Cleopatra

Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt
$27.50
Wonderful insight into Cleopatra's challenges in ruling Egypt. Ms. Tyldesley puts everything in chronological and easy to understand order with how the family relations and current foreign policies affected Cleopatra's decisions to control her kingdom.

Cleopatra (Five Star Collection)
$26.98
'Cleopatra' is a four-hour, very talky and plotty yarn, set against some of the most elaborate and exquisite scenery ever put on film. It is also the ultimate example of Hollywood excess and movie star ego. With a very literate script and an outstanding cast, 'Cleopatra' should have been a blockbuster, and yet it comes across as a lumbering behemoth, beautiful and intelligent while also plodding and distant. Scene after scene goes by, with endless dialogue and exposition but very little action. It's as if Manckiewicz were filming a stage production, rather than a big budget feature. Kudos to the set and costume designers for their almost overwhelmingly elaborate creations, and extra kudos to Rex Harrison for virtually carrying the first two hours of the film. Cleopatra is a relic of a Hollywood age gone by; the age of the epic specatcle. Though worth the 4 hour time investment, it is not one of the all-time greats, and yet its sheer star power in the form of Elizabeth Taylor makes it a classic despite itself.

Cleopatra
$19.98
'Cleopatra' is a four-hour, very talky and plotty yarn, set against some of the most elaborate and exquisite scenery ever put on film. It is also the ultimate example of Hollywood excess and movie star ego. With a very literate script and an outstanding cast, 'Cleopatra' should have been a blockbuster, and yet it comes across as a lumbering behemoth, beautiful and intelligent while also plodding and distant. Scene after scene goes by, with endless dialogue and exposition but very little action. It's as if Manckiewicz were filming a stage production, rather than a big budget feature. Kudos to the set and costume designers for their almost overwhelmingly elaborate creations, and extra kudos to Rex Harrison for virtually carrying the first two hours of the film. Cleopatra is a relic of a Hollywood age gone by; the age of the epic specatcle. Though worth the 4 hour time investment, it is not one of the all-time greats, and yet its sheer star power in the form of Elizabeth Taylor makes it a classic despite itself.

Cleopatra 75th Anniversary Edition (Universal Backlot Series) (1934)
$29.98
I remember watching this back in the late 50s or very early 60s. I wasn't even a teenager then. I was impressed then and am still impressed. Being that young I couldn't even fathom what went on behind those closing drapes on Cleo's barge. Excellent C.B. DeMille spectacle!