Cleopatra - 50th Anniversary Edition (2-Disc)

Great movie

Wanted to see it in my school days 55 years ago . But the dream came true only with Amazon Prime in my living room.

This is not an all region free disc. It is not playing on Sony Bluerat disc player model BDP S-1500. I have to view it on Philips DVD player. Disappointed.

Historical movie, and very nicely filmed when there were no computers.

The item is defective. One of the two blue ray does not play in my blue ray player shows "! There is no disc". The other disc plays normally. Applied for a refund from the seller against this defective item, awaiting refund, at the time of writing this product review.

I have never seen this movie before until I bought the DVD. The story of Caesar, Cleopatra and Anthony is told in 4 hours. History cay say a lot about Cleopatra, and the writings of Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw may have brought her to life on stage. The movie, in reality, depicts the struggles of the Ptolemaic Queen and her alliance with Caesar and Anthony in bringing Rome and Egypt together. Amazing art direction and cinematography makes this expensive 20th Century production a masterpiece in spite of the poor box office results. The DVD comes with a 2 hour documentary on the "making of" featurette along with other small features.

William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon was 'THE' English writer which the world is yet to see! His works portrayed a standard of English that was beyond comparison. Cleopatra, the most beautiful queen in the world was brought to life by him. The acting by the 3 stalwarts of Hollywood namely, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Taylor was awesome. I am sure that the present generation will not see such an acting for a long time to come. I personally would recommend this for all to see and enjoy

INTERESTING MOVIE AND GOOD QUALITY CD FOR WATCHING ON COMPUTER. DO NOT PLAY ON MY HOME THEATER,,,

After nearly 50 years since the release of CLEOPATRA, it's time we got past the scandal and hype about how it nearly sank 20th Century Fox and appreciate the film for the monumental masterpiece it is. The combination of intense drama with eye-popping pageantry and spectacle has never again been seen in motion pictures, and never will. No, I'm not forgetting James Cameron's CGI shortcuts TITANIC and AVATAR, which I don't for a minute put in the same league with CLEOPATRA, a film that literally took blood, sweat and tears to create. No expense was spared, everything was built to size, and you see it all on the screen.When CLEOPATRA was released in 1963 it was the most expensive movie ever made up to that time, and probably still is in today's adjusted dollars. Yet, even with its massive scope and opulence, CLEOPATRA's human story doesn't get buried. This is due to the intelligent script and direction, both courtesy of Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and to the excellent performances of everyone in the cast, from leading to supporting players. Elizabeth Taylor is pure perfection as the ambitious, seductive Queen of the Nile who uses her wiles to achieve her goals. She's breathtakingly beautiful, oozing with sexuality, and brainy to boot. It's simply one of Liz's best EVER. As Marc Antony, Richard Burton delivers a super-charged performance that's in total harmony with the character's complexities and grandeur of the film. He also includes plenty of his characteristic sarcasm and self-loathing, without which a Burton performance would be incomplete. The fact that he and Taylor fell in love during production worked to good advantage toward fueling the on-screen drama. In his superb portrayal of Julius Caesar, Rex Harrison brought a distinguished, world-weariness and vulnerability to the role that's so potent, his presence is felt even in the second half in which he doesn't appear. A standout is Roddy McDowall as Octavian - he's really a lot of fun to watch and almost steals every scene he's in.The screenplay was based on several sources and takes some historical license, but most of it is factual and the political situation that existed between Rome and Egypt at the time is accurately and intricately played out. Indeed, it's fair to say that one can learn something about the ancient world from watching CLEOPATRA. Noteworthy too is that with a running time of four hours and eleven minutes, the narrative is remarkably tight. There aren't any redundant scenes or silly diversions thrown in just to eat up footage; all the action has a definite purpose, which is to serve the story. THIS is how a long movie should be made.Not to be overlooked is Alex North's lavishly exotic musical score. While it contains the necessary epic style - plenty of pomp and grandiose fanfares - the score is also multi-layered with delicately orchestrated themes. There's a slinky, snake-like quality to the music that fits the film like an Egyptian headdress.The art direction/set decoration and costume designs are spectacular, among the best in film history and add immensely to the viewing pleasure. In fact, CLEOPATRA won Oscars in those categories as well as for cinematography and special effects.20th Century Fox's Blu-ray edition of this phenomenal film is flat-out gorgeous. The image is razor sharp so that the most minute details in fabrics and backgrounds register clearly. Colors are rock steady and vibrant. The 70mm format is reproduced faithfully in 1080p resolution. It really is a joy to watch this stunning presentation of such a visually rich movie. The audio is also the best it's ever been, well balanced and channeled properly so that voices are crisp and sound effects aren't overbearing. The music is clear without any distortions, making the subtler textures, muffled in previous editions, more noticeable.The extras are the same as Fox's 2001 DVD, minus the stills gallery and foreign issue trailers. There are, however, some new features: Cleopatra Through the Ages: A Cultural History; CLEOPATRA's Missing Footage; Fox Movie Channel presents Fox Legacy with Tom Rotham; and The CLEOPATRA Papers: A Private Correspondence.With the release of CLEOPATRA the era of grand scale, epic filmmaking was coming to an end, never to rise again. Treat yourself to a sterling example of the kind of high class entertainment Hollywood was capable of dishing out once upon a time - it'll make you forget the gossip and marvel in the artistry.My highest recommendation.

This restored version - the 4-hour release that was immediately rejected by theatres as impossible to screen 2x per night, forcing more than an hour to be cut - is an absolute delight for the eyes. From the first minutes when Caesar appears, I was utterly riveted by the splashy spectacle, the evocation of a vastly different time, and acting that can only be called first rate. The only thing that threw me off, as a Roman history nut, was the ridiculous historical inaccuracies that could only be made by an ignoramus.On the positive side, the drama is a complete success: Cleopatra, the last Ptolemaic queen of Egypt, uses her feminine attributes and fine mind to advance a dream of staying in power and perhaps even create a new empire based on Roman power. To do so, she seduces first Julius Caesar, who restores her to power in a civil war with her brother-husband, and bears him a son. Once Julius dies, she then seduces his lieutenant, Marc Anthony, eventually losing to the wily Octavian, Caesar's adopted son. In the process, she genuinely falls in love with Anthony, perhaps for the first time in her life. They die together by their own hand. Surely, this is one of the greatest dramas of power and love in the history of mankind and it is the basis of this film, executed to perfection.The costumes, sets, and images of sex and power are wonderfully vivid, which the bluray version (I have the British one that is available for $10 in Europe) brings with the sharpest of clarity. Beyond the actors (whose salaries were the highest ever paid), these props are the reason for the cost of the film. In my opinion, they were worth every penny as there are few film experiences that could compete.Finally, there is the acting. Taylor, just after her 1950s prime, is at her best as a politically savvy seductress, aging and scrambling to maintain her nation and heir in their positions of prominence. I found her convincing, astonishingly beautiful, and realistically shrewd. In my view, Rex Harrison believably projects the universal genius of Julius Caesar, whose calm in the face of overwhelming odds and ever-changing political calculus are implacable and unpredictable. McDowall is also a good Octavian, who he plays as a sleazy, effeminate conniver, ultimately perhaps the smartest of all. The only principle I feel does not give a subtle and interesting performance is Burton, whose Anthony, while flawed as a love-starved drunk, is blandly formulaic. The supporting characters, such as Agrippa, are not all that distinguished, with the exception of the courtier Hugh Cronin.On the negative side, the script really needed a scholar as consultant. Given that Mankiewicz was re-writing the script while directing, this was perhaps impossible. It is a pity, because while most of the blooper inaccuracies do not detract seriously from the storyline, they were constant irritants kind of like a buzzing mosquito at night. For example, Agrippa appears as a middle-aged lieutenant of Julius Caesar, when the person with whom he rose to prominence was Octavian, his coeval. But there are bigger problems as well. Just prior to his assassination, Julius is shown as demanding that he be named King by the Senate, which he was far too subtle ever to do in life. This fundamentally distorts his character, making him more of a simple tyrant than a master manipulator whose end game, if he had one, will never be known due to his premature death. Finally, there are many political complexities that are left uncovered, such as Anthony's massive and unprecedented failure to conquer Parthia. Anthony also had many implacable enemies, such as Cicero, whose right hand he had nailed to the Senate doorway during the civil war that followed Caesar's assassination. I know I sound like a pedant, but given the lavishness of the production, why not have made it more accurate?With all of its flaws, I still recommend this warmly. The extras are also excellent, such as the documentary of the chaos of its production.

Set in the period when Rome conquered Egypt through to the assassination of Julius Caesar that opened the door for the supremacy of Mark Anthony, this breathtaking epic classic film features three of the finest actors that ever walked upon the planet – Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra); Richard Burton as Mark Anthony; and Rex Harrison as a brilliant Julius Caesar.This is a film of epic proportions, told in ‘two halves’. Filmed in the amazing Todao super-high definition cinematic format that knocks Cinemascope into a cocked hat, everything looks unbelievably ‘real’ – and the incredible resolution of the camera lenses reveals everything in minute detail – from the grain and texture of the marble right down to the blemishes and wrinkles on people’s skin. The cinematic realism gives one the feeling that you are right there walking around in the sumptuousness and splendour of ancient Egypt and ancient Rome as an observer of all that takes place as the amazing luxurious ‘true-life’ story unfolds – with the ever-present threat of death on the doorstep of those that rule. Talk about how ‘the other half’ live.There are many many sub-plots of historical significance to follow – all of which require the time and space to present them all a condensed cinematic format so as to fully grasp what goes wrong and WHY.To aid this process, the director tells the story over two significant periods – Julius Caesar’s arrival in Egypt and his power struggle and love affair with Queen Cleopatra that ultimately leads to Caesar’s assassination; and the ‘reign’ of Mark Anthony and the treachery that takes place following the murder of Caesar.The restoration is amazing, however, sadly, the original six-hour ‘directors cut’ has been lost due to poor storage, fire, and ‘disappearance’ of much of the original camera masters so short narrations have been deployed to keep us informed of what takes place where footage is missing or unusable so as to maintain continuity and intrigue to keep us on the edge of our seats. Whilst this loss is masterfully handled by the restorers and the loss does not detract us from the plotline in any way, what we do not fully experience and enjoy is the full power and majesty of the dialogue - which was constructed from the diaries of Cicero and the scribes of Cleopatra - and recited by three of the word’s finest orators of the English tongue.What remains are four-and-a-half hours of one of the finest historical epics ever made.This is a film you will watch many times. Watch it with a box of tissues near by – a handkerchief does not cut it.Five starsSTAY SAFE

I can only agree with all the early reviews saying what a fantastic new life Cleopatra has been given thanks to Blu-ray. My only slight complaint is that the colours could perhaps be a tad more intense. I recently saw Cleopatra in a brand new 70mm print in Copenhagen, and the hues there were definitely more rich and saturated.What made me terribly disappointed though, was the new (short) documentary titled Cleopatra's Missing Footage. Wow, I thought, finally we will see complete versions of some of the recently found cut scenes from Mankiewicz's original six-hour vision. Not so. Instead we hear some archivists tell us that this footage will probably never see the light of day, as endless research has been made over the years without results. One face even tells us that the four hour plus version we can behold now is just fine and really needs no extra scenes. Bull. Even the New York premiere running time version available on this Blu-ray exhibits far too many plot holes and continuity gaps. (Not to mention the messy and sometimes incomprehensive storytelling in the three hour plus cut we saw in Europe back in the sixties!) In my collection of vintage glossy photos from Cleopatra, I have at least ten that depict deleted scenes that would explain a lot of the often confusing action and present needed logic to the behaviour of several characters. Every minute of cut material would surely add lots to the enjoyment, understanding and artistic value of this magnificent film.But back to the new documentary: It seems like the talking heads here are unaware of the fact that MANY lost scenes were actually found about a decade ago in the Fox vaults. (And quite well preserved they look, too.) Parts of these treasures are shown towards the end of the superb documentary Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood, made for the DVD issue in 2001, and that lengthy bonus is now thankfully also included on the second Blu-ray disc. So why on earth are these exciting clips not mastered in anamorphic HD video, and presented as complete as possible in this brand new special feature made exclusively for the Blu-ray? And why are their fully visible existence not even mentioned by the "specialists" interviewed?So, a big minus for this misleading "documentary", and here's hoping that Fox one day will come to their senses and give us everything they've managed to unearth, maybe even to the point of including it in the film. I'm certain poor Mankiewicz would have loved that. One can always dream.

For me this film is a bit of a blast from the past. I remember it from the 70s and early 80s when it was the topic of conversations for a week after every TV screening. The DVD version I purchased (3 disc set) presents it with a run time of just over four hours (which apparently is longer than the original theatrical release) but just right for another long lonely night in during the current lockdown situation. The feature film comes on disc one and two, and in this case it's a good thing it's split. There is an entracte around the two hour mark and it's a welcome chance to get refreshments before you insert disc two. Also, it's a natural break in the story. Part one tells the story of Cleopatra and Caesar, in part two it's the more complicated and vastly more interesting story of Antony and Cleopatra.Elizabeth Taylor is dazzling as Cleopatra. For me this will forever be her most iconic role. I'm even prepared to forgive the incongruous high heels she wears. Rex Harrison makes for a dignified if rather theatrical Caesar. But whereas in my younger days it was all about the glamourous leading lady, on this recent revisiting of the film it was Richard Burton's performance as Antony that impressed me most. He really was a wonderful actor. Also nice to see Martin Landau in a very substantial supporting role as Rufio. And if you look closely, and at the right time, you can even spot Desmond Llewelyn (Bond's Q) as a Roman senator.Visually the film is dazzling with grandiose sets, costumes and make up. A real spectacle on an epic scale. The high point must surely be Cleopatra's entrance in Rome on that immense Sphinx throne pullled by Egyptian slaves. It's mindboggling. And back in the 60s in the years before cgi this was all built and done for real.The film is presented in widescreen format. Picture and sound quality are very nice, the colours are vibrant and subtitles are available for those who may need them. The bonus material on the third disc is plentiful and for me a welcome addition to a film I fondly remember from my youth. There may be better and historically more accurate films about the iconic Egyptian queen, but for me this is still the most enjoyable version. Loved seeing it again.