Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

JohnHowardReid Although "Caesar and Cleopatra" has this fantastic reputation as the British Cinema's most expensive flop, all this talk about a financial disaster is simply not borne out by the figures. (The Motion Picture Guide even repeats this myth, alleging "a then staggering loss of $3 million"). Allowing an extremely generous estimate of print and distribution costs, the most that would have been lost on first release would be £70,000 — and this would surely have been earned back in the 1948 re-issue alone. In fact, by 1950 the movie was firmly in the black. Since that time, non-theatrical, including TV and video sales have produced windfall profits for the Rank Organisation. But it suited Rank at the time to cry foul. He had no love for Pascal. Or Shaw either. He didn't like being put on the spot when he was forced to bail them out. And it suited him to make "Caesar and Cleopatra" the scapegoat and a cover- up for the enormous losses sustained on movies he did heartily endorse like "Blanche Fury" and "Esther Waters".As for the movie itself, unfortunately Rains is forced to carry it virtually single-handed. Leigh is patently too old for the role — though she looks great in her opening scene. Whoever photographed that was a master of illusion. Alas, the other three cinematographers can't match him. On many later occasions, Miss Leigh is definitely not flattered at all. True, her health declined during production, but no efforts are made to disguise her often ravaged face. Her acting too seems to have fallen away with her beauty.One thing you can say though is that all the money spent on the movie is right up there on the screen, not squandered on inflated star salaries or wasted on half-shot and then abandoned footage. The sets are truly breathtaking, so impressive and expressive as to make the scenery in the Liz Taylor "Cleopatra" seem garish, disorganized and second-rate. Full marks to Bryan and Messel for such dazzling and beguiling triumphs of artistry. A pity neither the script in particular nor the performances in general seem worthy of such visual magnificence.Fortunately, the superb ITV DVD manages the seemingly impossible. On the small screen, everyone comes out with honor – except Vivien Leigh, for whom the color restoration is considerably less than kind, and Flora Robson who not only tends to over-act but seems unsure how to play her role. Is she a comic character or a very sinister one? Shaw, of course, would like to have it both ways, but a subtle actor who has read the script would play the comedy with not just an overdose of asperity but with an intimation of evil. Hard to do, I'll admit, but that's what real acting is all about.Stewart Granger has the right idea. He plays his role tongue-in- cheek. A pity some of his dash and vigor didn't rub off on Claude Rains who is far too solemn for a Shavian hero. Rains is admittedly an adequate Caesar but he lacks the dash he brought to "Casablanca".

romanorum1 In advance of his relatively small Roman forces, the aging Julius Caesar (Claude Rains) is fresh from his victory over political rival Pompey. At the Sphinx he meets the unwary and naïve Cleopatra (Vivian Leigh, a decade older than Cleopatra was at the time). Although he playfully toys with her superstitious nature, he is never malicious. She acts like a frightened child, and does not even know how to command her slaves, especially Ftatateeta (Flora Robson). Caesar gives her a guiding hand on ruling her subjects. "Is it sweet or bitter to be a queen?" he asks. "Bitter" she replies. Soon the small Roman force (less than one legion) arrives and hails Caesar. "Don't eat me," she exclaims to him. He tells Cleopatra not to fear, as he is a reasonable man. Later, at the Egyptian court in Alexandria the capital, and surrounded by enemies, he speaks clearly but also in double entendres. Caesar does not reveal what he is thinking. Competing for the throne are sister (Cleopatra) and much younger brother Ptolemy (Anthony Harvey). As was the case in Egypt, brother and sister are also married (considered abhorrent by Romans). Ptolemy says that as soon as he is older, he will execute his older sister. Caesar's temporary decision is to have brother and sister jointly rule. He also says that he needs money, some 16,000 talents; he is told that the treasury is empty. At any rate, in such a treacherous atmosphere, one has to be on his/her toes. And it was really this way. Although Pompey had aided Egypt in his early campaigns, the Egyptians rewarded his request for sanctuary by murdering him before he was even ashore. An especially wicked court adviser is the eunuch Pothinus (Francis L. Sullivan). The scholar Theodotus (Ernest Thesiger) is treacherous. The Egyptian general, Achillas, is untrustworthy. All three were involved in the assassination of Pompey although the actual deed was done by Lucius Septimius (Raymond Lovell). Nevertheless, Caesar eventually allows the entire court to leave, an action that leaves his second-in-command Rufio (Basil Sydney) baffled. Michael Rennie is one of the Roman centurions. Young Stewart Granger plays a flamboyant Apollodorus, the Sicilian who helps deliver Cleopatra to Caesar. Britannus (Cecil Parker), from far away Britain that is not yet a Roman possession, is obviously in the script as an agent to give playwright Shaw a chance to get in some points for his homeland. The Romans manage to hang on to the palace grounds but are greatly outnumbered by Achillas' Egyptian army that has occupied most of Alexandria. At one point Caesar has to dive into the harbor and swim away to safety (historically accurate). In the fighting the fleet in Alexandria Harbor is set afire, which spreads to the famous library and destroys most of the old manuscripts. The scene where Cleopatra wraps herself in a carpet that is delivered safely to Caesar by Apollodorus is historically accurate also (although it happened earlier, and not later at the Pharos lighthouse). After the main Roman army in the East arrives they eventually defeat the Egyptians. Cleopatra, who has morphed from adolescent to a foxy manipulator, is now sole ruler of Egypt. As Caesar departs for Rome, he promises her that he will send one of his best generals, and one she has admired for a long time: Mark Antony.The film features terrific production values and costumes. The acting is great, as one would expect from such a production, and there is snappy and witty dialogue. Notice that in the opening credits, each of the U letters is converted to a letter V. Note that the Romans carved the letter V instead of U on marble, as V was used as U in Classical Latin. (Over time, usage changed.) Also, as it is difficult to carve smaller curves with a chisel, they were often avoided. So a letter C may appear as a sideways V (<). Postscript: The movie, produced on sound-stages, is based on Shaw's play, so it cannot be historical, although many pictured events did really happen. Cleopatra was educated and savvy enough to know her royal role, even before Caesar arrived. The film does not cover later incidents, such as the birth of Caesarion (the son of Caesar and Cleopatra), her trip to Rome, Caesar's rule, and his subsequent assassination. Caesar was never a murderous leader. Untraditional in his rule, he was wise and compassionate. Ironically, Caesar's benevolence and clemency – his forgiving of many enemies ("clementia") – led to his undoing. He left so many adversaries in the Roman Senate that they banded together and did their terrible deed on the Ides of March in 44 BC.

Neil Doyle Even the presence of two great performers cannot save CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA from sheer boredom. The fault, of course, lies in the George Bernard Shaw play on which the film is based. The early scenes involving LEO GENN and the scene showing CLAUDE RAINS' first encounter with Cleopatra are so badly staged, written and directed that a viewer like myself cannot even get involved in caring about the characters.VIVIEN LEIGH prances around like an airhead girl without any sense of decorum or wisdom, making her an unlikely candidate to become Queen of the Nile. Furthermore, her illness shows in every close-up and the eye make-up and white skin is hardly how one visualizes the woman who would later seduce Mark Antony.CLAUDE RAINS is an impressive Caesar, but his fawning over the childish woman he first encounters (on a sound stage in a fake desert) becomes intolerable after awhile. Vivien seems like a spoiled brat undeserving the sort of attention reaped on her.But the biggest distraction is that it is obvious all of the outdoor scenes are taking place on studio sets, given that the film was made when Britain was still being bombarded with air attacks during WWII. The color print shown on TCM is a bit garish but does indicate that a lot of expense went into costumes and settings. Too bad all this money couldn't have been lavished on a better script. As Shaw, who penned the script, has Liza say in "My Fair Lady,": "I get words, words, words!"FLORA ROBSON is a bit hard to take in an offbeat role and most of the supporting names in the large cast are wasted, with the exception of STEWART GRANGER.Summing up: Not cinematic. Never overcomes its stage origins.

theoshul It's easy to write a whole review praising Claude Rains and Vivian Leigh because they're both so fabulous in the title roles. But the other actors are all extremely good as well, most especially Flora Robson, who plays Cleopatra's terrifying nurse/assassin-slave. Raw, lanky, and athletic; commanding, loyal to death and absolutely ruthless, she really gives the impression that she could take on four Roman soldiers simultaneously with her bare hands and kill all of them in a few seconds.Other excellent character actors include Cecil Parker representing Britain and British national character; outstanding child-actor Anthony Harvey, hilariously earnest as Prince Ptolemy; and Francis L. Sullivan, one of the finest masters of the big-and-fat actor's craft.If there's a flaw, it's the fault of George Bernard Shaw, whose play is very difficult to follow by today's standards. Focus on the characters and don't try to keep track of the plot, and you will find this one of the most absorbing historical-epic movies.