Cleopatra (1963)

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz
(more)

Writers:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz (screenplay) and
Ranald MacDougall (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

31 July 1963 (UK)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

The motion picture the world has been waiting for!

Plot:

Historical epic. The triumphs and tragedy of the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra.

Plot Keywords:

Box Office Flop | Peep Hole | Ptolemaic Dynasty | Birth | Civil War

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Elizabeth Taylor	...	Cleopatra
Richard Burton	...	Antony
Rex Harrison	...	Caesar
Pamela Brown	...	High Priestess
George Cole	...	Flavius
Hume Cronyn	...	Sosigenes
Cesare Danova	...	Apollodorus
Kenneth Haigh	...	Brutus
Andrew Keir	...	Agrippa
Martin Landau	...	Rufio
Roddy McDowall	...	Octavian - Caesar Augustus
Robert Stephens	...	Germanicus
Francesca Annis	...	Eiras, Cleopatra's handmaiden
Grégoire Aslan	...	Pothinus (as Gregoire Aslan)
Martin Benson	...	Ramos
Herbert Berghof	...	Theodotos
John Cairney	...	Phoebus
Jacqui Chan	...	Lotos, royal taster
Isabel Cooley	...	Charmian (as Isabelle Cooley)
John Doucette	...	Achillas
Andrew Faulds	...	Canidius
Michael Gwynn	...	Cimber
Michael Hordern	...	Cicero
John Hoyt	...	Cassius
Marne Maitland	...	Euphranor
Carroll O'Connor	...	Casca
Richard O'Sullivan	...	Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII
Gwen Watford	...	Calpurnia
Douglas Wilmer	...	Decimus
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Elisabeth Welch	...	Children's nurse (scenes deleted)
John Alderton	...	1st Officer (uncredited)
Ronald Allen	...	(uncredited)
John Alvar	...	Valvus (uncredited)
Audrey Anderson	...	(uncredited)
María Badmajew	...	(uncredited)
Michèle Bailly	...	(uncredited)
Marina Berti	...	Queen at Tarsus (uncredited)
Salvatore Billa	...	Egyptian Slave / Centurion (uncredited)
Bruna Caruso	...	(uncredited)
Finlay Currie	...	Titus (uncredited)
Rod Dana	...	One of Caesar's entourage (uncredited)
Marie Devereux	...	Bacchanal reveler (uncredited)
Peter Forster	...	2nd Officer (uncredited)
John Frederick	...	Captain Palace Guard (uncredited)
María Luz Galicia	...	(uncredited)
John Gayford	...	Guard (uncredited)
Peter Grant	...	Palace guard (uncredited)
Rosalba Grottesi	...	Cleopatra's servant (uncredited)
Rupert John	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
John Karlsen	...	High Priest (uncredited)
Jeremy Kemp	...	Agitator (uncredited)
Maureen Lane	...	(uncredited)
Margaret Lee	...	(uncredited)
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Senator (uncredited)
Calvin Lockhart	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Loris Loddi	...	Caesarion at Age 4 (uncredited)
Jean Marsh	...	Octavia (uncredited)
Kathy Martin	...	(uncredited)
Luigi Martocci	...	Marcellus (uncredited)
Gesa Meiken	...	(uncredited)
Furio Meniconi	...	Mithridates (uncredited)
Simon Mizrahi	...	(uncredited)
Violeta Montenegro	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Boris Nacinovic	...	Gladiator (uncredited)
Laurence Naismith	...	Arachesilaus (uncredited)
Kenneth Nash	...	Caesarion at Age 12 (uncredited)
John Pepper	...	Caesarion (uncredited)
Paola Pitagora	...	Cleopatra's servant (uncredited)
Michela Roc	...	Cleopatra's servant (uncredited)
Del Russel	...	Caesarion at Age 7 (uncredited)
Sandra Scarnati	...	Cleopatra's servant (uncredited)
Mike Steen	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Jack Taylor	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Meri Welles	...	Cleopatra's Handmaiden (uncredited)
Ben Wright	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Rouben Mamoulian		(uncredited; fired, replaced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
Darryl F. Zanuck		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Joseph L. Mankiewicz		(screenplay) and
Ranald MacDougall		(screenplay) and
Sidney Buchman		(screenplay)
Plutarch		(histories) and
Suetonius		(histories) and
Appian		(histories)
Carlo Mario Franzero		(book "The Life and Times of Cleopatra") (as C.M. Franzero)
Ben Hecht		uncredited

Produced by
Walter Wanger	....	producer
Peter Levathes	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Alex North

Cinematography by
Leon Shamroy		(director of photography)
Jack Hildyard		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer
Elmo Williams		(uncredited)

Production Design by
John DeCuir		(as John De Cuir)

Art Direction by
Herman A. Blumenthal		(as Herman Blumenthal)
Hilyard M. Brown		(as Hilyard Brown)
Boris Juraga
Maurice Pelling
Jack Martin Smith
Elven Webb

Set Decoration by
Paul S. Fox
Ray Moyer
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Vittorio Nino Novarese		(costumes: men)
Renié		(costumes: women) (as Renie)

Makeup Department
Alberto De Rossi	....	makeup artist (as Alberto de Rossi)
Vivienne Walker	....	hair stylist: Miss Taylor (as Vivienne Zavitz)
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
C.O. Erickson	....	production manager
Forrest E. Johnston	....	production manager
Saul Wurtzel	....	production manager: second unit
Francisco Ariza	....	production manager (uncredited)
Edward Joseph	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ray Kellogg	....	second unit director
Andrew Marton	....	second unit director
Fred R. Simpson	....	assistant director

Art Department
José Algueró	....	assistant set decorator: Spain (uncredited)
Ferdinand Bellan	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Bill Dennison	....	chief draughtsman: exteriors (uncredited)
Harold Michelson	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Giovanni Natalucci	....	set designer (uncredited)
Don Picton	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Italo Tomassi	....	scene painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
James Corcoran	....	sound recording supervisor
Bernard Freericks	....	sound recordist
Fred Hynes	....	sound recording supervisor
Murray Spivack	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Emil Kosa Jr.	....	special photographic effects
Herbert Cheek	....	miniatures supervisor (uncredited)
William F. Mittlestedt	....	mechanical effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Ken Buckle	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Cooper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alberto Dell'Acqua	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Sullivan	....	stunt double: Richard Burton (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Piero Portalupi	....	photographer: second unit (as Pietro Portalupi)
Claude Renoir	....	photographer: second unit
Bernie Abramson	....	publicity photographer (uncredited)
Sherman Kunkel	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Bob Penn	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Stuart Lyons	....	casting consultant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene Sharaff	....	costumes: Elizabeth Taylor

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant

Music Department
Lionel Newman	....	associate conductor
Alex North	....	conductor
Henry Brant	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
David Tamkin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Hermes Pan	....	choreographer
Bill Batchelor	....	publicist (uncredited)
Marie Devereux	....	stand-in: Elizabeth Taylor (uncredited)
Geoff Freeman	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Ralph M. Leo	....	production accountant (uncredited)
Lucie Lichtig	....	continuity (uncredited)
Elaine Schreyeck	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (as Producers Pictures Corporation)
• MCL Films S.A.
• Walwa Films S.A.

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1963) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox Films (1963) (Finland) (theatrical)
• P.P. Film Polski (1970) (Poland) (theatrical) (Polish subtitles)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Fox Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (200?) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2004) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox Video (1985) (Belgium) (video)
• CBS/Fox (1991) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Gativideo (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• American Optical Company  development of Todd-AO
• Magna Corporation  development of Todd-AO

Runtime:

192 min | 243 min (roadshow version) | Argentina:233 min | Germany:233 min (TV version) | Sweden:232 min | USA:320 min (director's cut)

Country:

UK | USA | Switzerland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo (Westrex Recording System) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:G (video rating) | Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | USA:Unrated (video rating) | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | USA:Approved (certificate #19756) (original rating) | Brazil:Livre | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:G (1971 re-release) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Widely regarded as one of the biggest flops of all time, reality is quite different: the film made its money back despite the horrendous costs, but not all at once - it took several years. It was one of the highest grossing films of the 1960s. According to the late director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, many of the best scenes were cut and there are between 90 and 120 minutes of character development and story missing.

Goofs:

Continuity: During Cleopatra's big parade as she enters Rome there are tire tracks on the dirt road

Quotes:

Agrippa: Well versed in the natural sciences and mathematics. She speaks seven languages proficiently. Were she not a woman one would consider her to be an intellectual.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Holes (2003)

A tragedy,not a soap opera.

I have always thought it was one of the most underrated Hollywood epics.First of all,it's only partially an epic:most of the scenes are intimate,generally two characters who are constantly tearing each other apart.Joseph L. Mankiewicz,one of the most intelligent director of his time,rewrote the dialogue during the shooting,night after night ,and the results are stunning,considering the difficulties he encountered with his budget and his stars.Cleopatra's dream is perfectly recreated,much better than in De Mille 's version -a good one,though-:It's Alexandre the great 's plan ,this Alexandre from whom she's descended,to make a huge empire,uniting the Orient and the Occident.One of the major scenes takes place near the great conqueror's grave .The second part has Shakespeareans accents:Cleopatra becomes some kind of Lady Macbeth,and Marc Anthony is left alone against the whole Roman army (the Shakespearian trees).The last lines (repeated twice) are some of the finest you can find in an epic movie.And look how Fellini has been influenced by Mankiewicz for the final of his "Satyricon":the photograph turning into a fresco. As for the epic scenes,they are here,of course but they are little over 20% of the movie.And to Cleo's awesome Rome entrance ,you can prefer Ceasar's epilepsy fit.The actors are not as uneven as it's often said.Elizabeth Taylor had already worked with Mankiewicz (the extraordinary "suddenly last Summer") and she learned a lot with him;she's now ready for the great roles of the sixties:"Virginia Woolf","Secret ceremony" "taming of the shrew".Richard Burton had been "Alexander the great" (coincidence!) in a rather academic movie,and here he portrays a clumsy,almost Don Quixotesque Marc Anthony with art.However,Rex Harrison steals the show in the first half.Supporting actors ,including Roddy MCDowall ,a puny but shrewd Octavious,and Richard O'Sullivan ,an effeminate Ptolemy. This visual poem,a feast for the eye and for the mind must be restored to favor.