Saturday Night Cinema

Sorry for the unexpected Hiatus but my duties as a Mom preempted my duties as a blogger turned movie critic.

Cleopatra
Date: 1963
Directed By: Joseph Mankiewicz
Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton. Also Hume Cronyn and Martin Landau

This movie is an epic. Epic film, epic story, epic cost, epic cinema legends, epic costume changes, epic length, epic amounts of sparkly blue eye shadow, epic everything. Cleopatra almost ruined Twentieth Century Fox, Elizabeth Taylor solidified her role as diva. She and Richard Burton began their infamous affair on the set and the movie cost a lot of money.

The costumes in this film make me chuckle. It is fun to see all of the pictures from my costume history book on screen but some of the designs are laughable though stunning. And I don't think even Cleopatra herself had that many wigs. Liz Taylor had 65 costume changes.

My favorite lines:
Cleopatra: You come before me as a suppliant.
Antony: If you choose to regard me as such.
Cleopatra: You will therefore assume the position of a suppliant before this throne. You will kneel.
Antony: I will WHAT?
Cleopatra: On-your-knees!
Antony: You dare ask the Proconsul of the Roman Empire?
Cleopatra: I ASKED it of Julius Caesar. I DEMAND it of you!

Serious passion and serious cleavage.