Carry on Cleo (1964)

Director:

Gerald Thomas

Writers:

Talbot Rothwell (original screenplay)
William Shakespeare (original idea)

Release Date:

25 October 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

She had Lotions . . . and Potions . . . and Motions!

Plot:

Two Britons are captured and enslaved by invading Romans and taken to Rome. Hengist Pod creates useless inventions...

Plot Keywords:

Cleopatra Spoof | Ancient Rome | Historical | Beautiful Woman | Sequel

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Sid James	...	Mark Antony (as Sidney James)
Kenneth Williams	...	Julius Caesar
Kenneth Connor	...	Hengist Pod
Charles Hawtrey	...	Seneca
Joan Sims	...	Calpurnia
Jim Dale	...	Horsa
Amanda Barrie	...	Cleopatra
Victor Maddern	...	Sergeant-Major
Julie Stevens	...	Gloria
Sheila Hancock	...	Senna Pod
Jon Pertwee	...	Soothsayer
Francis De Wolff	...	Agrippa
Michael Ward	...	Archimedes
Brian Oulton	...	Brutus
Tom Clegg	...	Sosages

Also Known As:

Caligula: Funniest Home Videos (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Sweden:11 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Chobham Common, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Peter Rogers Productions

Trivia:

The owners of the British department store Marks and Spencer were alerted to a send-up of their store's name ("Marcus and Spencius") and associated use of the store's colours (green and gold) and called in their lawyers. Legal action was averted when it was explained that no slight against the store was intended, and the owners settled for an apology and a letter of explanation to be sent to a leading newspaper. This idea was later dropped, however, and the incident forgotten.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Early in the movie when the Romans are attacking the Briton's village, the Romans are wearing red capes hung from the shoulders. Usually worn by officers, the capes wouldn't be worn during a battle as they would hinder the soldiers as well as being used against them by the enemy by being pulled back, over their heads etc.

Quotes:

Seneca: Ooh, Arab eh? I've heard they're intense lovers.
Mark Antony: Well naturally, they do everything in tents.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! (2006) (TV)

A contender for the crown

Screaming will always be top dog as far as I'm concerned, but in the public imagination Cleo and Khyber will be forever jostling for the Carry On crown. Fair enough, as they are both deeply satisfying films - clever, but not too clever, lavish, but not too lavish. Amanda Barrie brings Cleopatra back from the grave, a young lady giving the assured performance of an old hand. Jon Pertwee gives the cameo of his life. Kenneth Connor is the living embodiment of the little man battling misfortune. Jim Dale has the comic timing of the devil, you don't need to ask who he met at a crossroads on a stormy night in the early '60s. Kenneth Williams is spoilt by a great script and revels in his good fortune. A timeless film that hasn't aged a day and probably never will.