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| Special Features: |
Feature length documentary: "Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood."
1963 featurette documentary.
Movietone news coverage of East and West coast premieres.
6 trailers.
Extensive still gallery.
Commentary audio tracks by Chris and Tom Mankiewiez, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky.
Scene selection.
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| Video Format: |
Widescreen (2.35:1)
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| Languages: |
English (Dolby Surround)
English (5.1 Surround)
French (Dolby Surround)
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| Captions: |
English, Spanish.
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| Casing: |
3-Disc Keep Case
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Julius Ceasar (Rex Harrison) has spent 30 years kicking ass all over the world. He lands in Egypt to settle an
internal squabble between Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) and her little brother. He falls for the buxom Nile
temptress and ends us dead. His right hand man, Mark Antony (Richard Burton) spends the next three years
hunting down Ceasar's assassins. Before he too heads off to Egypt to look for some royal asp. Cleo
promptly turns the drunken Antony into a PW'ed wimp. He ends up dead too. She sits around on her asp as the final
credits roll.
Despite the cynical synopsis, I have always enjoyed this epic soap opera. The film is lavish and fun. The
acting is first rate for the most part. Harrision is excellent. Taylor's beauty was captured at the time in
her life when it was at its peak. Her costumes are still sexy today. There are enough battles and action the
make the four hours move along faster than you would think. I was surprised to see what a total wimp Antony
was upon this recent viewing.
The money spent on this movie is up there on the screen for all to see.
20th Century Fox has created a sumptuous disc for movie fans. The film has been restored in a new
high-definition transfer. The 2000 documentary is worth the purchase price alone. You receive great
insight into one of the most notorious and problem plagued productions in film history. The story of
Cleopatra's production is well known, but this documentary provides insight even to those familiar
with the story.
The commentary tracks are also insightful and educational to students of film.
Picture Quality: 10/10
Outstanding. This was one of the great big screen epics. The folks at 20th Century Fox did themselves
proud with the rich colors and clear images on this disc.
Sound Quality: 10/10
From the clangs and crashes of crossed swords to the soft panting of Elizabeth Taylor, the sound is crisp and clear.
Menu: 10/10
Classy design, easy navigation.
Extra Features: 10/10
Lots of extras. The commentary tracks and documentaries are more interesting than the movie itself. (However, despite its notorious reputation, I still think it is a good movie.)
The Final Word:
I great addition to anyone's permanent DVD library.
Rusty White
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