Cleopatra

Actually, this movie was better than I thought it might be. (Sometimes lower expectations help!) It had some good dance numbers, almost Busby Berkeley-like extravaganzas held in Cleopatra's barge. It also had a few decent action scenes and a fairly... Full review

Claudette Colbert certainly had one banner year in 1934. An Oscar for It Happened One Night for Harry Cohn and Columbia Pictures and back at her home studio, she starred and got great reviews for Paramount's big budget item of... Full review

Since I am a fan of epics, particularly ancient and medieval ones, I had been looking for this movie for a long time. The name of Cecil B DeMille is probably most associated with his magnificent remake of THE TEN... Full review

Of the many screen incarnations of the romantically foolish, politically shrewd Egyptian queen, this was Cecil B. DeMille's... His Victorian puritan's approach to the sex and scandals surrounding Cleopatra's throne reflected her continuing appeal to the imagination - even if... Full review

This movie is very different from the 1963 film starring Elizabeth Taylor. This version of "Cleopatra" doesn't take itself nearly as seriously as that film, and actually, it may be easier to watch for that very reason. However, Cleopatra as... Full review

I have been very fond of this movie for years, particularly as compared with Fox's bloated monstrosity of 1963. Colbert is admittedly somewhat miscast (her face is altogether Parisienne), but she handles the part with considerable charm. Warren William, usually... Full review

This is an excellent adaptation of the life of Cleopatra, based mostly, I think, on Shakespeare. Claudette Colbert is not one of my favorite actresses, but this is probably the best part I've seen her in. Even better are those... Full review

Was Demille more daring than any other director or was he just clueless? What does one say when the curtains close on Antony and Cleopatra and suddenly the screen erupts with more sexual symbols than any moment in Hollywood's history?... Full review

Impossible to surpass, CLEOPATRA stands out as DeMille's finest work, without question the defining moment of his career. Colbert is ravishingly beautiful as the Egyptian Queen. Warren William is unsurpassed to this day as the quintessential Julius Caesar. Henry Wilcoxon,... Full review

This movie is a typical DeMille PRODUCTION, with all the strengths-gorgeous sets, costumes and a sort of grandeur to all the proceedings-as well as the weaknesses-the lavishness often comes at the expense of things like the story, acting and plot. There's... Full review

It Happened One Night would beat out Cleopatra for best picture.....Cleopatra is highly recommended for fans of classic cinema or DeMille or Colbert.....The documentaries are interesting, but are so short....Universal begins a new collection of classic films, the Backlot Series, with the release of Cecil B. DeMille's historical epic..... ... Full Review

However, no obtrusive blips or distortions could be detected, certainly not enough to derail enjoyment of the film.....something that escalates further as treachery, war, and spurned love seep into the picture --....His content is, in gereal, very strong, but Feeney's at his most insightful during the pinnacle scene with Cleopatra and Marc Antony.....does so magnificently with Claudette Colbert.....Colbert's stunning to watch as Cleopatra, both in her dramatic scenes and in her lighthearted moments..... ... Full Review

the dialog is a little cheesy and too modern....Cleopatra and her slave girls wear would fit right in.....he's assassinated by the senators, including his friend Brutus ( Arthur Hohl ), in a surprisingly gruesome murder scene..... ... Full Review

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is going back to its studio parent's roots for a new DVD line. The Universal Backlot Series will consist of historic films from the studio's library. ... Full Article

Cleopatra, Last Queen of Egypt.By Joyce Tyldesley.Basic Books. 304 pages. $27.50.Cleopatra has generated more fame - in the form of poems, paintings, books, plays and films - per known fact than any woman in history. ... Full Article

A rolled-up rug is placed before Caesar: a gift. Out of it spins this supercool chick with an adorably haughty laugh and more attitude than Diablo Cody. ... Full Article

Egyptian queens seducing married Roman rulers. Singers crooning tunes in praise of pot. Convicts publishing sleazy magazines. These sorts of sinful characters played starring roles in Hollywood's pre-Code era, those years before 1934 when movie studios were not required to... ... Full Article

Cleopatra gets the typically over-the-top Cecil B DeMille treatment, which, as history lessons go, could hardly be more inaccurate, but it is the business as far as grand spectacle is concerned. ... Full Article

Ryan Landry swears that if there's a more lavish musical extravaganza in town than his Cleopatra the Musical (at Machine through May 27), he'll eat his negligee. ... Full Article