naval Battle of Actium.
Antony fights on with the Egyptian army, and is defeated. Octavian and his soldiers surround and besiege Antony and Cleopatra. Antony is mocked when he offers to fight them one by one. Without his knowledge, Cleopatra opens the gate and offers to cede Egypt in return for Antony's life in exile, but Octavian turns her down. Meanwhile, Antony believes that she has deserted him for his rival and stabs himself. When Cleopatra returns, she is heartbroken to find him dying. They reconcile before he perishes. Then, with the gates breached, Cleopatra kills herself with a
Cast
The closing credits list 32 actors and the names of their characters:
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Production
The shoot was a difficult one due to Colbert contracting
On July 1, 1934
The film is also memorable for the sumptuous
Release
On August 16, 1934, Cleopatra received its
The premiere audience, which gave the film a standing ovation, included social leaders, diplomats, and famous stars of stage and film.[9]
In its first week at the Paramount, the film set an annual record with 110,383 admissions.[10]
Cleopatra went on to become the highest-grossing film released in North America in 1934.[citation needed]
Reception
In his Movie Guide, film critic Leonard Maltin gave Cleopatra 3.5 out of 4 stars and wrote, "Opulent DeMille version of Cleopatra doesn't date badly, stands out as one of his most intelligent films, thanks in large part to fine performances by all."[15]
Accolades
At the
Home media
Cleopatra, along with The Sign of the Cross, Four Frightened People, The Crusades and Union Pacific, was released on DVD in 2006 by Universal Studios as part of the five-disc box set The Cecil B. DeMille Collection.[17]
It has been released for home viewing several times in the United States of America, including a 75th anniversary DVD edition in 2009 by
In the United Kingdom, Cleopatra was released in a Dual Format DVD and Blu-ray edition on September 24, 2012, by Eureka as part of their Masters of Cinema series.[19]
On April 10, 2018, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released the film on Blu-ray.[20]
References
- ^ "Calendar of Current Releases". Variety. New York. August 28, 1934. p. 23. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c Birchard 2004, p. 275.
- ISBN 9781461734819.
- ^ a b c "The 7th Academy Awards (1935)". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ "Claudette Colbert, 80 and Busy". The New York Times. April 16, 1984. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ a b McGillicuddy, Genevieve. "Cleopatra (1934)". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
- ^ Birchard 2004, p. 276.
- ^ Kakutani, Michiko (1979-11-16). "Claudette Colbert Still Tells DeMille Stories". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
- ^ a b "Ovation for "Cleopatra" at Swanky B'way Premiere". The Film Daily. LXVI (40): 1, 8. 1934-08-17.
- ^ "110,383 See "Cleopatra" in First Week". The Film Daily. LXVI (47): 1. 1934-08-25.
- ^ Hall, Mordaunt (August 17, 1934). "Movie Review – Cleopatra". The New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- Film Daily. New York: Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc. July 25, 1934. p. 13.
- ^ Mosher, John C. (August 25, 1934). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker. pp. 42, 44.
- ^ "Cleopatra". Variety. New York. August 21, 1934. p. 17.
- ISBN 9780525536314.
- ^ "Movie Highlights of the Year". The New Movie Magazine. XI (1): 37, 59. January 1935.
- ^ Kehr, Dave (May 23, 2006). "New DVD's: A Box of DeMille". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ Chaney, Jen (April 9, 2009). "A Pair of DVDs From a 'Loose' Era". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
- ^ "Masters of Cinema - Eureka". eurekavideo.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
- ^ "DeMille's Cleopatra Coming to Blu-ray in April -- 3 Day Special Price". ClassicFlix. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
Bibliography
- Birchard, Robert S. (2004). Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813123240.
- Eyman, Scott (2010). Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781439180419.
External links
- Cleopatra at AllMovie
- Cleopatra at Cecil B. DeMille's Official Website
- Cleopatra at Rotten Tomatoes
- Cleopatra at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Cleopatra at the TCM Movie Database
- Cleopatra at IMDb