jacobs-greenwood A lavish spectacle (perhaps not as famous as the 1963 version) that I'm afraid was a bit of a disappointment when I finally got to see it. It's one of director-producer Cecil B. DeMille's many extravaganzas, which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (and 3 others).It does features Claudette Colbert, in the title role and a stunning wardrobe, as well as some incredible sets (though the inside of her "barge" looks a little too much like a studio set, from certain angles) and Academy Award winning Cinematography.But I'm afraid that Warren William's Caesar, and Henry Wilcoxon's Marc Antony leave much to be desired. William didn't seem to make up his mind about how to play Caesar; his performance begins rather woodenly and ends up almost campy. Though Wilcoxon's Antony is "dumb" enough to be manipulated by the Queen of Egypt, I didn't find their passion for one another (nor Caesar's for Cleopatra, for that matter) particularly credible.Ian Keith as Octavian, Joseph Schildkraut as King Herod and C. Aubrey Smith as Caesar's, then Antony's, loyal General provide adequate support. Arthur Hohl and Harry Beresford, who played Titus and Favius (respectively) in the much better DeMille film The Sign of the Cross (1932), play Brutus and the Soothsayer in this one.

utgard14 Spectacular DeMille hokum that, like most of his work, is hard to dislike despite its flaws. Say what you will about Cecil B. DeMille but he knew how to put on a show. The sets, costumes, and pageantry are excellent. The actors are all very enjoyable even if they ham it up some. Claudette Colbert is sexy and a treat to watch. Warren William's Julius Caesar seems like he would be more at home shooting craps or hustling pool than ruling Rome. Henry Wilcoxon is quite good as Marc Antony. The rest of the cast is solid, as DeMille supporting casts usually were. I have no sympathy for history buffs who gripe about this movie's failure to adhere to historical accuracy. If you watched a movie, especially a C.B. DeMille movie, looking for a history lesson then the fault is on you and not him. It's a fun piece of escapism loosely based on real people and events. Lighten up and enjoy the movie.

mikhail080 Well, I never remember seeing this DeMille blockbuster, so I was happy to see a screening of a restored "George Eastman House" print the other day. Certainly most everyone reading here at IMDb is familiar with the DeMille brand, and most would probably agree that he seldom disappoints his audience. DeMille liked to think big, and it shows by his making some really fantastic entertainments that even today pack a wallop. And obviously, Adolph Zukor invested big bucks to make DeMille's vision come to reality here.No one would confuse DeMille's "Cleopatra" with a historical documentary. But he does lay out an interesting and nuanced storyline revolving around the Queen of the Nile and two of her lovers -- Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. The movie moves along very nicely, and the boredom sometimes associated with these kinds of historical epics is not apparent.Colbert is extraordinarily sexy, sporting some of the most revealing costumes and looking just absolutely gorgeous. Her sometimes ironic and sometimes earnest delivery of dialog makes her Cleopatra both slyly humorous and sympathetic. She's absolutely fantastic and utilizes her huge eyes to great effect, being perfectly cast as this legendary vixen she expertly shoulders the weight of the film.Amazing set pieces abound, and I won't discuss the specifics here, but needless to say, DeMille had the studio put in a gigantic effort to make the elaborate sets, costumes, battles, and every extra look genuine. Marc Antony's first visit to Cleopatra's barge becomes a marvel of choreography, with even Agnes DeMille involved! Yeah, the dialog might be somewhat hokey and dated, but always relevant and insightful into the characters. A slight downside was the obvious use of stock footage in the final battle scene, obviously taken from something filmed at least a decade before -- but that's a small complaint.The supporting cast is led by Warren William as Caesar and Henry Wilcoxon as Antony who both fill out their roles admirably, and in a way that's not stereotypical. Colbert needs strong men to play off of, and these two are up to the challenge. And Ian Keith supplies a few powerful moments as Cleo's smoldering nemesis Octavian. A special mention too goes to Joseph Schildkraut who has a memorable little cameo as King Herod.No one paying full admittance back in 1934 would have come away disappointed by DeMille's spectacular "Cleopatra." Wasn't that the core of his populist genius?***** out of *****

Michael_Elliott Cleopatra (1934) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Claudette Colbert takes the lead as the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, who first sets her eyes on Julius Caesar (Warren William) but after he's murdered she goes for the next in line, Marc Antony (Henry Wilcoxon). Director DeMille has become known for big spectacles full of either silly dialogue or overblown messages and that rings true here. The production side of things are rather remarkable but some of the dialogue here is rather silly but in the end this is still a highly entertaining film that manages to deliver some fine performances as well as strong direction. The best aspect of this film are the wonderful sets, which are truly among some of the best of their era. I'm not sure how many extras DeMille managed to use but the epic scope of this film makes on marvel in its beauty. Even better are the battle sequences towards the end of the film, which have plenty of great action including huge fire bombs being tossed at some ships. The chariot battles are also well filmed by Victor Milner who won an Oscar for his work here. I wasn't sure what type of performances we'd get from the A-list cast but they all turned out to be great as well. Colbert steals the film with her man eating charms and sexuality, which just leaps off the screen so vividly that the viewer has no problem understanding why Caesar and Antony would fall for her. The seductive beauty of Colbert is a major plus as her performance doesn't have one negative note to it. Warren doesn't get too much screen time as Caesar is killed off rather early but he's good while he's there. He never strays away from that Warren personality but it makes for a fun version of the famous Caesar. Wilcoxon gives a very strong performance as Antony and has no trouble at playing a strong leader. As is usual with DeMille, the film offers up some rather strong sexuality for its time and even the violence, while mostly off camera, is a bit stronger than we're use to seeing. The death of Caesar is extremely well done in an unusual but effective point-of-view shot. The biggest problem with the movie is that it begins to get a tad bit silly in its third act and some of the dialogue could have been better written.