Cleopatra (1963 film)
| Cleopatra | |
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Original theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
| Produced by | Walter Wanger |
| Screenplay by | Joseph L. Mankiewicz Ranald MacDougall Sidney Buchman |
| Based on |
The Life and Times of Cleopatra by C.M. Franzero Histories by Plutarch, Suetonius, and Appian |
| Starring |
Elizabeth Taylor Richard Burton Rex Harrison Roddy McDowall Martin Landau Hume Cronyn George Cole |
| Music by | Alex North |
| Cinematography | Leon Shamroy |
| Edited by | Dorothy Spencer |
| Distributed by | 20th Century-Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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248 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $31.1 million |
| Box office | $57.8 million (US) |
Cleopatra is a 1963 American epic historical drama film chronicling the struggles of Cleopatra VII, the young Queen of Egypt, to resist the imperial ambitions of Rome. It was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and shot in the 70 mm Todd-AO format, with a screenplay adapted by Mankiewicz, Ranald MacDougall and Sidney Buchman from a book by Carlo Maria Franzero. The film stars Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowall, and Martin Landau.
Cleopatra achieved notoriety during its production for its massive cost overruns and production troubles, which included changes in director and cast, a change of filming locale, sets that had to be constructed twice, lack of a firm shooting script, and personal scandal around co-stars Taylor and Burton. It was the most expensive film ever made up to that point and almost bankrupted 20th Century-Fox.
It was the highest-grossing film of 1963, earning US$26 million ($57.7 million total; equivalent to $451.38 million in 2017), yet made a loss due to its production and marketing costs of $44 million (equivalent to $344.20 million in 2017), making it the only film ever to be the highest-grossing film of the year yet to run at a loss.Cleopatra later won four Academy Awards, and was nominated for five more, including Best Picture (which it lost to Tom Jones).
After the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, where Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison) has defeated Pompey the Great in a brutal civil war for control of the Roman Republic, Pompey flees to Egypt, hoping to enlist the support of the young Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII (Richard O'Sullivan) and his sister Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor). Caesar follows him to Egypt, under the pretext of being named the executor of the will of their father, Ptolemy XII. Much to his dismay, Caesar is given Pompey's head as a gift, as the highly manipulated pharaoh was convinced by his chief eunuch Pothinus (Gregoire Aslan) that this act would endear him to Caesar.
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