Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35664 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-04-15
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, PAL, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Czech, Danish, English, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 248 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Still the most expensive movie ever made, Cleopatra nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. It also scandalised the world with the very public affair of its two major stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. But Joseph L Mankiewicz's 1963 epic deserves to be remembered for more than its off-screen troubles. An extravagantly elaborate production, the sets and costumes alone are awe-inspiring; Mankiewicz's own literate screenplay draws heavily on the classics and Shakespeare; while the supporting cast, led by Rex Harrison as Caesar and Roddy McDowall as his nephew (and future emperor) Octavian, are all first-rate thespians and generally put in more convincing performances than either of the two leads.

Mankiewicz's original intention was to make two three-hour films: the first being Caesar and Cleopatra, the second Antony and Cleopatra. But before the film’s completion, and following a boardroom coup worthy of Ancient Rome itself, legendary mogul Darryl F Zanuck took back control of Fox and insisted that Cleopatra be cut to a more economical length. A heartbroken Mankiewicz was forced to trim his six-hour vision down to four. This was the "roadshow" version shown at the film’s premiere and now restored here for the first time. Then following adverse criticism and pressure from cinema chains Zanuck demanded more cuts, and the final released version ran a mere three hours--half the original length.

Capitalising on the feverish publicity surrounding Burton and Taylor, the shortened version played up both their on- and off-screen romance. This longer four-hour roadshow version allows for a broader view of the film, adding some depth to the politics and manipulation of the characters. But the director’s original six-hour edit has been lost. Perhaps one day it will be rediscovered in the vaults and Mankiewicz’s much-maligned movie will finally be seen the way it was meant to be. Until then, Cleopatra remains an epic curiosity rather than the complete spectacle it should be.

On the DVD: this handsome three-disc set spreads the restored four-hour print of the movie across two discs. The anamorphic widescreen print looks quite magnificent and Alex North’s wondrous score comes up like new in Dolby 5.1 sound. There’s a patchy and only intermittently revealing commentary from Chris Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky. Much better is the comprehensive two-hour documentary that occupies disc three, which tells in hair-raising detail the extraordinary story of a film production that became totally out of control. This is accompanied by some short archival material, but the documentary alone is a compelling reason to acquire this set. --Mark Walker

Video Description
DVD Special Features: Audio commentary by Chris and Tom Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky
Two-hour documentary "Cleopatra: The Film that Changed Hollywood"
"The Fourth Star of Cleopatra" Featurette
Movietone News: New York Premiere, Hollywood Premiere
Three theatrical trailers
Three advance trailers
Five stills galleries: Costumes, Excerpts from the Original Commemorative
Theatre Program, Excerpts from the Original Exhibitors' Campaign Book and Manual, British Lobby Cards
Billboard Art, Key Art and Japanese Poster Art

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 widescreen 16:9 version
Language: English Dobly 5.1
Subtitles: Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, English for the hearing impaired.

Synopsis
This epic, spectacular love story of Egyptian queen Cleopatra and the Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Marc Antony has dazzled audiences with its elaborate sets, daring costumes, and thrilling sea battle since its release, but these can't compare with Elizabeth Taylor as the mesmerizing Cleopatra, struggling to save her Egyptian empire. When this film was released, it was known as much for its opulent filmmaking as it was for its huge budget overruns--it took two years to film because of Taylor's various ailments and a major script rewrite by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, moving the shooting studio from England to Italy, and replacing the original director and the actors to play the Roman leaders--as well as the very public and tempestuous offscreen affair between costars Taylor and Richard Burton, who duplicated their romance on the silver screen as the doomed Cleopatra and her true love, Marc Antony. Despite all the hubbub surrounding the film, audiences realised that its spectacular story could not be denied, and it has remained a classic ever since. The triple-star power of Taylor, Burton, and Rex Harrison (playing Julius Caesar) radiates throughout this lengthy production, and Mankiewicz, a consummate magician at depicting the shadings of human emotion, directed this threesome in one of the most famous and gloriously powerful love triangles ever to be captured on film.

Customer Reviews

A Flawed Masterpiece
This revamped DVD of Twentieth Century Fox's 1963 folly is superb in virtually every aspect. The four hour version of the film is split between two discs with a third providing a hugely entertaining two hour documentary about the various machinations of the production exposing an almost unbelievable story of excess and stupidity. But far from being a $44,000,000 white elephant, Cleopatra comes across as a film of immense grace and style. A veritable plague of British character actors support the three principals and give solid performances throughout. Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar steals the acting honours in this cut with Richard Burton's Mark Anthony coming a poor second. However, the personality of Elizabeth Taylor dominates the film, with her astonishing beauty enhanced by some stunningly camp costumes and wigs. Her acting is adequate and occasionally very good, but her visual presence is everything and it is difficult to imagine any other actress at that time carrying it off. What we are seeing here is, of course, a heavily cut version of what was originally intended by the director Joe Mankiewicz. The two hours of missing footage is continuously referred to throughout the documentary and the running commentary and there must come a time when these deleted scenes are restored so that the original vision can be appreciated for the first time. One or two of these scenes are shown in the documentary along with a number taken from the aborted Pinewood version of the film. Alex North's score is simply brilliant, and the DVD captures every nuance perfectly. Compared to the crudity of 'Gladiator', Cleopatra appears positively poetic. A literate script, glorious music and costumes and real three-dimensional sets (even if the Arch of Constantine is wrongly referred to repeatedly as the Arch of Titus and wasn't built until more than three hundred years after the events of the film). My only complaint is that the end credits were not included and although presented in widescreen, there still appears to be some cropping at the edges. Never can it be said more appropriately of any film: 'They don't make them like that anymore'.

DVD Print Quality Simply Outstanding
For a film that is now more than forty years old this DVD is simply outstanding. The film itself is contained on two DVDs and the extra features can be found on the third DVD. But if you view the film you will feel that this has just been produced, such is the quality. Sure the special effects are not there, so obvious in modern films like the 2004 epic Troy, but everything is done on a grand scale. The film remains the most expensive film ever made and you can understand why. Whereas today many of the grand sets would be done on computers, 20th Century Fox had to produce everything as a real set. So when you see Cleopatra's grand entrance to Rome this is the real deal, not pixels. The colours are vivid, the sound very powerful and the acting of the two main stars - Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton - is highly charged. Impressive historical entertainment.

The Most Important Movie In Hollywood History
Cleopatra is astounding on every level - the magnificent sets, the unique array of actors and, infamously, a production that almost cost 20th Century Fox its bankruptcy.
This superb 3 disc collectors edition restores Cleopatra to its original 4 hour 3 minute length, spread over 2 discs and shining with crystal perfection - both in picture and sound. A third disc is brimming with bonus material - including original theaterical trailers, still galleries and an amazing 2 hour documentary of the creation of the most important movie ever made.
Elizabeth Taylor is stunning as Cleopatra and, regardless of what you have read, she pulls off the role with ease - this is pure entertainment and a movie that will never be matched again. The biggest shame is that 2 hours worth of material is still lost - the directors intention was for 2 films running 3 hours long - totalling a 6 hour epic. However, lost footage found has been included in the documentary on disc 3 and you will feel a great uplift in seeing it. One day, the 6 hour film, as it was intented will be available, but until then, this 4 hour version is worth every second of your attention. This is a film that changed Hollywood forever and a film this good has never been seen since.