Carry on Cleo (1964)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

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:

Carry On | Sequel | Ancient Rome | Egypt | Historical

Cast

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
Tanya Binning	...	Virginia
David Davenport	...	Bilius
Peter Gilmore	...	Galley Master
Ian Wilson	...	Small Messenger
Brian Rawlinson	...	Hessian Driver
Gertan Klauber	...	Marcus
Warren Mitchell	...	Spencius
Michael Nightingale	...	Ancient Briton
Peter Jesson	...	Seth, Horsa's Companion
E.V.H. Emmett	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gloria Best	...	Hand Maiden (uncredited)
Peggy Ann Clifford	...	Willa Claudia (uncredited)
Sally Douglas	...	Antony's Dusky Maiden (uncredited)
Joanna Ford	...	Vestal Virgin (uncredited)
Mark Hardy	...	Guard at Caesar's Palace (uncredited)
Gloria Johnson	...	Vestal Virgin (uncredited)
Judy Johnson	...	Gloria's Bridesmaid (uncredited)
Jane Lumb	...	Vestal Virgin (uncredited)
Norman Mitchell	...	Heckler (uncredited)
Christine Rodgers	...	Hand Maiden (uncredited)
Vicki Smith	...	Vestal Virgin (uncredited)
Thelma Taylor	...	Seneca's Servant (uncredited)
Virginia Tyler	...	Hand Maiden (uncredited)
Wanda Ventham	...	Pretty Bidder (uncredited)
Donna White	...	Vestal Virgin (uncredited)

Directed by
Gerald Thomas

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

Produced by
Frank Bevis	....	associate producer
Peter Rogers	....	producer

Original Music by
Eric Rogers

Cinematography by
Alan Hume		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Archie Ludski

Casting by
Weston Drury Jr.		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Bert Davey

Costume Design by
Julie Harris

Makeup Department
Ann Fordyce	....	hairdressing
Geoffrey Rodway	....	makeup artist (as Geoff Rodway)

Production Management
Donald Toms	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Bolton	....	assistant director
Terry Marcel	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
William Alexander	....	chief draughtsman (uncredited)
Don Picton	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Bill Daniels	....	sound recordist
Christopher Lancaster	....	sound editor
Gordon K. McCallum	....	sound recordist
Charlie McFadden	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Otto Snel	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Stunts
Peter Diamond	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Godfrey A. Godar	....	camera operator (as Godfrey Godar)
Alec Mills	....	focus puller (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John Hilling	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Rod Nelson-Keys	....	first assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Eric Rogers	....	conductor

Other crew
Olga Brook	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Adder

Distributors

• Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (1964) (UK) (theatrical) (presents) (as Anglo Amalgamated)
• Governor Films (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1988) (UK) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Studio Canal (2002) (worldwide) (all media)
• Magnum Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Thorn EMI Video (1965) (USA) (VHS)

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:

Adder

Trivia:

The costume worn by Sid James in this film is the one worn by Richard Burton in Cleopatra (1963).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Near the beginning, Hengist and Horsa are watching a young cave couple dragging each other around. Hengist is pouring Horsa a drink and you can see him pour, raise the jug, then Horsa takes a sip from his cup. All this time it is obvious that no liquids are in the vessels.

Quotes:

Bilius: Hail, Mark Antony!
Mark Antony: Hail - snow, rain, thunder, lighting - the lot! Julius in?
[Gloria screams and runs out]
Mark Antony: I see he is!

Movie Connections:

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

Of senapods and Seneca… A Yank's perspective

As an American interested in British humor of all periods, I was fascinated to finally see some examples of the `Carry On' comedies, a beloved institution in England. The recent DVD releases are region 2 PAL format only, so they continue to be for the British market exclusively.

I believe these films were considered racy in their time, but are quaint indeed by today's standard. `Cheeky' is the best word I can think of to characterize them. I was familiar with Kenneth Williams and Sid James as voices on a couple of old `Round the Horn' radio shows I'd heard. They didn't look quite as I'd pictured them. The cast is colorful and likable, but the pace and form of the humor seem to me very English, or maybe more accurately, not very American. Sometimes the jokes make references that simply wouldn't register with Americans, and I can see why it was probably decided long ago that they wouldn't travel well. Still, if you are something of an Anglophile, and have seen and appreciated a great deal of British movies and television, as I have, you're likely to get the jokes.

One of the characters in `Carry On Cleo' is named `Hengist Pod,' and his wife's name is `Sena' – hence, `Sena Pod,' hardy-har! Now, I must have come across a hundred or more references to `senapod' in British comedies, and as an American, this was a great mystery to me. As far as I have been able to determine from countless sniggering references, a senapod was (is?) some sort of strong laxative. Ah, you saucy English and your beloved poo-poo humor!

Anyway, this is probably a good introduction to the `Carry On' films for the uninitiated, as it is colorfully filmed with lavish sets and costumes left over from the Burton/Taylor production of `Cleopatra.' In addition, as much of it is set in ancient Rome, it may not seem as provincially English to non-Britons as some of the others in the series. I was delighted to finally make the acquaintance of the `Carry On' films, and look forward to seeing more.