Cleopatra is an iconic film from the 60s which has also been discussed ad nauseam because she was portrayed by a white woman, which was typical of movies in the 1960s. I completely understand that we need to have more diversity in films, but sometimes the original films are still well done and are worth watching. Ben Hur would be in that list for me. Of course it would be better to have a more appropriate cast representing these characters, but the original was so epic that it will linger in infamy for years to come. The remake was a cheap imitation of another iconic film. It didn't have the same credibility and emotion that the original had. There is just something to be said about the energy of the cast in these films. Sometimes, though, the content is a bit chauvinistic, sexist or racist because there were only rich white straight men producing and directing these films, so only their ideals were portrayed. I'll be curious to see which direction this film takes. It is likely to be both iconic and moving as well as sexist because they treated Elizabeth Taylor as a sex object for the screen. She was such an iconic woman herself, which is why I felt this would be a good film to watch for Women's History Month. In a time when women couldn't even own a house or have their own bank account without a husband or father to have control over it, she was a pioneer, set her own demands and got what she wanted with her life. She showed that women could be in control and handle it well. They could dominate their field and be intelligent, so much more than they had been given credit for. I'm pretty excited to finally watch this film since the only time I've really seen it referenced is in the movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar when they're teaching young Bobby Lee how to talk to they boy she likes. A woman like that made her own rules, so that was the lesson they were trying to instill in the teen girl. I guess it's time to find out what it's all about and if it can live up to the hype.
This is definitely a great movie. Elizabeth Taylor, although not Egyptian or of anything other than European descent, was a brilliant decision for the role in the era this was made. Nowadays you would be able to find someone more fitting for the background of the role, but at the time, Elizabeth Taylor was definitely the woman who held the power and allure that Cleopatra herself is revered to have had. She was an intelligent woman who carried herself with grace and elegance, all while not cowing to another's will. These are exactly the kinds of descriptions used for Cleopatra, as well. You could tell that she would constantly be working out plans while it seemed that everyone else had plans for her. She held such poise and power, knowing her worth and not letting others take it from her. Even when being manhandled by Caesar, she was calm and just asked something along the lines of, "Is that how this is going to be?" She didn't bother arguing with him and you could tell that she had the wheels turning in her head to best deal with the situation, knowing brute force wouldn't work. She was cool, calculated and cunning. Exactly what she needed to be for her situation. I honestly imagine the real Cleopatra to be the same way because how else could a woman rule in a man's world other than to subvert his plans without his even realizing it? She used him as a means to an end at first, though I think she grew to care for him by the time she decided to have his child.
That child... To think of what the world could have been like with the child of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra in it, molding it. The thought that soldiers could so callously kill a child with no care or concern pains me on such a deep level. I know children still die in war to this day, but more as a casualty of being near the war than actually being specifically targeted. To see each of his parents teaching him their methods of ruling, knowing he was getting the best of both worlds, that he would have made a fine ruler one day, only to see his life snuffed out so early broke me in a way that I didn't know could happen. I have looked up the history of the situation and Caesarion was actually 17 when he was killed instead of the 10 or 12 that the actor looked in the film. Apparently there were also children from Mark Antony that weren't mentioned in the film, as well. But even knowing he was 17, on the verge of being able to rule on his own as an adult is equally sad. I wonder what their empire would have been like had he been allowed to take over. What would have changed for the future generations of Egyptians who lost their identity after that. Their dynasties were at an end. I know this happened thousands of years ago, but it's still just as much a tragedy today as it was then. To think of all that was lost, the history, the culture, the heritage. It happened to so many cultures across the globe every time the Greeks, Romans, British, Russians and Chinese decided to expand and try to force the local communities to adopt their "more civilized way of life." Being raised in an Irish family, one thing I cherish most is our traditions, the things that really make us "Irish," so when I hear of the loss of cultures it truly pains me because I know there is so much of the Irish culture that I never got to learn because the British deemed the Irish to be uncivilized and our Druid past was wiped out because they didn't use written language to memorialize anything when they were gone. It was all spoken histories. We have some of the traditions left and others were lost to time and new ones were created. So I felt the loss of that dynasty when watching this film because it was more than the lives of the leaders that were lost in those days at the end. It was their entire heritage that was being eclipsed and it would eventually fade away. At least their history was preserved a lot since the buildings were so well constructed and Rome didn't see fit to try to destroy them or deface them. We had something to look at to get a picture of their lives and they could live on forever in some way. That's actually why they did things the way they did them. They believed that they would remain immortal if they were remembered, which is why they would destroy anything with your name or face as a punishment most severe. If you were truly forgotten, how could anyone ever say you existed? Brilliant, really, because their pharaohs are remembered still to this day and have achieved some sort of immortality and generations after have marveled at what they created.
The costume designs and the stage settings of this film are amazing! They really went for it and spared no expense. It's kind of fascinating to imagine how much work it was to achieve the look that they went for without modern CGI capabilities. They were able to paint backdrops to set the scene, but the actual scenes had to be built and the costumes are so incredibly detailed. It's a level of work that blows my mind. Especially the scene where the Egyptians come to Rome. I can truly imagine the Egyptian queen wanting to put on a display that the Romans would never forget, showcasing their wealth and power as a country. The numerous tribes that came out and did displays showed how far reaching their empire was, as well. I'm sure that it was a botched idea of differing cultures in Africa, but it came together nicely to represent varying tribes in her empire. It was the most incredible display and must have taken a long time to come up with the costumes, set design and choreography for that one particular scene. Then she descends from the pinnacle of her sphinx, wearing this absolutely stunning golden dress, being carried by a handful of men on a platform that swiveled to maintain a level balance so she wouldn't feel jostled. It was a beautiful display that was well thought out and brilliantly crafted. Throughout the entire film there were images of pure opulence and wonder, showcasing the Egyptian aesthetic to the highest caliber and I loved it. I'm sure some things were more of interpretations instead of exact replications of their style and design elements, but they did well to emulate it and make you believe you were in that era.
This film is still a strong film that captivates you and held me for the immensely long run time that it has. I wasn't expecting it to take nearly four hours of my day when I watched it, but it was well worth it. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it. When I went to look for this film, it wasn't streaming for free on any channels I was subscribed to and I couldn't rent it from my local library. I wound up renting it from Amazon video instead. The film was well written, flowed nicely and left me even more intrigued by Egyptian history than I had been before I watched it. It' holds up fairly well to today's standards, yet still shows you what was loved most in the older films. An era long past, but still worth revisiting.
This is the last film I have scheduled for my "Movies I've Never Seen" blog, but it might not be the actual end of it. I have still never finished a post after watching Rocky and I had a few other films on the list that didn't get watched yet, so I might randomly visit this again and add something new here and there. For now, thanks for following my journey through films both old and new and stay tuned for a new year of movies that I can't get enough of! "You're Watching That Again?!" is a whole new theme and I can't wait to share with you my absolute favorites and "go-to's" when I can't decide what to watch.
For more movie love, check out my other blog, "You're Watching That Again?!"
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