Cleopatra

"The motion picture the world has been waiting for!"

1963 4h 11m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🍅

61%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 894🍅61%Rotten Tomatoes●60Metacritic★7IMDB · 40,521

DramaHistoryRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Determined to hold on to the throne, Cleopatra seduces the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. When Caesar is murdered, she redirects her attentions to his general, Marc Antony, who vows to take power—but Caesar’s successor has other plans.

“The motion picture the world has been waiting for!”

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Cast

Elizabeth Taylor
Cleopatra
Richard Burton
Marcus Antonius
Rex Harrison
Julius Caesar
Pamela Brown
High Priestess
George Cole
Flavius
Hume Cronyn
Sosigenes
Cesare Danova
Apollodorus
Kenneth Haigh
Brutus

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writers: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Ranald MacDougall, Sidney Buchman
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 251 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

63 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dorothy Spencer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and Rex Harrison carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The motion picture the world has been waiting for!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joseph L. Mankiewicz directs. Leon Shamroy behind the camera. Alex North scores. Dorothy Spencer cuts. A long sit — settle in. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 251 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
263 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Dorothy Spencer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and Rex Harrison carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The motion picture the world has been waiting for!".
9IMDB entry: tt0056937 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "egypt", "snake", "greece", "nile".

The technical file

Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Original score: Alex North
Editing: Dorothy Spencer
Production design: John DeCuir
Costume design: Vittorio Nino Novarese
Makeup / hair: Alberto De Rossi
Stunt coordinator: Ray Austin
Runtime: 251 min · 4h 11m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $36,115,000
Box office: $57,779,280
Return: 160% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Cleopatra (1963)
Rotten Tomatoes: 61% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 60/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 40,521 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Won 4 Oscars. 7 wins & 13 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Color
Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Color
Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Color

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Stills · wallpapers

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-09-26
★ 8/10
On Your Knees! On your knees! It's something that Cleopatra her self shouts at a stunned Mark Antony, but it could quite literally have been shouted by many in Hollywood at 20th Century Fox as their gargantuan epic threatened to sink them. The trials and tribulations surrounding the film are stuff of legend, all of which makes for a film itself, but I will not go over old ground, there's a couple of great documentaries available out there and they are required viewing. They also help to explain somewhat why Cleopatra is not the genre defining classic many hoped it would be. Truth is is that no film could have lived up to the expectation that surrounded Cleopatra, as it is, with flaws and all, it's still a enjoyably lavish spectacle, harking back to a time when grandiose meant something. In fact a time of film making we could do with in today's day and age of retreads, remakes and soppy sequels. Split in to two narratives, that of Caesar & Cleopatra and Antony & Cleopatra, film basically deals with how Rome sought to conquer Egypt as Cleopatra clung on grimly in power and affairs of the heart. A cast of quality thespians stand straight backed and deliver the plot machinations, set to the backdrop of magnificent ornate sets, period costuming, piercing photography and a pulse pounding musical score. Quite simply the grandeur and scope is stunning in its presentation. Not all the dialogue works, and there are passages of exchanges that come off as undernourished; while soap operatics take a hold in the second part of the film. Yet for the historical epic fan there is just too much that is great for this to be ignored or considered a stinker. From Rex Harrison - Elizabeth Taylor - Richard Burton & Roddy McDowall, to the opulence seeping from every pore, Cleopatra is a joyous eye opening experience. Yes! Flaws and all. 8/10
CinemaSerf2024-06-01
★ 7/10
An excellent example of what you can do when money is no object - except, here, in the writing department where this is simply no substitute for a succinct and creative hand at the typewriter. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton successfully - if a little too theatrically - carry off their portion of this epic tale of the life of probably the world's most famous woman of antiquity. Rex Harrison, much less so as Caesar - but combined I think this is actually a far better film than the critics at the time declared. The cinematography and scale of the production are unsurpassed as are the costumes, and married with Alex North's suitably orchestral score, you really do get a sense of the opulence and grandeur of Cleopatra's court. Unfortunately, the supporting cast - Roddy McDowell; Martin Landau and Andrew Keir in particular don't quite cut it and so the story sort of fizzles out towards the end. Nonetheless, we will never see the likes of a film like this again and we ought to celebrate that.