Timothy Dalton Movie:

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		MPAA Rating: Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
The chemistry between Leonor Varela, who stars as the bewitching queen Cleopatra, and Billy Zane, as the steadfast Marc Antony, is undeniable. Their love scene is one of the steamiest to hit network television. However, once you move beyond this couple's sexual energy, the movie tends to droop, leaning toward the lackluster.

The tale of Cleopatra has hit the screen in many guises, but none have succeeded as well as Cecil B. DeMille's 1934 film. Here, director Franc Roddam tries once again to tell the story of the exotic queen who won the hearts of both Julius Caesar (Timothy Dalton) and Antony, while reigning over a troubled country. But how do you tell such an epic in a mere 140 minutes? Obviously, much is left out, making this film more worthwhile as a pleasant diversion than a real history lesson. The sets are quite remarkable for a TV movie, but unfortunately, the acting and dialogue leave something to be desired. Cleopatra comes across as a bratty child rather than an intelligent and manipulative seductress. Surely this tremendous queen had more going on in her life than her romances with Romans, but you wouldn't know it from this movie. Zane is the best part of the film, although his constant do-good boyishness can grate. Dalton is adequate as Caesar, although he seems to have a hard time taking the role seriously. Yet, for all its flaws, the action moves swiftly and while the battle scenes may leave you cringing with embarrassment for the director, the rest of this carefully staged piece is beautiful to look at. If you really want to know about the Queen of the Nile, though, you may be better off with A&E's Biography: Cleopatra or the Intimate Portrait: Cleopatra. --Jenny Brown

Cleopatra [Region 2] Reviews:
cleopatra
2009-12-15 - Great Movie; I like it better than the movie by Liz Taylor and Richard Burton in 1963.

A Sexist Portrayal of Cleopatra
2009-07-29 - This is such a prime example of how history reduces the greatest female rulers to spoiled helpless children, nagging wives, or brazen whores. In this movie, she is portrayed as all of the above.

For those of you unaware, Cleopatra was a wise and regal ruler, a brilliant economist, an astute strategist, a clever risk-taker, a highly educated author, and the ultimate self-marketer. Nearly every book and movie skips over the eight languages she spoke, the social programs she enacted. They assume that her only achievement was to be born a great beauty and a base courtesan. In reality any sex appeal she had was not to be found in the face fate bestowed on her -- the rare images of her depict her as having a huge beaked nose, a sharp chin, and a thick neck. It was her personality, her wit, her brilliance in seduction, her skill with makeup, and her ability to create an aura around herself that made her such a lethal enchantress. Despite her gender, she used what few weapons society would allow her to save her country.

The Cleopatra in this movie was a stomping, petulant child, foolish and brash. Instead of a shrewd woman who used her brain to save her nation by driving a great conquerer to sensual submission, in this movie her brash folly is barely contained by Ceasar, who acts as her mentor.

We can say with a degree of legitimacy that Cleopatra was a parasite, that she was a sociopath, that she was a murderer.

But nobody who knows anything about Cleopatra would ever consent to portray her as an empty-headed bimbo unless they were blatantly, deliberately ignoring the facts in favor of a version that would be more palatable to a sex-obsessed patriarchal culture.

Even today, we just cannot abide a powerful woman (let alone an ugly one) and must belittle her achievements this way.

Great movie
2009-07-13 - I love this movie and I bought this brand new. This is definitely for any history buffs out there.

Nice Scenery, Too Bad About The Cast
2009-02-03 - The lush scenery and costuming used in this production makes it worthwhile to rent. The choice of Lenora Valera as Cleopatra, however, I had a real problem with. It was widely known that Cleopatra was not only Greek, but not particularly beautiful. It was her voice which mesmerized. I think HBO's Rome Series did a fantastic job in casting for Cleopatra. By casting Lenora Valera for the part, the directors chose to make an unrealistic "sexy" portrayal of an ancient story which doesn't need any "Sexing" up from Hollywood.

What year was this movie made?
2009-01-02 - I do not own this movie - thank god! I saw it on YouTube...the hole thing on YouTube. At first I loved it and the second time I loved it...but then after watching it again and just watching random clips...wow. What year was this movie made? The special effects were sooooooo bad someone actually comment on the video on YouTube and said "the effects look like a cartoon lol" and the woman who plays Cleopatras sister is a very bad actress...shes trying hard YES but...thats whats wrong...she over acted the hole thing and when she is cought by Cleopatras army guys or whatever they were, she screams "Noooooooooo" it was the funniest thing I ever saw. The woman who played Cleopatra is a...well 3* actress. She put in a little too much and they didnt put all the makeup and stunning things on her that they did in other Cleopatra movies...maybe in real life Cleopatra wasnt always like that, but when you get used too seeing Cleopatra made up into everything we hope she was and most likely was...its a little disapointing. Again she put too much into her performance that she just makes herself look like an idiot and there is a scene near the end - during the battle of octum (spelling??) that she attacks a roman and she makes big attacking scream, it is very sad. They also don't show you clearly how antony died. If you didnt know anything about Marc Antony and you were watching this movie you would think that he died in battle or something (he killed himself). Also when "Cleopatra" is dieing she makes this loooooooooooong speech it makes you thing "yeah right". So all in all...save your money and just watch it on YouTube (type in Cleopatra 1999 part 1) and you should find it lol.