Cleopatra (1963)

Epic box office bomb that nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. The movie proved to be just out of sink enough with the zietgiest to fail, epics of the ancient world where on there way out, part of the massive changes in audience tastes to characterize the 1960's. In addition to the timing problems, the production was plagued from the beginning, it went over long, over schedule, and over budget. Not to mention that leads Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s back stage love affair was to become the stuff of Hollywood legend. But how is it as a movie you might ask?

Well first off its way, way to long. It’s 4 hours, and I don’t mean that as a figure of speech, its actually four hours long! I’ll admit I did like the first half well enough, Rex Harrison was awesome as Ceaser, and the peculiar development and eccentricities of his relationship with the Egyptian Queen were fascinating to watch. Then you have the segments of the plot that I was already familiar with from Shakespear’s Julius Ceaser, so it was neat to see them from another angel. However once Harrison was murdered in the Senate things went down hill, for both the characters and the movie.

Now I think Richard Burton’s a fine actor (loved him Night of the Iguana), but I’ve just seen him play that same character of a ‘great man’ who gets drunk and destroyed by a women so often, that I just wasn’t gonna go there with him again. I find the second half of the movie to be indulgent both emotionally and in spectacle, I cared about Ceaser, I didn’t care about Anthony, and by hour three Cleo’s really started to get annoying. Perhaps something could have saved this film, but I don’t know what that would have been: 2 ½ out of 5.

Note: Possible drinking game that could be played with this movie: every time Liz Taylor comes on screen with another breast emphasizing outfit, you take a swig.