Cleopatra (1934)
…………………………………………………
Cleopatra Movie Review
Cleopatra is a 1934 historical film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Claudette Colbert. It’s a very pleasant surprise by all means.
………………………………………………….
“Great plays aren’t written,
they’re rewritten“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
Cecil B. DeMille is known in Hollywood for his sprawling epics and was thus a perfect fit for this source material. He directed the hell out of this picture and I honestly find his direction to be among the year’s best. He really knows how to make a hugely entertaining epic which is exactly what we got here.
This is a very famous story done many times throughout Hollywood’s history, but in this particular instance the emphasis is much more on the entertainment factor which surprised me pleasantly as I did not expect to have so much fun with it. It’s a hugely entertaining picture which is fun almost throughout its runtime thanks to a brisk pace and very amusing character interactions.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
The dialogue can be way too silly at times and the entire nature of the story and the film’s approach at telling it very much resembles a soap opera, but that led to an amusing, even charming film in its own right and I particularly appreciated the humor, the emotion and the characterization. Its heart is in the right place, the politics are subdued and I particularly appreciated that unforgettable ending which really makes an impact. The entire movie is epic in quality and very romantic and sensual.
The film mainly focuses on just these three characters and that was a superb choice that paid off significantly in making them more fleshed out. Julius Caesar is very memorable thanks to a good presence from Warren William and Marc Anthony is of course excellent and a lot of fun with Henry Wilcoxon delivering in terms of charisma and physicality. He was so well cast.
But let’s talk about the star of this picture. Claudette Colbert is absolutely magnificent here and this truly was her finest year ever. I found her performance in ‘It Happened One Night’ of course better, but not by that much as here she fitted the role very well actually and delivered in terms of her magnetic presence, sensual looks and a strong emotive performance.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
Cleopatra is also technically magnificent and I found the cinematography particularly striking and thus the Academy’s choice to honor it in that category was quite solid. It deserved its nomination for sound too and the score is excellent. The production design and the costumes are splendid. It is historically not a particularly realistic or revelatory or important lesson, but as a sexy and romantic drama, it succeeds quite a bit.
Of all the 1934 Best Picture nominees, Cleopatra is by far the most surprising one in terms of its quality as it’s such an underappreciated, very strong movie. Yes, its dialogue can be a bit silly and its approach is most definitely bordering on soapy, but this is one undeniably entertaining epic thanks to fun character interactions, strong emotion and a magnetic Claudette Colbert performance in the titular role. Cecil B. DeMille was a perfect fit for this film which features splendid costumes, production design, score and cinematography.
