"Cleopatra" is clearly a case where I am giving a film a favorable rating even though I really thought the plot was pretty stupid. After all, as a retired history teacher, the film is a mess and creates a ridiculous image of Cleopatra which history cannot support. Imagine...in this film she is SO seductive and beautiful that a lowly fisherman agrees to kill himself after they complete a short love affair! And, imagine that the mere sight of her compels people to destroy their lives! That's the Cleopatra of this film--an almost complete fiction created by French playwright Victorien Sardou.
The reason I STILL think it's worthwhile is the historical context for when the film was made. It was 1912--and a feature length film in America might be 20 or 30 minutes max---yet here we have a costume drama lasting nearly 90 minutes. And, although there's a bit of overacting here and there, the film is reasonably well directed by Charles Gaskill. Worth seeing as a curio at least--even if the story is pretty crappy.
The reason I STILL think it's worthwhile is the historical context for when the film was made. It was 1912--and a feature length film in America might be 20 or 30 minutes max---yet here we have a costume drama lasting nearly 90 minutes. And, although there's a bit of overacting here and there, the film is reasonably well directed by Charles Gaskill. Worth seeing as a curio at least--even if the story is pretty crappy.