Asterix and Cleopatra (film)
| Astérix et Cléopâtre | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by |
René Goscinny Lee Payant Albert Uderzo |
| Produced by | Raymond Leblanc |
| Written by | Eddie Lateste Jos Marissen Pierre Tchernia adapted from René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo |
| Starring | Lee Payant (English) |
| Music by | Gérard Calvi |
| Cinematography | Georges Lapeyronnie Francois Léonard Jean Midre |
| Edited by | Jacques Marchel László Molnár |
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Production
company |
Dargaud Films
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| Distributed by | National General Pictures (1969, U.S.) |
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Release date
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Running time
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72 minutes |
| Country | France, Belgium |
| Language | French / English |
Asterix and Cleopatra (French: Astérix et Cléopâtre) is a Belgian/French animated film released in 1968; it is the second Asterix adventure to be made into a feature film. Overseen by Asterix creators Goscinny and Uderzo (who had no involvement in the production of the first film Asterix the Gaul), the film is noticeably more well-produced than its prequel, featuring far more detailed animation and a more polished soundtrack.
Asterix and Cleopatra is practically a musical, featuring three individual song sequences and a more varied score than the earlier film. Elements of satire and surreal humour (such as Cleopatra's singing lion and the engraving of Santa Claus on the pyramid wall) are prominent throughout.
After a heated argument with Julius Caesar over his lack of faith in the Egyptian people, Queen Cleopatra enters into a bet claiming that she can have a magnificent palace constructed for him in Alexandria within three months. She gives this enormous task to her best architect Edifis (despite his shortcomings), informing him that he will be covered with gold if he succeeds or thrown to the crocodiles if he fails. Daunted and distraught, believing the task to be insurmountable without some sort of magic, Edifis travels to Gaul to seek help from the famous druid Getafix.
Getafix agrees to return to Egypt with Edifis, while Asterix and Obelix insist on accompanying them. Obelix further insists that Dogmatix be allowed to join the voyage and smuggles him along despite objections from Asterix. En route to Egypt, Edifis' ship is met by a gang of pirates. Poetic justice rules the day as the pirate ship is boarded by Asterix and Obelix, who scuttle it after a largely one-sided fight. Upon reaching Egypt, it becomes clear that Edifis is not a particularly gifted architect; in Cleopatra's words his buildings are “the laughing stock of those who don't live in them”. His scheming rival Artifis proposes that they collaborate in order to build Caesar's palace on time and divide the reward between them; the catch being that Edifis alone be thrown to the crocodiles should they fail. Edifis refuses and Artifis swears vengeance, angered further by the injuries he sustains while negotiating Edifis' house (which later collapses altogether).
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Wikipedia