Steve Nyland (Squonkamatic) Meanwhile back at the sarcophagus, Italian filmmakers go to great lengths to create an effectively atmospheric Peplum set during the time of the Ancient Egyptian empires. Or there abouts, depends on which language version you encounter. The sets are elegant, the costumes right out of a high school textbook and the film delivers the goods if you like talky period-type drama mixed in with your Swords & Sandals. Lots of intrigue involving royal courts, family lineage, duplicitous religious leaders, and Debra Paget decked out in a Pharaonic babe-getup that is very easy on the eyes. She can lounge around eating grapes over at my place anytime and the dialog is surprisingly fluid for Italian translated to English.All of which is routine. The film will stand out in my mind as the one where the threat of having one's tongue cut out is repeated sufficient times to prove curious. The first time was cool. The second time was odd. The third time had me wondering if the dubbing was on right, and the fourth time made me laugh. Maybe there's a drinking game to be had here. Nothing else about the film's story made much of an impression though I do not regret the time invested (wasted?), no, consumed by watching it. A mummy subplot could have been cool, or maybe more slave chicks. At least a giant cyclops or something, Guys.Which is perhaps why having a female lead with a respectable pedigree in such a production will ultimately work against the film's appeal beyond the boundaries of genre viewers. Since Ms. Paget is the intended focus of our ardor the fate of random half naked slave chicks hurled to their doom for the entertainment of some slavering despot becomes less pressing to the needs of the plot, and sadly the filmmakers took the easy way out. Court intrigue or giant a cyclops devouring centurions? If choosing the former, bingo.

Leofwine_draca By all rights I wasn't expecting to enjoy this stodgy historical drama at all: devoid of much action, it seemed talky and dull, like HEROD THE GREAT or HEAD OF A TYRANT. The obvious paucity of the budget meant that, aside from a dodgy superimposed building in the background of a scene at the beginning of the film, we aren't in for any real Egyptian locations: even though pyramids are present in the plot, we never get to see any of them. In addition, the acting is nothing to write home about: Debra Paget (THE HAUNTED PALACE) is nothing more than wooden in the titular role, and the various plotters at the court are never evil enough to make much of an impact (where's Edmund Purdom when you need him?). In fact, aside from reliable character actor Ettore Manni in a good turn as the heroic court physician and the chap playing the beleaguered architect – who I think is Robert Alda, Alan's dad, nobody in the cast really stands out. I was looking out for Rosalba Neri in a minor part but couldn't spot her.However, about halfway through the film, things pick up and start getting interesting. There's a poisoning plot straight out of Shakespeare and some murky goings-on in sinister tombs replete with bodies and sarcophagi, and a brilliant fight scene in which Manni fends off a crazed knife-wielding embalmer. Then Paget gets buried alive (shades of THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER here) and suddenly the film gets quite good. We join a band of grave-robbers as they break into the tomb, only to encounter all manner of deadly traps and double-crosses in the sweaty confines. We get a decently-done cave-in and then a classic (and surprisingly bloody) death for the villain, who's shot to death with about a dozen arrows. Sure, this film can never be watched more than once, even by history buffs, but it's short and, for once, has more adventure than stodge. And that is a definite plus.

bkoganbing After her role as Lilia opposite John Derek in Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments, roles started getting scarce on the big screen for Debra Paget who as I write this review is the last living of the major players left from that classic. Look at her credits, she did a lot of television after that and like so many of her contemporaries, mostly male though, went to Italy for big screen sand and sandal epics. But Cleopatra's Daughter is in no way like the Elizabeth Taylor classic that came out three years later. For if you remember in that fairly historically accurate film, Cleopatra had no daughter with Julius Caesar or anyone else. She had a son who disappeared after her overthrow, but no daughter. Assyria as a kingdom was no more by Cleopatra's time and there were no more Pharoahs ruling Egypt. Other than all this, Cleopatra's Daughter is a film of great veracity, NOT.Cleo's kid played by Paget goes to live with the Assyrian royal house who bring her up like their own, but now the new ruling house of Egypt, presumably the one left there by Augustus has conquered Assyria and to cement their usurping dynasty, the Queen Mother who really runs things wants Debra to marry her idiot Pharoah son who is a real Mama's boy.Paget's got eyes for the royal physician Ettore Manni, but there's folks with designs on the throne. She's implicated in the poisoning of the Pharoah and sentenced to be put to death and buried in the great tomb of Cheops which he has constructed (another historical anomaly). Manni in a bit lifted from Romeo and Juliet gives Paget a potion that will fake death and his task is to get her out of the tomb once it's sealed up. Breaking in isn't easy and Manni gets some grave robbing professionals to help him do it.If you think this is all ridiculous enough, it gets even worse, but I won't reveal any more. I think that most Hollywood performers who went to Italy to revive their sagging careers did their worst work there. Only Clint Eastwood made a career from spaghetti westerns, no one did it from gladiator films.All that was needed was for June Allyson to come on doing a chorus of the Cleopatterer song that she did in Till The Clouds Roll By.

ccmiller1492 The beautiful young Sushila (Debra Paget) is forced into a political marriage with young Pharaoh Nemorat in order to consolidate power. However, the young Pharaoh is beset with mental illness and the marriage becomes dangerous, all the while the chief advisor Kefren (a menacing Erno Crisa) and his scheming mistress plot to destroy the unstable pair. The girl is framed for an attempt on the vulnerable king's life and sentenced to death. Meanwhile, her sympathetic would-be lover, the handsome physician Resi (Ettore Manni in one of his best roles)concocts a scheme to save her by drugging her to appear dead and reviving her later when they can escape. However, she is sealed into her former young husband's tomb with the air supply rapidly running out. The action plot proceeds at a brisk pace and holds viewers interest which is increased by well-acted parts with attractive players, great costumes and sets.