Cleopatra

I read the reviews that said Cleopatra's film restoration was very good. Well, they didn't lie. It's beautiful and just as great a film as it was when it was first introduced, actually, better because of all the extra footage. I sat down to watch it and thought I would be bored half way through. To my surprise I hardly realized the time passed. I will say I watched it over two days. Certainly, no one could match Elizabeth Taylor's beauty and was the perfect pick to play the Egyptian queen. Rex Harrison was superb, as he always is and RIchard Burton, although he came off as something of a wimp, played the part well. Roddy McDowell was a great Octavian and I really enjoyed his performance. I watched the extras on the DVD and found out that he was supposed to be nominated for best performance in a supporting role, but do to a glitch was nominated instead for a starring role and didn't win. He would have almost surely won if he had be placed in the right catagory. What a shame for such a talented actor. I know I will enjoy watching this film over and over again. As usual in my reviews, I don't get too technical or rattle off the names of all the behind the scenes directors and so on, But let me say that just looking at Irene Sharaf's costume design was worth the price of the DVD. Of course the fact that Ms. Taylor was wearing them helped. You should get this film for the pure pleasure of looking at the richness of the colors and the brilliance of those who saw this an epic film even if it did cost 40 million or so to make.

Remember seeing this a long time ago and I remember how great the production and acting were. Still the same grandeur, even for today's standards!

I have to give all the credit to this film to the original cinematographer and the TODD-AO 65mm process. Without their great initial work the restoration would not have been as good. I would say the picture is a little soft, but not really noticeable, colors are bright and even, I'm sure this is a good as anyone would have seen from the rear of the theater at the original roadshow. A highly underrated film. I watched on two different nights. I agree to long for one sitting. Its basically two movies, one before Caesar died and one after. I do think Joan Collins could have worked in this role, but Liz Taylor was still a great choice. Sorry to hear that it didn't make money till the 70's though. 38 million in 1963 ! wow. Its amazing 20th Century survived. The theory this film flopped is untrue. The Longest Day saved its bacon during production, and it did make 28 million by 1966 or so. So it really may have saved the studio in the end, I think the criticism is unjust now I've seen the film. Certainly great performances throughout. I would put it on a par with Spartacus, but not Ben Hur. Script editing would have helped if Mankewiez had had time, but he didn't so we are reduced to 4 hours, the butchered cut I've never seen and I'm glad. 3 and 1/2 hours would be better and you can see where some stuff could be cut, but I understand originally it was nearly 6 hours. Still a great film and well worth you taking the time out of your life to watch it, especially if you like history or Richard Burton.

I have to thank reviewers M. G. PHILLIPS and Mike Morrison for their excellent reviews of this restoration. It's because of their well thought out reviews that I bought the Blu-ray version. Even with their reviews in mind, I was astonished by how good this film looks! Scene after scene, I found new details I've never been able to make out in the previous versions I've seen. Beyond the wonderful work done on restoring the film, the special features bring a whole new facet to the fascinating story behind the making of the film. If you love this film, or know someone who does, I highly recommend picking up this movie. It's a great price for a high quality restoration with some excellent special features. You won't be disappointed.

This BluRay Book version of Cleopatra is fabulous. The picture quality is remarkable, and seeing the entire movie in widescreen for perhaps the first time in my life was a unique experience. The detail in the picture is sharp and very life-like. Many visual subtleties come through that I haven't noticed before. There's a great feeling of depth in the image, a depth that's necessary for the many scenes that were staged on huge open spaces depicting grand palaces and cities. Remarkable! I usually find myself drifting off if not falling asleep when this movie is aired on broadcast TV, especially if the movie is interrupted and cut up by commercials. Seeing the movie in its entirety without breaks gave me a new appreciation for the direction, pacing and editing of this film that I hadn't had previously. This film is heavy with dialogue. Seeing it uninterrupted and in widescreen helps the dialogue flow in a natural way that fights against it becoming turgid. I found myself gaining new respect for the acting of Elizabeth Taylor. It's funny, but watching the BluRay, I did not for an instant believe she was an Egyptian while at the same time I found her acting to be quite believable. Richard Burton has his share of over-the-top, stagey moments, but they actually work in the context of this 4-hour movie, as they're few and far between. Those speeches aren't as stagey when the actor is framed in a widescreen shot, as opposed to the close-up one got in the old pan-n-scan versions. Rex Harrison is well-night perfect as Caesar, and the supporting cast is balanced and highly accomplished. The packaging is also very nice. The BluRay book itself comes in a slipcase that should mitigate against wear and tear, while the pages in the book supply some stills and a bit of interesting text. What's kept me from giving this BD a 5-star rating is the sound, which is cramped even in its surround mode and which gets distorted at a few points. There's an edge to the voices at times as well. That said, the large-vista and heavily populated scenes DO gain quite a bit from the surround sound, no more so than in the scenes where armies and horses are heard moving about. All in all this is a BD well worth owning. The extras on the discs are substantial and added to my appreciation of the film. Highly recommended.

I hadn't seen this film in many years, decided to buy it. What a classic and always will be!

I was 12 when this movie came out and remember seeing it in the theater, and what a spectacle it was. But I definitely did not appreciate the story line as much as I do now after 50 years of following politics and reading about world history and how events are shaped in many cases by the force of a single individual or a small group.The story is fairly true to the historical record, but whether or not it is totally accurate it's still a great story. The sets are stunning and of course were done before CGI made it easy to simulate an entire city or add a cast of thousands. No wonder it broke the record for cost. The cast is stellar, even aside from Burton and Taylor who are wonderful to watch.The restoration is terrific, very well done. And talk about strong women in movies - Cleopatra is clearly the strongest character in this movie. She knows exactly what needs to be done in order to become ruler of the world - if only these stupid men would get with the program and listen to her. Overall this movie is great fun to watch for many reasons - Taylor, Burton, the at times over-the-top sets, the story, etc., etc. Even though it is four hours long, it's engrossing and easy to take in in one sitting. How many movies are there that can hold an audience for that long?

Cleopatra may be the most opulent motion picture of all time and is a testament to Elizabeth Taylor and the other actors and artisans from this pre-computer generated image era. It was a high point for the magnificence of Todd-AO 70mm and the unique richness of De Luxe Color - all beautifully and faithfully transferred by 20th Century Fox to this new Blu-ray edition. I saw Cleopatra in its first run and recognized it's short-comings possibly caused by the severe cuts made to Joseph Mankiewicz's original vision to release Cleopatra, it is said, as two films telling the Caesar story in one film and the Anthony story in the second. One can only imagine how much of the story and character development got left on the cutting room floor. Cleopatra's legacy has moved far beyond earning the label as the most expensive film ever made - due to waste and mismanagement that nearly caused the demise of Fox Studios. There are "extras" on the Blu-ray version that expose many of such myths. I invite you to see this Cleopatra - a beautiful example of what Blu-ray can do for home viewing and the potential for visually jaw-dropping moments that show the art of motion pictures. This Cleopatra is perhaps more relevant than ever today with efforts to depict (at least Hollywood-style) a well-rounded view of one of the most famous female characters in history, as portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor, an icon of her times. I purchased my Blu-ray copy of Cleopatra in February, 2012 from amazon.co.uk after finding out it would play on U.S. players. This spectacular Blu-ray version of Cleopatra will soon be available to purchase in the U.S. Highly recommended to all film buffs.

Esta película es igual de magnífica como «Ben-Hur», «Los diez mandamientos», «Lo que el viento se llevó», o incluso «Espartaco». Quitando la música de inicio (introducción), intermedio, entreacto, y música final, tendría una duración aproximada de cuatro horas exactas; las mejores cuatro horas que jamás haya disfrutado en mi vida. Espléndida en toda la extensión de la palabra, que la pantalla se queda corta con lo magnífica que es esta cinta, ¡sublime! Audio original en inglés 5.1 DTS HD Máster Audio, y subtítulos en inglés SDH, francés, castellano de España, danés, holandés, suomi, noruego, portugués brasileño, sueco, hebreo, islandés, chino tradicional, portugués europeo, y español mexicano.

I have very version of this film as loved it since first seeing it at the London premier in 1963. This version however is spectacular. Its the full version with many deleted scenes that even I have never seen before.....many extras too whihc are fascinating in their own right....The one thing that stands out though is the colours...the stand out like never before and are as good as the original film. There is a small booklet to celebreat the 50th anniversay of the glossy Hollywood version of the story, which was one of the last blockbuster 60s films of that era. One of the facts that is much bounded around that I learnt about in the extras is that this film almost bankrupted the studio and they had to see off a lot of their land....This is totally wrong as much of the old studio back lot was plabbed to be sold off even before the film had gone into production....another Hollywood myth then destroyed....and so it should be. Great package all round and highly recommend it to any Burton/Taylor fan or Hollywood blockbuster epic fans ot anyone really. A film of the likes you will probably never see again.

Una gran producción muy bien adaptadas? cda detalle es grandioso.

Brilliant in this HD picture and sound quality

El paquete me llego rapidísimo, la película es una joya del cine épico me encantó, gracias amigos de amazon México