Cleopatra
Summary
Elizabeth Taylor ’s 1963 historical epicCleopatrais savagely assessed by an expert , who calls the film ’s openhanded naval battle scene “ overall horrendous . ” The most expensive movie ever made at the time of release , Taylor ’s sprawling star fomite about the exploit of the famed Queen of Egypt became ill-famed as one of the all - time flops in film history . add to the movie ’s inflate $ 31 million budget was an epic scene of naval warfare , set during the Battle of Actium , where the force of Roman Saturnia pavonia Octavian defeated the aggregate fleet of alliesQueen Cleopatraand Mark Antony .
Not only wasCleopatra ’s Battle of Actium scene tremendously expensive , it also was n’t very historically exact , according to one expert . In a crack-up forInsider , historian Michael Taylor describes what he find incorrect in the scene , submit the film to project for getting the detail ill-timed about 31 BCE naval manoeuvre , ship design and sword - press dash , give the vista a very low 2 - out - of-10 . Check out his remarks below ( around 19:30 of the snip ):
Cleopatra has inherit the Ptolemaic fleet . The Ptolemies have traditionally had a fleet of very heavy ships . That ’s in reality one of the more exact thing they say in the cinema . Those ship are primarily designed , it seems , to do naval sieges . … where you desire big ship that can have a lot of artillery pieces .
This is one of the uncommon naval struggle where it does seem that seditious devices are useful , perhaps because the smaller ships that Octavian are using , they ’re not going to be able to necessarily effectively ram all of Antony ’s bounteous ships .
Throwing javelin is not going to stop you from getting rammed . It may forbid you from getting board . That could be a consideration if you think that ship is coming alongside you to board you , you ’re snuff it to want to adjudicate to shoot down as many soldiers on the deck of the enemy ship to prevent embarkation .
There are some rams that are fitted above the pee line as kind of secondary random-access memory , and those do tend to be a bit narrower . It seems the idea is to cause secondary equipment casualty compared to the principal ram , the sort of handsome pointy pencil - same rams above weewee , not super accurate , although again we do have some narrower above water tup .
You do n’t do that with a gladius . If you ’re boarding an foe ship you ’re going to have your scutum [ shield ] and it ’s going to be mussy and nasty and slippery and unmanageable . But you ’re depart to fight as best as you’re able to , protect yourself with your carapace . The scene is just overall terrible . I ’m live to give it a two [ out of ten ] .
Cleopatra Sacrificed Realism For The Sake Of Spectacle
Twentieth Century - Fox went all - out in producingCleopatra , hoping Taylor ’s celebrity , and the publicity around her substantial - life relationship with atomic number 27 - starRichard Burton , would help sling the epical flick to box seat spot riches . Star - power was n’t enough to savethe moving-picture show , however , as it pass wildly over - budget due to a serial of catastrophes , including hold have-to doe with to Taylor ’s wellness , the surrender of original director Rouben Mamoulian mid - current , and the expensive determination to debar production in England and move the whole matter to Italy .
Historical realism was likely one of the furthest thing from the studio ’s mind as they producedCleopatra , a flick meant to play as a lavish widescreen spectacle , and a gleam case forTaylor . That could explain why , according to historian Taylor , the pic comes up very short in its depiction of the Battle of Actium . A more realistic battle vista might have been difficult to create , give the limitations of 1963 - epoch visual effect . But more attention could have been paid to slight details , like how marine did battle on the deck of cards of ships , without adding much more to the film ’s already - immense budget .
Gal Gadot is set to asterisk in a fresh movie about Cleopatra
Cleopatra (1963) is an epic historical drama that chronicles the ambitious and tumultuous life of Cleopatra, the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Rex Harrison, the film explores her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and her enduring struggle to protect her realm from the expanding Roman Empire.
More realism in the film ’s struggle scenes would not , however , have savedCleopatrafrom the spoilt publicity that tag the movie all during its product . at last , the film ’s realism – or lack of it – is incident to why it flopped at the box berth , and take on an enduring repute as one of the biggest bomb in history .
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Cleopatra ( 1963 ) is an epic historical drama that chronicles the ambitious and tumultuous lifespan of Cleopatra , the last combat-ready rule of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt . star Elizabeth Taylor , Richard Burton , and Rex Harrison , the film explore her kinship with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony , and her tolerate struggle to protect her realm from the enlarge Roman Empire .
