And Billy Zane isn't Timothy Dalton, either, lacking the screen charisma of Dalton's Julius Caesar, murdered in the last quarter of part one after Cleopatra, unaccepted by the Romans along with her son. Like Richard Burton in the 1963 epic, Zane's Mark Anthony is basically in the shadow of his predecessor, and perhaps the two suffered because Mark Anthony had only youth on his side, while the older general had genuine passion which titilated the exotic Egyptian queen, making him irresistible to her in spite of his age. Leonor Varela has grown in the part, maturing as the queen matured, so she's much better in part II than in part I. The real star here is Rupert Graves as the vindictive Octavian, unwilling to share Rome with Anthony, or only govern half of it. He wants it all.
There's no surprises here as the viewer knows how this tragedy will unfold. It has been told countless times in many ways and certainly will be again, and this version does the story justice. Definitely a cinematic experience that in spite of the small screen production looks great on a big screen, and with a top notch sound system, even if just to hear Trevor Jones' awesome score played lushly by a huge orchestra. The love scenes between Valera and Zane are more heated than the few with Valera and Dalton, but the passion was greater in the fights with the later. Still stunning in a breathtaking scope, and giving a bit more detail that wasn't featured in earlier versions.
There's no surprises here as the viewer knows how this tragedy will unfold. It has been told countless times in many ways and certainly will be again, and this version does the story justice. Definitely a cinematic experience that in spite of the small screen production looks great on a big screen, and with a top notch sound system, even if just to hear Trevor Jones' awesome score played lushly by a huge orchestra. The love scenes between Valera and Zane are more heated than the few with Valera and Dalton, but the passion was greater in the fights with the later. Still stunning in a breathtaking scope, and giving a bit more detail that wasn't featured in earlier versions.
