Cleopatra
Short description
Set in Egypt and Rome during the first century BC, Cleopatra centres on the Egyptian queen's efforts to protect her country and her own position by forming ties with the leading men of Rome. She first welcomes Julius Caesar, whose backing she needs to secure her rule, and later turns her attention to Marc Antony, drawing him into her court and its luxury. Caesar's assassination leaves her exposed, and her bond with Antony brings her into conflict with Rome's political establishment, with Octavian among those who oppose her.
Cecil B. DeMille directed the film, his fifth feature in the chronological list of his work, and also produced it, working from a screenplay by Waldemar Young and Vincent Lawrence. Claudette Colbert plays Cleopatra, with Warren William as Julius Caesar and Henry Wilcoxon as Marc Antony. Joseph Schildkraut appears as King Herod, Ian Keith as Octavian and Gertrude Michael as Calpurnia, among a credited cast of 114 performers.
Released in October 1934 and running 100 minutes, the film is a Paramount production in the drama, history and romance genres. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.8 from around 5,100 votes, while on TMDB its rating is 6.1 from roughly 102 votes. A film critics' rating of 7.8 from 12 reviews places it above both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- During pre-production, Cecil DeMille wanted to revisit the 1917 film of the same name directed by J. Gordon Edwards (1867-1925) and starring Theda Bara (1885-1955) as Cleopatra. No copies of the film could be found in Los Angeles, so he had to request one from the New York office of 20th Century Fox. After watching the film, DeMille sent it back. On July 9, 1937, a fire in the archives destroyed almost all the films stored there, presumably including the original "Cleopatra" from 1917 along with the others. So DeMille's viewing on February 15, 1934, was most likely the last time anyone ever saw that film.
- Problems with the costumes prepared for filming arose almost every day. Claudette Colbert repeatedly felt that a particular dress didn't fit quite right, and then the dress had to be altered.
- British actor Henry Wilcoxon made his American film debut in this movie.
- Italian audiences received the film very poorly, and Italian film critics called it a "parody and farce".
- In 1934, the so-called Hays Code (the national standard of moral censorship in American film production) was already in full effect, and Cecil B. DeMille couldn't resist the temptation to demonstrate his attitude towards it (albeit while staying within its limits). "Cleopatra" begins with a scene featuring a slave, clearly nude, but lit from angles designed to make any objections impossible. The slave holds a censer in both hands, and the film's title appears on the screen.
- When Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959) first began discussing the role of Cleopatra with actress Claudette Colbert (1903-1996), she was very worried about the scene with the snake, as she was fundamentally afraid of reptiles. On the day the scene was scheduled to be filmed, DeMille ordered the largest snakes available from the Los Angeles Zoo and approached the prop throne with one of them, where the actress was seated in the guise of Cleopatra. She screamed in fear and begged the director not to come any closer with the snake. Then DeMille took out a smaller snake and asked the actress if she would agree to work with it, to which she immediately agreed.
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