Cleopatra (1934)

Cecil B. DeMille’s take on the story of the iconic Egyptian queen and her relationship with two rulers of Rome , this is thankfully much more condensed then the later, better known Liz Taylor version. Claudette Colbert plays the title role, in a year that also saw her Oscar winning performance in It Happened One Night. This film was the eightieth motion picture to be given a passing certificate by the then newly established production board (for runner to today’s MPAA) but I don’t see how. One of the first images you see on screen is what certainly looks like a naked women, though lit in such a way that I suppose it could be taken as ambiguous, but I’m pretty sure those were nipples. That’s the thing about DeMille, did you he use the sex to sell the piety, or the moralism to justify the depravity, me thinks a little of both. Pretty sensual stuff for its time, and some of those outfits still warrant a double take. In all though more watchable then either The Crusades or Sign of the Cross. Some great set pieces and production numbers. 3 out of 5.