Rating: 
Summary: A truly extraordinary work of film.
Review: I have to admit I wasn't born until about 12 years after the film was made. It was always one of those films you heard was either really good or really bad. I used to work for a video retailer, and it was always one way or the other with people. For years I toyed with the idea of getting the film. It had gone out of print, so I thought of buying it, but never got around to doing so. Then when the DVD came out I picked it up mainly because years of curiosity got the better of me. I started with watching the two-hour documentary. And it must admit it really helped me understand the hype behind the film, and put it into the historical context of the time. It is one of, if not THE best, documentary extras ever on a DVD. It is about the only major extra on the set. A short 1963 newsreel documentary is also included along with a trailer or two. Then I sat down to watch the film with its marathon length of 405mins! It was breathtaking. It was captivating and rich in texture and scope. The scenery was extraordinary (and none of it CG...even better) and one can really see why the producer wanted no one else but Liz Taylor for the role, and why she signed the first million dollar contract to do it. An extraordinary piece of film with a great presentation on DVD makes this the edition to buy before it goes out of print.
Rating:
Summary: Noting succeds like Excess
Review: Cleopatra, infamous as possably the most expensive movie ever made, is nevertheless a lumbering white elephant of a film, poorly written, dramatically slack, indifferently acted and about an hour and a half too long, it is made tolerable only by the spectacle of its excess. What makes this DVD special is not just the film's sparkling widescreen transfer, but the many extras which shed light on this historic fiasco. The excellent "making of" feature is far more interesting than the film itself and is worth the price of the DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: THE BEST HISTORICAL EPIC
Review: This is another epic I would never forget. Shocking, dramatic, the best.
Rating:
Summary: Cleopatra shines!
Review: Many have mentioned the length of the movie and stated that it was overlong and boring.Guess what? I found the recently made for TV one laughable to say the best. It was just another MTV generation, "show us the b... and wiggle your a...", kind of movie. Stereotyped actors freshly out of Academic acting at best. In the 1963 version you've got true Greatness. Many also blabber about the Cecil B. DeMille '30s version, which was good for Hollywood greatness but ridiculous in historic terms. You should consider it like "The Robe" and "Demetrius and the Gladiators": a two-parter. The first part being the first movie, centering on the political, military and sentimental liaison between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra (beautifully played by Rex Harrison and Liz Taylor). This is where Caesar having vanquished Pompaeus finally elevates Cleopatra to ally of Rome and defies the Senate by marrying her, despite the fact that he is already married! The second part starts after the Ides of March. Rome is plunged into civil war following Caesar's assassination. A new man rises, Marc Antony and he's got all the chances to become the next Emperor of Rome. Unfortunately for him, in order to achieve victory over the plotters against the State he's forced to make concessions, one of which is to part the Empire in three pieces, thus being a Triumvirate. Cleopatra won't accept the evidence and humiliates Marc Antony in public. In the end, after a long struggle, both like orphans without a spiritual father, fall for each other and a passionate love affair starts out of sheer despair for the future of Egypt and the Roman Empire. The end is inevitable, Marc Antony makes mistake after mistake. Diplomatic and not, until he finally gets a firm answer from Rome: either with us or against us. In the end there's only death in sight. Death of our heroes, death of a period and the death of values. It certainly is not Gladiator, but is the faithful account (as far as it is possible in the world of movie making) of those glorious bygone days. Burton and Taylor performances truly shine, despite the fact that they both consumed a lot of alcohol during the filming just to keep up with both their tempers. A fact, that for a movie like this and the situations depicted by the two, could only help. Rex Harrison as the older, weakend and disillusioned Caesar is in top form and adds to a realistic if not historic depiction of the famous would-be Emperor. The costumes, the sets, the battles were all recreated following meticolously documents of that period. Everything is "real". So, the next time somebody should call it pompous or fake, he should bite his tongue, because everything you get to see in this movie is as it really was. If you're looking for gladiators slashing each other to pieces, you're in the wrong place. But if you're interested in history and historic recreation then you get plenty for your money. Naval battles as they were really fought at sea, Republican Rome as it was before the Civil War, Alexandria as it appeared when the famous Library still existed. All this and more, all faithfully rebuilt for the feast of your eyes. And then there is the Love Story of all times, even made famous by Shakespeare himself and which couldn't have been told more clearly and played out more vividly and passionately than here. If you still don't like it go with "Caddyshack" or "Dumb and Dumber", you're better off with those...
Rating:
Summary: Was this well done of your lady?
Review: Forget the naysayers; Cleopatra is pure entertainment. Every one of its 246 minutes is filled with opulence and visual treats. Elizabeth Taylor plays the Egyptian queen who used her feminie wiles to make powerful alliances with both Ceasar (Rex Harrison) and Marc Antony (Richard Burton). She bore Ceasar's son, but lost everything in her devotion of Antony. The grand scale of the film makes it a pleasure to watch, and not a guilty pleasure. Cleopatra's entrance into Rome is one of my favorite movie scenes of all time. No expense was spared in receating the glory of Rome and Egypt. The film is well-acted and well-written. Harrison's Ceasar is majestic and cunning, and Taylor and Burton still burn up the screen even after all these years. They don't make lavish spectacles like this anymore; enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: Time to re-assess "Cleopatra"
Review: Between scandals and an unbelievably wasteful budget, "Cleopatra" almost sank under its reputation BEFORE anyone saw it. Those who did see it in its original release were pleased despite mixed reviews. Today, it is possible to see that it is a GOOD film. Not a great one, but a good one. The sets are appropriately lavish, not the tacky ones envisioned by those who believe that it MUST be a bomb to have so much bad press. The script is intelligent. The acting is well done EXCEPT for Taylor who never really gives it her all. She is only adequate. An excellent documentary is included. This is a historical spectacle well worth seeing. It is a good film that most of us missed because we have been poisoned by all of the gossip surrounding the film. Never mind that. Just see it and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth Taylor Reigns Supreme!
Review: Cleopatra is one the all time classic of motion pictures of all time. The cinematography is the first thing you notice. This movie does everything on a grand scale of imagery and color. With thousands of extras, costumes and brilliant sets sprinkled throughout. Everything on a very large scale and the power of the scenes can vibrate through the screen The DVD contains an extremely cool look at the politic behind the productions. The trials and tribulations of getting the picture off the ground, into production and out of the can and into the theatres was a major battle. Richard Burton, Roddy McDowell and Martin Landau give stoic but multi layered performances. The Jewel in this movies crown is by far Elizabeth Taylor. He performance ranges from outraged to the sweetest lover you would ever want to have. In the end she even dies in grace and with honor. A very layered character, Cleopatra was troubled, hurt and extremely promiscuous at least until she met Marc Anthony. The all "hell" broke lose between the Egyptians and the Romans. Accurately portrayed too! Its is a great look at ancient history and for film students all over the documentary can really educate you on why Hollywood film making is the way it is today. The magic of the epic movie has never been as bright. This is a must for your DVD collections.
Rating:
Summary: Only a 5 star will do
Review: My review is simple. Cleopatra could be watched on anthing, from
DVD, VHS, to plain cable and it would still be wonderful. I have
seen it on all three in the years past and to see it on DVD was
amazing I have to say. I truely love this movie for what it is and
for what it stands for in the name of love and war. It shows truth
to the saying " The line between love and hate is but very thin."
I enjoy watching it over and over and seem to see new things everytime I view it.
Thank you
Rating:
Summary: A Great Film Despite Taylor's Performance
Review: The DVD is an excellent bargain. The documentary by Landau and Chris and Tom Mankiewicz is informative and entertaining. Despite the now notorious beating "Cleopatra" took in the reviews of the time, its re-assessment by critics of late has redeemed it to the status of "a good film." and possible a great film. There are really only three stars that endure in the film - Rex Harrison, Richard Burton, and the lavish production itself. Regrettably, the star for whom the film became most famous must remain excluded. Anyone with a serious appreciation for acting has to conclude that Elizabeth Taylor was largely lost in the role. Her capacities as an actress were simply inadequate for a role of this scope. She even commented herself at how ridiculous the project sounded - which may have been an inadvertant admission that she was doubtful she could ever deliver a single line of classical dimension. Throughout, we are routinely reminded that we are watching a Hollywood actress playing a character. Although visually stunning and certainly as good physically in the part as any other could be, so many of Taylor's lines are delivered in a manner ill-suited to the scene. It was recalled that on seeing the final release she headed for the restroom and threw up. From the viewer's perspective, it's hard to attribute this (as the implication suggests) primarily to the two hours of her performance that wound up on the cutting room floor. Harrison, Burton and the magnificent sets make the film compensatorially enjoyable. While the studio and most of the actors view it as an albatross in their careers, the excessive waste and financial loss come out in the raw film which remains as an ironic benefit to the viewing public. While admitted by the producers that accurate historical detail was not a priority, a couple of observations are noteworthy. The appearance of Marcus Agrippa (Andrew Keir) as a trusted general of Caesar is anachronistic. Agrippa was inextricably linked in real history to Octavian, the nemesis of Caesar in the film. Germanicus, again, was Octavian's man not related to the career of Caesar at all. The forum, although extremely well done in the film, was largely a fabrication which resembles no single representation of any of its historical configurations. The arch through which the sphynx is drawn never existed at the time, and even the ones that later appear in history were never erected in the position seen. Finally, the supposed destruction of the great library at Alexandria by the fires set by Caesar's men is also incorrect. While slightly damaged in this event, it remained largely intact and in continued use until the time of Constantine in the 4th century A.D.
Rating:
Summary: Where's Cleopatra
Review: This movie is based upon the fascinating Cleopatra but it's really the men that stand out. Rex Harrison, Richard Burton and Roddy McDowall are terrific. I don't know what other movies came out that year but all three should have been nominated for their roles. I really wanted to see more of McDowall, he really isn't in the first half of the movie. What a schemer! I could see how he became the great Augustus. Elizabeth Taylor is barely adequate as Cleopatra. I found myself looking more at her wigs and gowns than paying attention to her lines. Sure was beautiful though.
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