{"id":44259,"date":"2019-07-30T19:27:56","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T02:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44259"},"modified":"2021-01-19T10:19:29","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T17:19:29","slug":"cleopatra-1934","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44259","title":{"rendered":"Cleopatra (1934)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;My wits have failed, and I&#8217;m in your hands!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Poster-208x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"208\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-44261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Poster-208x300.jpg 208w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Poster-89x128.jpg 89w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Poster.jpg 694w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 208px) 100vw, 208px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen wily Queen Cleopatra (Claudette Colbert) is kidnapped and taken to Rome, she woos both Julius Caesar (Warren William) and his successor, Marc Anthony (Henry Wilcoxon), in an attempt to gain power &#8212; but soon she finds herself genuinely in love.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ancient Greece and Rome<\/li>\n<li>Cecil B. DeMille Films<\/li>\n<li>Claudette Colbert Films<\/li>\n<li>Egypt and Egyptology<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<\/li>\n<li>Royalty and Nobility<\/li>\n<li>Star-Crossed Lovers<\/li>\n<li>Strong Females<\/li>\n<li>Warren William Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that while &#8220;Cecil B. DeMille&#8217;s classic is silly, creaky, and full of long-winded tete-a-tetes&#8221;, it&#8217;s nonetheless &#8220;fun to watch&#8221;. He points out that Colbert &#8220;is an extremely sexy Cleopatra&#8221;, &#8220;lounging around in skimpy bare-midriff outfits that Madonna might have designed&#8221;, yet also &#8220;possesses enough intelligence to realize that through her singular powers of seduction she can outwit and manipulate her Roman men&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Colbert2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Colbert2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-64454\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Colbert2.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Colbert2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Colbert2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Colbert2-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He argues that &#8220;Colbert fits into the vamp tradition of Theda Bara, who played Cleopatra in the silent era&#8221; and that the &#8220;picture&#8217;s theme is that women can emasculate great male warriors and statesmen, but we can forgive this Egyptian trapped on foreign soil because she must find some way to survive in a male-dominated, woman-hating&#8230; world.&#8221; Peary&#8217;s review is spot on: I was surprised to enjoy this costume drama as much as I did, especially the unintentional humor garnered from Colbert&#8217;s not-so-subtle seduction ploys and her ripe dialogue with her lovers. The scene in which she tells Antony that fisherman are gathering clams for dinner &#8212; then we see a net full of beautiful consorts emerging from the sea, bearing open shells with jewels &#8212; is especially chuckle-worthy. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Nets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Nets.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-64452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Nets.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Nets-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Nets-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Nets-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Claudette Colbert as Cleopatra<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Colbert.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Colbert.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Colbert.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Colbert-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Colbert-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Victor Milner&#8217;s Oscar-winning cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Cinematography.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Cinematography-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Wonderfully elaborate sets and costumes (check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/71068\/cleopatra#articles-reviews?articleId=87915\">TCM&#8217;s article<\/a> for more on the latter)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Costumes.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Costumes.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Costumes.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Costumes-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Costumes-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Sets.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Sets.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Sets-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Cleopatra-Sets-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an enjoyable early costume drama. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0024991\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2017ceci.html\">DVD Savant Review (scroll down)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/71068\/cleopatra#articles-reviews?articleId=87915\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1934\/08\/17\/archives\/claudette-colbert-warren-william-and-henry-wilcoxon-in-cb-de-milles.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;My wits have failed, and I&#8217;m in your hands!&#8221; Synopsis: When wily Queen Cleopatra (Claudette Colbert) is kidnapped and taken to Rome, she woos both Julius Caesar (Warren William) and his successor, Marc Anthony (Henry Wilcoxon), in an attempt to gain power &#8212; but soon she finds herself genuinely in love. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Ancient Greece and Rome Cecil B. DeMille Films Claudette Colbert Films Egypt and Egyptology Historical Drama Royalty and Nobility Star-Crossed Lovers Strong Females Warren&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44259\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44259"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64455,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44259\/revisions\/64455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}