Cleopatra

Truly a marvel of space and time; a film that is four hours long but feels like it goes on for days. Even more amazing is how dull they manged to make some of history's most romanticized figures. It feels more like a bunch of famous actors playing dress up than creating actual characters. I've never been much of a Rex Harrison fan but, man, does he feel miscast here. Everyone does. The only things I enjoyed were how thoroughly bored Burton looked in most of his scenes and Taylor's epic wardrobe.

Liz Taylor was surprisingly hot in this movie.

Not bad.

Given the title, this movie really doesn't focus on the Egyptian queen at all. It is more focused on the war sequences then using Taylor's talents to their prime in portraying the famed Cleopatra. Rex Harrison did awesome as Caesar even though he had an English accent. Marc Anthony was weakly acted and minded. It's ok for the time it was made but could have tried more to make Cleopatra the centerpiece instead of a just a title and a face you see from time to time.

This movie is way too long but Elizabeth Taylor is great.

Cleopatra is a magnificent production, but as a film it is merely good. There's certainly enough content for a four hour epic of political and romantic intrigue, but instead it chooses to focus on showing off the grand production values and dramatic line readings. Still enjoyable, but could have been more.

Originally, this was planned to be two three-hour movies, and it shows; it feels like a movie about Julius Caesar wedged together with a movie about Mark Antony, with supporting character Cleopatra somehow given title role. But I'm glad this isn't even longer; it's already draggy, padded with spectacle that isn't spectacular and political intrigue that I can't connect to because the characters think conquering the world is the highest good. Good stuff: Sets, Landau, Taylor & Burton's chemistry.

Overly long, but Elizabeth Taylor was HOT, very HOT.

More like cleavopatra. For real though I don't care how many awesome costumes you put her in, Elizabeth Taylor just isn't a good enough actress to carry this for four hours.

A bloated mess of an epic that's only redeeming quality is Oscar-winning sets, costumes and cinematography. Intended as a star vehicle for Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, the film's draw is ultimately its greatest weakness as the lead performances are lifeless and boring.

Too long, it should have shortened, but the performance of Elizabeth Taylor is great. Only Richard Burton kind of sucks.

Another classic example of outstanding characterizations. Rex Harrison dominates the first half of the film with his gripping portrayal of Julius Caesar. Richard Burton takes over after the intermission to take the audience to the none-too-happy conclusion. As the title suggests, Taylor is the glue that binds these two epic characters together. Highly recommended for strong characters and dialog! Historical buffs--leave your history books at home.

Didn't mind the lengthy running time, but the film's not great.

So long

Overlong, very camp but strangely watchable.

Whew. I broke both parts into their own two parts. A saga to end all sagas, Cleopatra was at times a chore to watch, but it was neatly paid off by the performances and historical content (which of course was not the most accurate).

Production design, costumes & the cinematography are all fantastic. Taylor is absolutely beautiful & does a good job with a somewhat limited role. The film is less about Cleopatra & more about the men who had to deal with her, it seems. Not the portrayal of her I would've hoped for. The biggest problem is that it's so damn long. I did ok for the 1st half, but I was bored & restless in the 2nd. It falls flat for all its ambition, but at the very least, it's an interesting relic of cinema history.

Most of all it's plenty. Plenty of everything.

A [nearly] 4 hour movie about set designs, costumes, location shooting, and an ounce of decent performances that really don't show until the final chapter. It's really not so bad, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Stunning scenery and stunning finery. Classic dialogue, classical acting and classless short shorts.

Phenomenal sets obviously, but just far too long and lol at casting Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar. Burton is really good though, especially towards the end when he becomes this shambling drunk wreck. Taylor is just kind of there for the most part.

There was a bit of nice Egyptian nudity in the beginning and the first two hours you can manage somehow but come on: four hours with highly melodramatic the latter part was beyond. There's much better Elizabeth Taylor movies around.

Lovely to look at and almost impossible to take seriously.

An epic 4 hours.

This is the longest movie ever, but Elizabeth Taylor omg

Good acting, especially by Harrison and McDowall, but it's lost in this flat, four-hour misfire.

A huge waste of money, talent and time.

Every shot feels framed to show off the lavish production design with the actors standing there in static full shot, stranded in the middle of vast megalomaniacal sets, declaiming grandiloquent, portentous nonsense like statues draped in costume jewelry..

It seems that this movie is better known for its budget ($44 million, which was frigging huge for 1963) than its actual quality. The only really big problem is Liz Taylor, who I really don't buy in the title role for an instant. Otherwise, there is a great deal to appreciate in this film. Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar comes off more like a schoolteacher than a conqueror, but I buy that a more intellectual sort of man would be the conqueror of the entire known world. MUST SEE ON BIG SCREEN

Great production... but 4 hrs is really too much..

Liz Taylor is the Egyptian queen.

There is so much to love about this movie. For starters, the set design and the costumes. The budget for Elizabeth Taylor's clothes in this film was $194,000 which today would be about $1.4million. I have to throw myself under the bus here and admit that I'm not too well versed on the actual story of Cleopatra, so I can't speak on the historical accuracy of the film. Not to mention, for being a four hour long movie, I was completely entertained.

Stunning visuals - art direction, locations and Liz Taylor -, convincing acting performances from the main cast without exception, legendary production issues. We must hail the brave Joseph L. Mankiewicz for delivering not only a decent but also an entertaining epic, interesting throughout it's more than three hours length.

The set designs and costumes are absolutely breath taking. Truly larger than life like ancient history always seems to be. But sadly, the actual movie is a mess.

Lavish is the first word you think of as this film starts in, especially as it has a few sequences that still rival the Super Bowl halftime show. Unfortunately, as the sets get bigger, it feels like the human stories -- which, historically, are quite interesting -- suddenly get much smaller.

A movie for history enthusiasts only.

Great production values, but way too long. Charismatic performances pull it through its runtime just about.

Cleopatra estreava há 60 anos nos Países Baixos. Liz Taylor é a deusa da beleza incontestável, porém que filme chaaaaato, até a versão do DeMille é mais dinâmica que isso (e não gosto do DeMille), vai ver ter mais de quatro horas tenha a ver com isso, nem parece o mesmo diretor do Julius Caesar de 53. DVD Fox.

Watchable, but overlong and shallow.

I only made it through about 7 hours until I gave up

boo

I share the common sentiment that its simply too long particularly through its 2nd half.enjoyed the technicolor pomp through the first half & enjoyed Harrisons cesar.As much as i like burton Antonys half of the movie was far less compelling, & again i share a frequently stated grievance that the film turns cleopatra into little more than an object of desire rather than a character deserving their name on the title of the film. Taylor looks glamorous, but i was often let down by her performance

Joseph L. Mankiewicz' infamously profligate epic isn't nearly as bad as its reputation, though it's far from a great film. Strong scenes cannot wholly sustain the immense length, and the acting is highly variable, with Rex Harrison's sly Caesar coming off best; Taylor and Burton have their moments, but the supporting cast tends to ham it up. In any case, the absurdly lavish production is the real star, although Alex North's sinuous score is a major asset as well.

Great Production for its age. Specially after all those restarts. Story is a bit off. You're gonna ask yourself at somewhere like "What are they trying acheive" So many plot holes, so many character arcs, so many irrelevant characters and its 4 hour.. Its kinda tiring but still a a good movie with charismatic performances and cool production.

A great sense of Tereblita

Man, this epic really sucks the life out of the history which it is based on. Elizabeth Taylor is miscast and makes Cleopatra look like a helpless woman that needs saving, when arguably she's one of the strong women of the ancient era from the sources that have survived through time. The way some scenes are shot with Taylor in revealing outfit is tasteless and play into a misogynist viewpoint. The dialogue does this as well and is generally awful. Memorable sets saves it from a lower score.

As a spectacle, this elaborate production has few equals, but as an historical drama it leaves something to be desired. Miss Taylor is a feast for the eyes and some of the drama is interesting, particularly those scenes with Harrison, who gives a superb performance.

There is absolutely no excuse for this overblown, overacted, underwhelming mess to go over 3 hours. Having it be over FOUR is just an insult. Surprisingly well-researched, sure, and the sets are incredible, but dear every-god-in-two-pantheons, is it ever boring.

There's a lot of hate for this opulent last hurrah for Big Hollywood, but needless or not, the spectacle of Cleopatra is visually stunning, and Taylor gives a surprisingly nuanced performance as the titular queen.

Despite the movie's title, it tends to tell the story from the Roman point of view, with Caesar's story in the first half and Marc Antony's in the second. This could have made for an interesting story if not for the movie's many faults, such as a lack of focus, poorly developed romances, and an expectation of historical knowledge of these events.