Cleopatra (movie)

Cleopatra is the name of several movies about the last Egyptian queen of the same name. Movies of this title were released in 1912, 1917, 1920, 1934, 1963, and 1999.

Theda Bara as Cleopatra

1917 Film

The 1917 Fox film was directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starred Theda Bara in the title role. Fritz Leiber played Julius Caesar and Thurston Hall played Marc Antony.

It was one of the most elaborate Hollywood films ever produced up to that time, with particularly lavish sets and costumes. The story of this silent film was very loosely based on the plot of William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Theda Bara appeared in a variety of fantastic costumes, some quite risqué. The film was a great success at the time. Years later with the imposition of Hollywood's Hays Code the film was judged too obscene to be shown, and no surviving prints are known to exist.

1934 Film

The 1934 film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and won for cinematography (Victor Milner). It was written by Bartlett Cormack, Vincent Lawrence, and Valdemar Young and was directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It starred Claudette Colbert as Cleopatra, Warren William as Julius Caesar, Henry Wilcoxon as Marc Antony, Joseph Schildkraut as King Herod, and Ian Keith as Octavian.

1963 Film

The 1963 film was also nominated for Best Picture and won for cinematography, art direction, costumes, sets, and special effects. It was written by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Joseph L. Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Mario Franzero and was directed by Mankiewicz. It starred Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, Richard Burton as Marc Antony, and Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar (nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor). Cleopatra premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City on June 12, 1963.

The 1963 film is infamous for bankrupting 20th Century Fox. It was made at a cost of $40 million -- an impossibly extravagant figure for that time; in todays dollars it can be priced at $270 million. It was not a box-office flop, but it did not perform nearly as well as Fox hoped, and took several years to break even and the financial loss from the film forced the studio to file for bankruptcy. Supposedly, the film is still listed as a negative cost for Fox today, which means that, technically, the movie still has not made back its initial investment. The suit of golden armor worn in the movie by Elizabeth Taylor was made from real gold, at a cost of about $1 million. It was so heavy that she could only wear it for short periods of time.

Elizabeth Taylor in "Cleopatra" (1963)


1999 Film

The 1999 Cleopatra: starred Leonor Varela (Cleopatra), Timothy Dalton (Caesar), and Billy Zane (Antony). Based on the book Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George and more faithful to history than the earlier versions, it was shown first on television and then released on videotape.

Olivia's Line

On May 12, 2003, tied in with the 40th anniversary of the 1963 film, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a 45-minute romantic comedy, written by David Varela (no relation to Leonor) called Olivia's Line. The play is set during the location shoot in Rome. Incidental music is taken from the 1963 film's score. For more information about the play, and information on how you can listen to it online visit: http://www.davidvarela.com/ftvr_olivia.html

External Links

  • Cleopatra on the Web : Movies (http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/cleopatra/13.html) (Tim Spalding)
  • The Cleopatra Costume on Stage and in Film (http://www.davidclaudon.com/Cleo/Cleopatra1.html) (David Clauson)
  • Ancient Greece in the Cinema (http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Classics/NJL/films.html) (Nick Lowe)

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For more information about the play, and information on how you can listen to it online visit: http://www.davidvarela.com/ftvr_olivia.html. Following protests from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, (ADC) the lyrics were changed in July 1993 from "Where they'll cut off your ear if they don't like your face/It's barbaric, but, hey, it's home", in the original release to "Where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense/It's barbaric, but, hey, it's home." The original lyric was intact on the initial CD soundtrack release that predated the movie's theatrical release and subsequent protests. Incidental music is taken from the 1963 film's score. One of the verses of the opening song "Arabian Nights" was censored because of political sensitivity. The play is set during the location shoot in Rome. The genie flies away to see the world while the happy couple begin their new life together. On May 12, 2003, tied in with the 40th anniversary of the 1963 film, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a 45-minute romantic comedy, written by David Varela (no relation to Leonor) called Olivia's Line. When all seems lost for Aladdin and Jasmine, the sultan decides that, between his loyalty to his genie and his courage in defeating Jafar, Aladdin has proven his worth; the sultan therefore changes the law so that "the princess shall marry anyone she deems worthy" meaning Aladdin and Jasmine can be married.

Based on the book Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George and more faithful to history than the earlier versions, it was shown first on television and then released on videotape. The genie insists that Aladdin use his final wish to make himself a prince again, but nevertheless, he keeps his promise and wishes the genie free. The 1999 Cleopatra: starred Leonor Varela (Cleopatra), Timothy Dalton (Caesar), and Billy Zane (Antony). Of course, now Aladdin is no longer a prince so he cannot marry Jasmine.
. Jafar, along with Iago, are imprisoned in their own lamp and sent to the Cave of Wonders. It was so heavy that she could only wear it for short periods of time. But he realizes too late that Aladdin tricked him, since as a genie Jafar is no longer free.

The suit of golden armor worn in the movie by Elizabeth Taylor was made from real gold, at a cost of about $1 million. Jafar is at first convinced that his new powers will allow him to rule the universe. Supposedly, the film is still listed as a negative cost for Fox today, which means that, technically, the movie still has not made back its initial investment. Jafar decides to use his final wish to become the most powerful genie in the world. It was not a box-office flop, but it did not perform nearly as well as Fox hoped, and took several years to break even and the financial loss from the film forced the studio to file for bankruptcy. Aladdin reminds Jafar he is not the most powerful being on Earth, and that that honor belongs to the genie, since he gave Jafar his power in the first place. It was made at a cost of $40 million -- an impossibly extravagant figure for that time; in todays dollars it can be priced at $270 million. When Aladdin appears to be defeated, Jafar tells Aladdin he was a fool for thinking he could defeat "the most powerful being on Earth".

The 1963 film is infamous for bankrupting 20th Century Fox. Jafar eventually turns himself into a giant snake and fights Aladdin. Cleopatra premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City on June 12, 1963. Jafar imprisons and transfigures all the good characters so they cannot steal the lamp back. It starred Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, Richard Burton as Marc Antony, and Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar (nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor). Aladdin tries to get the lamp, but Jafar stops him. The 1963 film was also nominated for Best Picture and won for cinematography, art direction, costumes, sets, and special effects. It was written by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Joseph L. Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Mario Franzero and was directed by Mankiewicz. Aladdin flies back on the flying carpet, but the genie can't help him, as Jafar is his master now.

It starred Claudette Colbert as Cleopatra, Warren William as Julius Caesar, Henry Wilcoxon as Marc Antony, Joseph Schildkraut as King Herod, and Ian Keith as Octavian. With his new powers, Jafar reveals that "Prince Ali" is merely the street rat Aladdin and he sends Aladdin to "the ends of the earth" in one of the palace towers. DeMille. When the former sultan and Jasmine refuse to bow to him, he wishes to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world. It was written by Bartlett Cormack, Vincent Lawrence, and Valdemar Young and was directed by Cecil B. Taking the genie as its master, Jafar wishes to become sultan. The 1934 film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and won for cinematography (Victor Milner). Unfortunately, Jafar has figured out Aladdin has the lamp and he sends his parrot Iago, to steal it.

Years later with the imposition of Hollywood's Hays Code the film was judged too obscene to be shown, and no surviving prints are known to exist. Chastened, Aladdin decides to tell Jasmine the whole truth of the matter. The film was a great success at the time. He begins to consider reneging on his promise to free the Genie, which severely offends the spirit. Theda Bara appeared in a variety of fantastic costumes, some quite risqué. All seems well, but the weight of his future responsibilities begins to distress Aladdin. The story of this silent film was very loosely based on the plot of William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Jafar manages to escape, but Aladdin and company are convinced that their troubles are over as Jasmine has finally chosen a suitor.

It was one of the most elaborate Hollywood films ever produced up to that time, with particularly lavish sets and costumes. The genie saves Aladdin, using up his second wish. Aladdin and the genie return to Agrabah and Aladdin shows that Jafar has really been plotting against the sultan. Fritz Leiber played Julius Caesar and Thurston Hall played Marc Antony. Jafar, who wants Aladdin out of the way, orders him thrown into the sea. Gordon Edwards and starred Theda Bara in the title role. Afterwards, Jasmine nearly tricks Aladdin into admitting he's the street urchin she met in the marketplace. The 1917 Fox film was directed by J. As "Prince Ali Ababwa", Aladdin returns to Agrabah and, although offending Jasmine by appearing as another typical rich and self-important prince, eventually wins Jasmine's love by taking her on a romantic ride on the flying carpet.

Movies of this title were released in 1912, 1917, 1920, 1934, 1963, and 1999. Aladdin, who has fallen in love with Princess Jasmine, is disappointed that he can't wish to make her fall in love with him. However, the law states that only a prince can marry a princess, so he wishes to become a prince. Cleopatra is the name of several movies about the last Egyptian queen of the same name. Aladdin promises to set the genie free with his last wish. Ancient Greece in the Cinema (http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Classics/NJL/films.html) (Nick Lowe). Once out of the cave, Aladdin gets to know his genie, and asks him what he would wish for if he had the chance; the genie says he'd wish for freedom, but that can only be granted if his master is benevolent enough to free him with a wish. The Cleopatra Costume on Stage and in Film (http://www.davidclaudon.com/Cleo/Cleopatra1.html) (David Clauson). Aladdin tricks the genie into getting them out of the Cave, without technically wishing for him to do so.

Cleopatra on the Web : Movies (http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/cleopatra/13.html) (Tim Spalding). Aladdin discovers that the lamp is home to a genie, who will grant him any three wishes, excluding wishes to force a person to fall in love, to kill someone, to bring someone back from the dead, or to give his master extra wishes. Jafar discovers, to his dismay, that Abu got the lamp from him before they disappeared. Aladdin, Abu, and Carpet are all trapped inside the Cave of Wonders. Abu saves Aladdin by biting Jafar's arm, and Abu and Aladdin fall back into the cave as it closes.

Upon his escape, he hands Jafar the lamp, and Jafar decides to give him his "eternal reward", preparing to attack with his dagger. Aladdin and Abu manage to escape with the aid of a flying carpet (appropriately named "Carpet"). Inside the Cave, Aladdin successfully finds the lamp, but his pet monkey, Abu, loses control and attempts to take a jewel, causing the cave to come alive and attempt to trap them inside. The Cave admits Aladdin entrance, but only if he touches nothing more than the lamp.

Jafar tells Aladdin that if he brings back the lamp, he will be rewarded. Later, Jafar, disguised as an old man, sneaks Aladdin to freedom and takes him to the Cave of Wonders. When Jasmine asks what happened to her savior, Jafar lies to her, falsely reporting that Aladdin had been executed for "kidnapping the princess". Meanwhile, Jafar discovers that Aladdin is the "Diamond in the Rough", and he sends palace guards to apprehend him.

In the anarchy of the streets, she is saved by a street urchin named Aladdin, though she doesn't learn his name. Jasmine, who does not want to be married off, decides to run away. Jafar actually needs the ring to discover the identity of the "Diamond in the Rough". The sultan, meanwhile, is having problems with finding a prince for his daughter, Princess Jasmine, to marry and Jafar convinces the sultan, by mesmerizing him, that he needs his ring to find Jasmine a husband.

However, Jafar discovers that only one person, a metaphorical "Diamond in the Rough", can enter the Cave. Jafar, who is also a sorcerer, wants to be the sultan himself and rule Agrabah; to further his goals he has spent years searching for the Cave of Wonders, so he can harness the power of the Genie of the Lamp found within. The sultan (who is never given a name) of a mystical land called Agrabah is secretly being controlled by his grand vizier, Jafar. Aladdin was followed by two "direct-to-video" sequels: The Return of Jafar (1994) and Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), and an animated television series, Aladdin.

This has led to a subsequent increased attention to the casts of later productions, such as Toy Story and Shrek, as a major element of animated film marketing. In fact, this was the first major American animated feature film in which particular attention was paid to a celebrity cast member, such as a major movie star, in the film as part of its promotion. Voice actors included Robin Williams as the Genie. The main soundtrack song "A Whole New World" by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle won a Grammy Award in 1993.

It was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker and songs were by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (with additional lyrics provided by Tim Rice after Ashman's death). Menken received the 1992 Academy Award for Original Music Score of Aladdin. As is usual with Disney film adaptations, many aspects of the traditional story were changed for the film. It relates a version of the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. Aladdin is an animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation that was released on November 25, 1992 by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution.

Among the places Aladdin takes Jasmine on the carpet ride are the Sphinx in Egypt, Athens, and China. When the Genie introduces the three rules about making wishes, he does an impression of George Plimpton. When the Genie encourages Aladdin to tell the truth, he does an impression of Jack Nicholson. When the Genie is losing a game of chess to the Flying Carpet, he does an impression of Rodney Dangerfield.

The Genie impersonates several celebrities in the film:

    . The Genie dons a Goofy hat before leaving on his vacation. Beast, from Beauty and the Beast, can be seen among the stack of the Sultan's toy figurines. The Genie pulls Sebastian (from The Little Mermaid) out of a recipe book (and the first few notes of Under the Sea are played).

    The Genie's head briefly turns into that of Pinocchio. As with many Disney animated films, there are several references to the company's previous productions:

      . Doesn't trust Aladdin because of his background. Razoul (Jim Cummings) – Captain of the Guard.

      Able to alter his voice tone sometimes tricking his master's enemies. Iago (Gilbert Gottfried) – Jafar's parrot and right-hand man. Jafar (Jonathan Freeman) – The scheming Grand Vizier of Agrabah. Genie (Robin Williams) – Aladdin's eccentric genie servant-turned-friend who makes many anachronistic pop culture references.

      Rajah (Russi Taylor) – Princess Jasmine's pet tiger, remarkably dog-like in behavior and role. The Sultan (Douglas Seale) – Princess Jasmine's father and ruler of Agrabah. Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin, singing voice by Lea Salonga) – Aladdin's love interest and the Princess of Agrabah. Abu (Frank Welker) – Aladdin's pet monkey, initially his only friend.

      Aladdin (Scott Weinger, singing voice by Brad Kane) – the beggar who becomes a hero.