Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

writers_reign Whoever told GBS he was a screenwriter. Probably the same dork who told Pia Zadora she was an actress. This is the kind of movie where the blocks of dialogue complement the blocks of buildings in Alexandria.Talk about Burnham wood coming to Dunsinane, this is like the March of the Redwoods with people like Raymond Lovell, Basil Sydney, Stewart Granger etc, leaving a trail of sawdust all over the set and Ernest Thesiger anticipating Charles Hawtrey by a good ten years or so. It was shot in 1945 so that the sound is pristine with no concession to the great outdoors so there is literally no atmos of any kind be it an interior or exterior scene. Watching this is a new way to grow old.

romanorum1 In advance of his relatively small Roman forces, the aging Julius Caesar (Claude Rains) is fresh from his victory over political rival Pompey. At the Sphinx he meets the unwary and naïve Cleopatra (Vivian Leigh, a decade older than Cleopatra was at the time). Although he playfully toys with her superstitious nature, he is never malicious. She acts like a frightened child, and does not even know how to command her slaves, especially Ftatateeta (Flora Robson). Caesar gives her a guiding hand on ruling her subjects. "Is it sweet or bitter to be a queen?" he asks. "Bitter" she replies. Soon the small Roman force (less than one legion) arrives and hails Caesar. "Don't eat me," she exclaims to him. He tells Cleopatra not to fear, as he is a reasonable man. Later, at the Egyptian court in Alexandria the capital, and surrounded by enemies, he speaks clearly but also in double entendres. Caesar does not reveal what he is thinking. Competing for the throne are sister (Cleopatra) and much younger brother Ptolemy (Anthony Harvey). As was the case in Egypt, brother and sister are also married (considered abhorrent by Romans). Ptolemy says that as soon as he is older, he will execute his older sister. Caesar's temporary decision is to have brother and sister jointly rule. He also says that he needs money, some 16,000 talents; he is told that the treasury is empty. At any rate, in such a treacherous atmosphere, one has to be on his/her toes. And it was really this way. Although Pompey had aided Egypt in his early campaigns, the Egyptians rewarded his request for sanctuary by murdering him before he was even ashore. An especially wicked court adviser is the eunuch Pothinus (Francis L. Sullivan). The scholar Theodotus (Ernest Thesiger) is treacherous. The Egyptian general, Achillas, is untrustworthy. All three were involved in the assassination of Pompey although the actual deed was done by Lucius Septimius (Raymond Lovell). Nevertheless, Caesar eventually allows the entire court to leave, an action that leaves his second-in-command Rufio (Basil Sydney) baffled. Michael Rennie is one of the Roman centurions. Young Stewart Granger plays a flamboyant Apollodorus, the Sicilian who helps deliver Cleopatra to Caesar. Britannus (Cecil Parker), from far away Britain that is not yet a Roman possession, is obviously in the script as an agent to give playwright Shaw a chance to get in some points for his homeland. The Romans manage to hang on to the palace grounds but are greatly outnumbered by Achillas' Egyptian army that has occupied most of Alexandria. At one point Caesar has to dive into the harbor and swim away to safety (historically accurate). In the fighting the fleet in Alexandria Harbor is set afire, which spreads to the famous library and destroys most of the old manuscripts. The scene where Cleopatra wraps herself in a carpet that is delivered safely to Caesar by Apollodorus is historically accurate also (although it happened earlier, and not later at the Pharos lighthouse). After the main Roman army in the East arrives they eventually defeat the Egyptians. Cleopatra, who has morphed from adolescent to a foxy manipulator, is now sole ruler of Egypt. As Caesar departs for Rome, he promises her that he will send one of his best generals, and one she has admired for a long time: Mark Antony.The film features terrific production values and costumes. The acting is great, as one would expect from such a production, and there is snappy and witty dialogue. Notice that in the opening credits, each of the U letters is converted to a letter V. Note that the Romans carved the letter V instead of U on marble, as V was used as U in Classical Latin. (Over time, usage changed.) Also, as it is difficult to carve smaller curves with a chisel, they were often avoided. So a letter C may appear as a sideways V (<). Postscript: The movie, produced on sound-stages, is based on Shaw's play, so it cannot be historical, although many pictured events did really happen. Cleopatra was educated and savvy enough to know her royal role, even before Caesar arrived. The film does not cover later incidents, such as the birth of Caesarion (the son of Caesar and Cleopatra), her trip to Rome, Caesar's rule, and his subsequent assassination. Caesar was never a murderous leader. Untraditional in his rule, he was wise and compassionate. Ironically, Caesar's benevolence and clemency – his forgiving of many enemies ("clementia") – led to his undoing. He left so many adversaries in the Roman Senate that they banded together and did their terrible deed on the Ides of March in 44 BC.

catuus It's our amazing good fortune to have this document of one of George Bernard Shaw's greatest plays, filmed during his lifetime so that he could author the screenplay as he wrote the original stage work. It is a monument to the magnificence, not only of Shaw, but of Caesar. It is also a monument to Shaw's brilliant playcraft, clever plotting, and canny application of humor. It goes without saying that Shaw was brilliant, since of course he was a socialist.We have seen this story before, though differently told, when the wonderful Rex Harrison played Caesar to the talented Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra. (Both of these names should be written with a K, since that is how they were both actually pronounced.) It is an absolute truth about that later film that only the first half is much worth watching, since Richard Burton in the second half plays a lovesick puppy so well it's thoroughly disgusting. GBS avoids that pitfall by giving us a great Caesar and a delightful Cleopatra, and fabulous stars to play them.Shaw's play tells the story of Caesar's occupation of Alexandria after his final defeat of Pompey, and his defense of his position against perfidious Egyptians and renegade Romans in the service of Ptolemy XIV, Cleopatra's prepubescent brother and husband. The text is a creation of the utmost cunning: nothing less than a successful imitation of Shakespeare (though mostly in a more modern idiom). Few writers other than Shaw would have attempted this feat, and fewer still would have been successful at it.Mentioning Ptolemy XIV, I should mention his (and Cleo's) brother, Ptolemy XIII. They were both married to Cleopatra and each of them was pounding on her bedroom door by the time he was 10. The film, alas, forgets the last Ptolemy, the XVth, called Caesarion, Caesar's son by Cleopatra. It was his official acknowledgement of this son that caused him so much trouble back home.The essence of Shaw is of course his wit. Hardly a play of his is as witty as this one. The film is 2 hours long and seems scarcely an hour, so packed is it with sparkling dialogue.To portray this great literary work, the producers have assembled a gallery of some of the greatest actors of the time. Caesar is played by the hugely talented Claude Rains whose portrayals of iconic roles have made him one of the greatest actors of the last century. He gives the immortal Julius such sangfroid and cool calculation as to make us instantly believe his greatness as a general and statesman.Cleopatra is portrayed by the great Vivien Leigh, who graced and enhanced every part she took. Her beauty is in fact far, far greater than the legendary queen's (we have pictures). There is a rumor that Cleopatra was African (black) by descent – which, while not a big deal, is a lie. We know each and every one of her ancestors since before the time of Alexander the Great, and they are all Greek (and mostly closely related). Shaw also cleverly switches the story of the rug from her first meeting with Caesar to ruse to smuggle her into Caesar's emergency redoubt at the Pharos (the Alexandria lighthouse).Apollodoros (misspelt with a "u" before the "s"), the Greek jack of all trades, arts, and talents, is played with huge humor by the inimitable Stewart Granger. Granger's acting talents gave both of the Fairbanks a run for their money. Cleopatra's nurse and chief bottle washer, Ftatateeta, is portrayed by the wonderful Flora Robson. For this part her skin is stained dusky and she's given an Egyptian-style fright wig … and is absolutely convincing. When she's on camera, she manages to upstage even the riveting Rains.The roll of talented veteran actors continues. As Pothinos (misspelt with a "us"), Ptolemy's puppet master and master of all nasty diplomatic maneuvers, we have Francis L. Sullivan. It was Pothinos' idea to knock off Pompey in the hope of sucking up to Caesar. No such luck, of course, because Caesar greatly admired and liked Pompey despite the fact that they had recently become enemies. Sullivan portrays Pothinos with delightful wiliness and sliminess. *** As the loyal Rufio, "Caesar's shield", we have a steadfast Basil Sydney. Rufio eventually becomes Roman "governor" of Egypt, although that country was then still technically independent and didn't have a governor. Rufio's part is given a good shot of good-humored testosterone and Sydney gives it great stature. *** The talented veteran Cecil Parker gives us Caesar's faithful British amanuensis, Britannus. His physical stature and Druidic appearance make him very convincing as a 1st-Century BCE British warrior-poet. *** And so on. Every part in this film is well-played by people who know what they're doing.The DVD itself was manufactured in Korea. Don't expect a lot. This Technicolor film has a washed-out look … although the colors are usually clear if not vividly bright. The sound is good (but could be better) and as we might expect from actors of stage quality, the dialogue is clear. There are, in addition, English subtitles. There are no extra features, but with older films we seldom get them. Some people might take points off for substandard color and sound. So do I. I give extra stars for Shaw's genius and take them off for an inferior recording of the original film. That leaves the correct total: the maximum.

Panamint Observe Claude Rains' soliloquy at the Sphinx near the beginning of this film. His amazing voice and graceful delivery of the words prove once again why he is increasingly becoming more respected as one of the major actors of the 20th Century. Just watch and you will see that I am not exaggerating. Rains' outstanding performance is the chief reason that this film holds together and deserves your viewing time.Vivien Leigh is not Scarlett O'Hara here. I don't mean that in a negative way, its just that her life and career are in transition at this point. She is more mature, and her voice is obviously affected by cigarettes or by the tuberculosis that she was suffering from that year, and she appears pale and fragile at times. I mention this because it is significant, as she is forced to try to bring some of her once-youthful "Scarlett" and "Lady Hamilton" girlish liveliness to the early scenes but only barely succeeds. Later, through sheer acting ability she admirably begins to project a regal presence as the film progresses. Maybe not the best Cleopatra on film, but overall she is certainly more than adequate.The supporting cast is excellent although they are sometimes directed rather sloppily, as though maybe the production was rushed. The overall production seems odd to me because it is done as if it is simply the stage play on film, taking place mostly in a palace at Alexandria. Also, some heavy themes are played lightly or even frivolously at times. I am a bit puzzled about what style they were going for.Having seen this film several times I am always impressed by George Auric's theme music and scoring, but always the poor sound recording almost spoils its effect. Hopefully someday a reconstructed score or maybe a restoration or enhancement of this original soundtrack will be presented with the film.You must admire the obvious hard work and effort that Rains and Leigh contributed to this movie. Overall, if you view this movie primarily for Claude Rains' performance but don't expect a lot more out of it you won't be disappointed.