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Cleopatra

Play trailer 4:37 Poster for Cleopatra G 1963 4h 3m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
61% Tomatometer 94 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
"Cleopatra" is a lengthy, sprawling, spectacular love story, helmed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, depicting Cleopatra's manipulation of Julius Caesar and Marc Antony in her ill-fated attempt to save the Egyptian empire. This threesome in one of the most famous and gloriously powerful love triangles ever to be captured on film.
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Cleopatra

Cleopatra

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Critics Consensus

Cleopatra is a lush, ostentatious, endlessly eye-popping epic that sags collapses from a (and how could it not?) four-hour runtime.

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Critics Reviews

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Wanda Hale New York Daily News 16h
If you go to leer, you will stay to cheer a magnificent spectacle that gratifies our desire for perfection, enriches our love of beauty and art, fulfills our admiration of brilliant acting and satisfies our demand for historical accuracy... Go to Full Review
David Cobb Toronto Star 17h
...the movie lacks any unity of design save by and through the character of Cleopatra; two, Elizabeth Taylor, capable in her range but strictly a 20th-century vixen, falls far short of what is needed as the serpent of the Nile. Go to Full Review
Josephine O'Neill Sydney Morning Herald 2d
Tolerance is the right attitude towards the film. Go to Full Review
W. Ward Marsh Cleveland Plain Dealer 17h
"Cleopatra" has all the appearances of 24-carat gold, which of course is appropriate because it cost so much money. Go to Full Review
Hope Pantell Baltimore Sun 17h
"Cleopatra" isn't just a movie; it's a phenomenon, a state of mind, an epic of our time as well as of ancient times. Go to Full Review
Donald Zec Daily Mirror (UK) 17h
There is no denying that for production quality...this massive picture must be seen. But not necessarily to be believed. For it must stand or fall on the performance of Liz Taylor as "Cleo." And big as it is - it falls.. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Max G @JohnPaul1086 Mar 16 Meh. Burton looked like he was inebriated most of the time; far too drawn out, of course; and endless dialog. Great sets. See more Eli H @EliHendricks Oct 22 Its a gorgeous looking film, but it is excruciatingly long at four hours. It has a natural endpoint in the middle and probably is an example of a movie that could have been two films. Richard Burton is very good as Marc Antony, everyone else give middling performances. This movie needed to be cut, but Mank couldn't bare to have audiences miss a speck of gold of his immaculate set. You can skip this one unless you've got serious patience. See more John R @RT91501528 Oct 22 This movie is a gorgeous mess. I recently saw it in lovely 70 mm. It really is two movies inartfully smushed together. The casting of the spectacular and talented Elizabeth Taylor as the Middle Eastern Cleopatra does not work very well, although she does well given the script and circumstances. Roddy McDowall's character has a good arc. Rex Harrison and Richard Burton are good but not great. The movie also has too little action for its subject matter. See more Walter H @elBytes 06/08/2025 I saw this in a theater on its initial release. My date was a no show (sob) but I watched it all, with an intermission that was popular at the time for long movies. The supporting cast make the movie work. Taylor was OK but too old to play a 21 year-old Cleopatra with any credibility, while Burton did not convince me that Antony might've ruled the Roman Empire but for the nagging problem of Octavian. Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar and Roddy McDowell as Octavian make the movie work, as well as other good supporting cast members. It goes on and on but truly is an epic. See more Alexsander F @Aelxs 05/17/2025 Now that's Absolut Cinema, a memorable epic that can be compared to Virgil's great Aeneid. It's four hours that pass in four minutes, but I'm a bit biased since I'm a great enthusiast of Roman history, period films and epics, and this film is a real treat for lovers of history and the great Shakespearean tragedies. See more thiago s @Thiagostone 05/12/2025 Filme bacaninha, o roteiro é mais ou menos, as cenas são bacaninhas, o elenco é mais ou menos, e alguns ajudam a melhorar o filme, a história é bacaninha, os personagens sao bacaninhas, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores. See more Read all reviews
Cleopatra

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Movie Info

Synopsis "Cleopatra" is a lengthy, sprawling, spectacular love story, helmed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, depicting Cleopatra's manipulation of Julius Caesar and Marc Antony in her ill-fated attempt to save the Egyptian empire. This threesome in one of the most famous and gloriously powerful love triangles ever to be captured on film.
Director
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Producer
Walter Wanger
Screenwriter
Sidney Buchman, Carlo Mario Franzero, Ranald MacDougall, Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox
Rating
G
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 12, 1963, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 18, 2012
Runtime
4h 3m
Sound Mix
Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)