Cleopatra

Cecil B. DeMille’s 1934 classic production of Cleopatra is proof that this story can be told in an epic fashion without having to be over four hours long. This is not meant to be a disparaging remark towards Joseph L. Mankiewicz and his version of the story, but the tale of Cleopatra and her loves with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony could be portrayed far more quickly. On the other hand, DeMille’s version is just a little too lean, leaving not enough time to explore the characters in a way to do them any justice. The perfect adaptation of this story needs to be somewhere in between.

As this is a dramatization of the story of these three historical figures, many liberties were taken in adapting it to the screen. This is not meant to be a documentary on the life of Cleopatra nor is it trying to present itself as such. It will tell you nothing about her early life nor anything about her character beyond what furthers the basic plot. By doing so, it does her character a great disservice and presents to the audience a woman who should be seen as a powerful ruler over Egypt but instead is ruled by her heart, falling in love with powerful men and forgetting what she is supposed to be thinking about: her kingdom. It’s an interesting take on the character but not a flattering one.

The setting is 48 BC. Cleopatra (Claudette Colbert) competes with her brother Ptolemy for control over Egypt. She is kidnapped by Pothinos, along with her loyal follower Apollodorus (Irving Pichel), and left stranded in the desert. When Pothinos informs Julius Caesar (Warren Williams) that Cleopatra has fled the country, Caesar is ready to sign an agreement with Ptolemy. This is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Apollodorus, carrying Cleopatra hidden inside a rolled-up rug. The sudden arrival catches Pothinos by surprise and he tries to deny who she is. Caesar sees through this lie, though, and refuses to finalize the agreement. Instead, Cleopatra beguiles him with the prospect of the riches of India and Egypt. 

Caesar returns to Rome with Cleopatra to the cheers of the masses, but not all are pleased she is there with him. Cassius, Casca, Brutus, and others are disgruntled, and eventually, Caesar is assassinated on his way to give an address. Cleopatra initially wants to run to his body, to weep over him, but Apollodorus convinces her that Caesar didn’t really love her, just her power, and the two flee back to Egypt. 

Meanwhile, rivals Marc Antony (Henry Wilcoxon) and Octavian (Ian Keith) are named co-rulers of Rome. Antony, wishing to lure Cleopatra out of Egypt so he can capture her, sends her a friendly note, inviting her to return to Rome. She does, on board a luxurious barge, but entices him to come to her on the barge rather than her go to him. The sight of her luxury, her slaves, and the exotic animals soon seduces him, and they sail together back to Egypt. Deception is playing behind the scenes, though, as King Herod, allied with Octavian, visits Cleopatra and convinces her that peace with Rome can only be achieved if she were to poison Marc Antony. She tries, but eventually realizes she cannot do it. A battle breaks out, ultimately culminating with the deaths, at their own hands, of Antony and Cleopatra. 

One of the first things that is noticeable with this film is that Claudette Colbert is not as mobile as she usually is in her films. Her actions are a bit stiff, and she is often either sitting or lying down. Apparently, she had contracted appendicitis while filming her previous film, Four Frightened People, leaving her unable to stand for more than a few minutes at a time. Rather than recast the film or delay production, the decision was made to work around this limitation. The final result is a bit stilted but not ruinous. 

The Motion Picture Production Code was just beginning to go into effect at this time, too. This would be one of the last films to go into production before the code was fully enforced. Consequently, there is imagery that would not be allowed on screen just a few months later. We see this in the very first shot, which features an apparently nude slave girl, obscured only by the strategically placed lighting. Other moments, such as the romance of Antony and Cleopatra, are shot in a way to leave no doubt about what is going on. In this case, the two are wrapped in a passionate embrace, slaves enter, lifting curtains up to obscure the activity, and the camera pans back to show the galley slaves rhythmically rowing the oars, symbolizing what we are not allowed to see. This is some spicy material, and Cecil B. DeMille uses it to great effect. 

Unfortunately, we are constantly kept at a distance from all the main characters. This is a weakness of the fleeting runtime. There is so little time to get to know the characters that what we are left with is a brief skeleton of a story with cardboard cutouts playing all the parts. None of the actors particularly stand out. Claudette is gorgeous, which helps, but realistically, for a film that is named after her, this film doesn’t give us much about Cleopatra. We get none of her motivations, no reasoning behind her competitive attitude towards her brother, and no background about her life. Her history is a fascinating one to read about, and none of that is even brought up here. We know she is the Queen of Egypt, but that is pretty much it. 

On top of that, she doesn’t come across as willful enough to be leading a country. This is particularly egregious during her time with Marc Antony when she virtually falls to pieces over the thought of losing him, not even taking into consideration how her actions would affect her country and her people. This is not Claudette’s fault; it falls squarely on the writers. 

Marc Antony and Julius Caesar don’t fare any better. Julius is portrayed as merely greedy and very closed-minded, failing to heed warnings that his actions were dangerous. Marc Antony is easily seduced and turns his back on his people and his obligations much the same way Cleopatra does. These things needed to be explored better so that we could understand, maybe even sympathize with their reasons. As it stands, all we can do is watch it and try to make up our own minds about the reasons. Famously, this film received no Academy Award nominations for the acting or the script. What nominations it did get were in the technical categories, the assistant director—not for DeMille’s directing—and for Outstanding Production.

This is a beautiful film to look at, and Claudette Colbert is a big part of that. But it is cold and virtually emotionless save for the aforementioned barge scene where things heat up for just a moment. It’s a better film at times than the Mankiewicz-helmed Elizabeth Taylor film, but only because it requires less of a time investment to get through it. The Taylor film, with all the time in the world to tell its story, doesn’t improve the characters all that much. DeMille’s film is elaborate, with beautiful set pieces and costumes, and some risqué moments, but it struggles with too much story and not enough time to do it justice.

Academy Award Nominations:

Outstanding Production: Cecil B. DeMille

Best Assistant Director: Cullen Tate

Best Cinematography: Victor Milner (won)

Best Film Editing: Anne Bauchens

Best Sound Recording: Franklin Hansen 

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Release Date: October 5, 1934

Running Time: 100 Minutes

Not Rated

Starring: Claudette Colbert, Warren William, and Henry Wilcoxon

Directed by: Cecil B. DeMille