Cleopatra (1934) :
Brief Review -
Cecil B. DeMille's trademark grandeur is exquisite, dramatic and visually pathbreaking. Can you name any historical epic biggies with a female lead? Scarcely yes. Cleopatra has to be the biggest after "Judith of Bethulia" (1914). And who else besides Cecil B. Demille could have made it? The man who made "The Ten Commandments" (1956), the biggest on-screen spectacle of its time, was also the one who made Cleopatra - again the biggest on-screen spectacle of its time. When I think about the biggest grandeurs of all, be it Ben-Hur or The Ten Commandments or even "Cabiria" (1914), I notice that none of them had a female character in the lead role. That's why Cleopatra stands tall and apart from other historical epics. The story, as we know, is bit fictionalised, according to dramatic moments for the sake of cinema. But if one has to learn anything from it, then one must remember those two old sayings: 'Behind every successful man there is a woman', and 'Behind a successful man's downfall, there is a woman.' As this film shows, the great Caesar was murdered because of a woman, and his heir, the brave Antony, who could have conquered the world, lost his life because of a woman only. Cleopatra was never a great soul. She just knew how to lure men and make love, and that's what caused her to lose Egypt. Anyway, DeMille creates a stupendous and humongous big-screen extravaganza, setting a landmark for the filmmakers. The war sequences in the last 20 minutes are wonderful. That scene of Cleopatra trying to lure Antony on a huge ship has got a grandeur of another level. Claudette Colbert made 1934 the most memorable year of her life by delivering two of her greatest performances ever, with Cleopatra and "It Happened One Night". Warren William and Henry Wilcoxon are fantastic too. As a whole, this was the biggest on-screen bonanza of the 1930s decade, and DeMille deserves all the credit for his extraordinary vision.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Cecil B. DeMille's trademark grandeur is exquisite, dramatic and visually pathbreaking. Can you name any historical epic biggies with a female lead? Scarcely yes. Cleopatra has to be the biggest after "Judith of Bethulia" (1914). And who else besides Cecil B. Demille could have made it? The man who made "The Ten Commandments" (1956), the biggest on-screen spectacle of its time, was also the one who made Cleopatra - again the biggest on-screen spectacle of its time. When I think about the biggest grandeurs of all, be it Ben-Hur or The Ten Commandments or even "Cabiria" (1914), I notice that none of them had a female character in the lead role. That's why Cleopatra stands tall and apart from other historical epics. The story, as we know, is bit fictionalised, according to dramatic moments for the sake of cinema. But if one has to learn anything from it, then one must remember those two old sayings: 'Behind every successful man there is a woman', and 'Behind a successful man's downfall, there is a woman.' As this film shows, the great Caesar was murdered because of a woman, and his heir, the brave Antony, who could have conquered the world, lost his life because of a woman only. Cleopatra was never a great soul. She just knew how to lure men and make love, and that's what caused her to lose Egypt. Anyway, DeMille creates a stupendous and humongous big-screen extravaganza, setting a landmark for the filmmakers. The war sequences in the last 20 minutes are wonderful. That scene of Cleopatra trying to lure Antony on a huge ship has got a grandeur of another level. Claudette Colbert made 1934 the most memorable year of her life by delivering two of her greatest performances ever, with Cleopatra and "It Happened One Night". Warren William and Henry Wilcoxon are fantastic too. As a whole, this was the biggest on-screen bonanza of the 1930s decade, and DeMille deserves all the credit for his extraordinary vision.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.