Cleopatra (1999)
Cleopatra, the famed Egyptian Queen born in 69 B.C., is shown to have been brought by Roman ruler Julius Caesar at age 18. Caesar becomes sexually obsessed by the 18 year old queen, beds her, and eventually has a son by her. However, his Roman followers and his wife are not pleased by the union. In fact, as Caesar has only a daughter by his wife, he had picked Octavian as his successor. The out-of-wedlock son of Cleopatra is seen to be a threat to his future leadership. Thus Brutus and other Roman legislators plot the assassination of Caesar. Caesar's loyal general, Marc Antony, and Octavian then divide up the Roman empire. Antony takes Egypt and soon takes up the affair with Cleopatra. However, Octavian soon launches an attack on Antony and ultimately defeats and mortally wounds him. Rather than permitting herself to be humiliated by Octavian, Cleopatra sends her son away to India and she commits suicide by permitting the deadly asp to bite her.
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Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
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Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
This Hallmark TV version of the Cleopatra tragedy has all of the trappings of Egypt, and the technology to boot. But it falls short in its delivery, and it's just simply not convincing. It is tough to get actors to play "sword and sandal" flicks with credibility. "Gladiator" probably stands out as the best of the fairly recent vintage. Comparing this film to Liz Taylor and Dick Burton is not fair...there simply is NO comparison, and it does not approach the level of the 1963 movie. However, the sets and the cinematography are absolutely fantastic. If you can sit through a dreadful portrayal of Cleopatra, you may become engaged- if not completely entertained. I do not recommend that you watch this film...unless, of course, you are inclined to do so. It would be best to have the 1963 version on hand, so you can make comparisons.
I give it a 7 ONLY for the first part where Timothy Dalton performs as Julius Caesar. He was FABULOUS!!! Great performance as usual from this man. Having been a longtime fan of Mr. Dalton's, I can't believe I'm just now seeing it. I actually bought the DVD so I can watch his performance over and over. Even though Leonor Varela was okay, she DID have HOT chemistry with Dalton, more so than she had with Billy Zane. But then what woman doesn't have on screen chemistry with Dalton (well, maybe Mae West!). I read that Varela and Zane were engaged but never married. I can see why when watching them on screen......LOL!!!! BORING!!! Oh and Caesar's death scene is AMAZING, even though I winced throughout. Anyone who is a Timothy Dalton fan should rent (or buy) and watch the first 90 minutes. You won't be sorry.
Cleopatra is one of the most fascinating figures from history. This 1999 TV movie does a good job of telling her story from her point of view. Granted Leonor Varela is a bit off, but she's not bad and the movie moves very well, its hard to believe its almost 3 hours, its time that never feels wasted. The story of Egypt's last great queen and her Roman lovers Julius Caesar and Marc Antony have been told before, most notably in '63 with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, this film is close to that and in some ways better.Billy Zane is terrific here, he plays Antony better than Burton! Zane remembers Antony was a solider who was prodded into lofty ambition by Cleopatra, even pitting Roman against Roman and splitting an empire, in his heart he must have known he couldn't succeed, Zane never lets your forget that and his performance should have been honored. Timothy Dalton is a good Caesar too. He plays the conqueror full on, ambitious and powerful, but not a monster or a hero, just a man who wanted glory for Rome. His assassination is well handled here. Rupert Graves is a slimy Octavian (Augustus) and does well as the villain.The look of the film is pretty good, though at times it feels like a filmed play. The music is unmoving, but the fx shots tolerable. The battle of Actium is brief but accurate, Antony always rushed in like a bull. For a TV move they manage to be sexy and violent, two things necessary to tell Cleo's story. The birth of Cesarion is realistic.The only real downer here is I think this movie was made, or at least planned before the discovery of records found in the sea that told of Antony and Cleo's great love and of the fact they did have children! At least 4, including a set of twins. It is also possible that a girl was saved from Octavian's butchery. The rest did not make, including, probably Cesarion. Unfortunately we don't see that here and the end, though well played, is just like earlier versions. Still this is historical fiction at its best. Well done!
This above-average made-for -TV epic has roughly the same structure as Mankiewicz's largely underrated work;a first part deals with Cleopatra and Julius Caesar,then the second part is about her affair with Marc Antony.It is entertaining stuff ;of course the lines are not on the same level as the 1963 opus (they say that Mankiewicz used to re-write them night after night) and Cleopatra 's Alexander-the Great's dream is reduced to a hope for a kingdom of peace and love(Cleo and Marc Antony dixit).Shakespearian Timothy Dalton was a good choice for Caesar ,they just forgot the Roman was bald ;Billy Zane was also convincing as Marc Antony.Leonor Valera was OK in the first part,but she was definitely too young in the second one which demanded a more mature woman.Rupert Graves was given the part of the villain.His Octavian is so vile that Cleopatra does not even try to seduce him before committing suicide.