Cleopatra

The power of love and a love for power. A cinematic bacchanal that, besides costing $40 million, also demanded a lot of time, nerves, and health. The tables were groaning under the weight of visual splendor, but I can't say that I felt satisfied after four hours of jealousy and political machinations. And the Roman Senate? Terrible. I'd shove them into Michelin tires and make them haul them around, those intellectual assholes. I'm also curious if Mark Antony actually commanded at the Battle of Actium with a goblet of wine in hand, or if Richard Burton was just pouring from the props... (11.04.2023)

A beautiful epic film that captivates with stunning scenery and crowd scenes, as well as the beautiful Cleopatra and her companions. It's a powerful story, one of the great epics, but I can't help feeling it doesn't affect me as much anymore as it did when I was younger. That's where the magnificence really struck me. Now it's "just" a great movie. (28.05.2014)

I first saw Cleopatra about 30 years ago and even then the film seemed to me like a marble monument of a certain era of cinema, where it is possible to admire the grandeur of the setting, the monumentality of crowd scenes, the beauty of women, and the masculine appearance of the male characters. But at the same time, I was missing a sense of experience, reality, and real life. I felt a bit like I was in a museum. In the recently filmed series Rome, I had the feeling of touching living history, and I became a part of the ancient world for a moment and experienced the stories of my heroes. Here, I feel like I'm looking at Taylor in historical garb, not the Egyptian queen. Taylor as an actress, for example, is a heroine from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for me, while in her most famous film role, she is just a celebrity on the silver screen... Overall impression: 45%. It's not that Cleopatra doesn't have anything to offer, but somehow it passed me by. (09.10.2013)

Clear five stars, a perfect film in every sense. Part of my private trilogy Ben Hur - The Ten Commandments - Cleopatra. (15.10.2009)