Una regina per Cesare (1962)

Directors:

Piero Pierotti
Viktor Tourjansky

Writers:

Fulvio Gicca Palli (screenplay)
Fulvio Gicca Palli (story)

Release Date:

22 December 1962 (Italy)

Plot:

Story of the power struggle between Egyptian queen Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy, and how a common soldier risks his life to serve her. |

Plot Keywords:

Ancient Rome | Character Name In Title

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Pascale Petit	...	Cleopatra
George Ardisson	...	Achillas
Rik Battaglia	...	Lucius Septimius
Corrado Pani	...	Ptolemaeos
Franco Volpi	...	Apollodoros
Ennio Balbo	...	Theodotos
Nerio Bernardi	...	Scaurus
Aurora de Alba	...	Rabis
Nando Angelini	...	Sextus Pompeius
Barbara Loy
Nino Marchetti	...	Messaggero di Pompeius
Barbara Nardi	...	Ancilla
Piero Palermini	...	Afranius
Akim Tamiroff	...	Gnaeus Pompeius
Gordon Scott	...	Julius Caesar

Also Known As:

A Queen for Caesar (USA) (dubbed version)
Cléopâtre une reine pour César (France)

Runtime:

USA:90 min | France:100 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

C.F.P.C.

surprisingly different Italian costume drama about the rise of Cleopatra

As a dedicated fan of dubbed 1960s European costume historical adventures, I went into A QUEEN FOR CAESAR with limited expectations, expecting strong performances from such a good cast, but not much else. Boy, was I thrown a curve! First of all, as the other review noted, the entire film takes place BEFORE Cleopatra's time with Caesar and Antony. We begin with Cleo and her nerdy, immature, arrogant brother Ptolameous, who sounds like he is being voiced (in the English dubbed version) by the fifteen year old Sal Mineo!! We also meet a Roman poet who helps Cleopatra; the military leader Pompeius (well-played by Akim Tamiroff), who lusts after Cleopatra and forces her to use her wiles against him to get what she wants; and her boyfriend Achillas, played by the reliable Georges/Giorgio Ardisson. Cleopatra is played by French actress Pascale Petit, who reminds me of a less buxom Jayne Mansfield and who does a wonderful job of being playful yet strong yet vulnerable, which is just what this character is at this point in her rise. As a Gordon Scott fan, I was anxious to see him as Caesar (by the way, I don't think he's too young for the role--he's in his late thirties at least, and he has a commanding presence, so he convinced ME that he could lead an empire and destroy his rivals!), but Caesar is only in the final third of the film, and Scott correctly received "guest star" billing at the end of the credits. I was not familiar with Cleopatra's history (assuming this film is historically accurate), so the final scene came out of the blue for me and was quite outrageous. My head was spinning for a while after a "THE END" credit came on the screen. On my copy of this film, the direction was credited solely to "V. Tourjansky"--Piero Pierotti was not mentioned. As 1960s historical dramas go, I must rate this as well above average. It may not have epic battles or grandiose court scenes, but I was never sure what direction it would go in, and each character was distinctive and full of little quirks that put the film well out of the realm of the average. It took me many years to find a copy of this, but I'm glad I did. I'll have to dig out some of the other films I have that star Pascale Petit--CODE NAME JAGUAR with Ray Danton, and FIND A PLACE TO DIE with Jeffrey Hunter. She is excellent and I can imagine her in a wide variety of roles. Recommended!!