(Note: This review pertains to the UK Region 2 PAL format release available on www.amazon.co.uk)
By Adrian Smith
Cecil B. DeMille will always be remembered for his
lavish historical epics like The Ten Commandments (1923 and again in
1956), Sign of the Cross (1932) and Samson and Delilah (1949).
However, with over one hundred and sixty credits as either director or
producer, he also worked in plenty of other genres. Following two flops, This
Day and Age (1933) and Four Frightened People (1934), Paramount head
Adolph Zukor insisted he try to replicate the success of Sign of the Cross
with another visual spectacle. DeMille agreed and cast Claudette Colbert in the
lead role of Cleopatra (she had already starred in both Sign of the
Cross and Four Frightened People and was about to win the Oscar for It
Happened one Night (1934)).
The plot focuses on Cleopatra's relationship with
Julius Caesar (Warren William), who initially wishes to conquer Egypt, but
having been seduced by the Queen of the Nile, he instead pledges Rome's support
and protection. This ultimately leads to his downfall and assassination in the
Senate, and his right-hand man Marc Anthony (Henry Wilcoxon) takes joint power
with Caesar's heir Octavian (Ian Keith). Determined to once again subjugate
Egypt, Marc Anthony heads to the Nile and meets with Cleopatra aboard her
incredibly extravagant barge. He is in turn seduced and takes Caesar's place as
protectorate of Egypt, something which severely displeases Octavian and the
Senate back home. This is a piece of history which, thanks to the movies, is
very well known. The pleasure here comes not from wondering how it will turn
out, but the visual spectacle we are treated to on the journey.
Former United States Postmaster General Will Hays
had been tasked with cleaning up the motion picture industry following the
great tide of scandal and public outcry over Hollywood decadence during the
1920s. This had in part been prompted by the death of actress Virginia Rappe
following her attendance at an orgy with Fatty Arbuckle in 1921. In 1930 Hays
published a set of industry rules which became known as the Hays Code or
Production Code, and whilst official censorship was not in force, any movie
which did not comply would find it extremely difficult to get distribution. The
rules particularly clamped down on any form of sexual activity, with the first
rule "No picture shall
be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it,"
ensuring audiences were to get as little thrills as possible in the movie
theatre. Incredibly the studios remained in voluntary subscription to the Hays
code until the late 1960s. Fortunately in the early 1930s the code was only
just developing its power over Hollywood and some productions did manage to
escape, Cleopatra being one of them. DeMille had flirted with erotic
imagery before, most notoriously with Claudette Colbert's nude bathing scene in
Sign of the Cross. Cleopatra is filled with the kind of steamy,
sexually-charged atmosphere that Hollywood would struggle to depict again for
many years. Colbert's costumes in particular are eye-popping in every sense.
The sets of the
movie also live up to DeMille's reputation, and must have filled every sound
stage on the Paramount lot. He had an eye for spectacle and Cleopatra is
brimming with it, whether it's the opulent palaces or the climactic sea battle,
surprisingly graphic for 1934. The pacing is good, with plenty of story covered
in its one hundred minutes. The makers of the Elizabeth Taylor-starring remake
in 1963 could have learned a lot from this one. Claudette Colbert's performance
is perfect as the sexually alluring queen willing to do whatever it takes to
protect Egypt, even if her suitors, Caesar and Marc Anthony, are rather boorish
and ham-fisted. This is a film where the cast appear to hail from New York
rather than the ancient world, but this does not matter when the gorgeous
imagery arrests your senses all the way through.
This new dual
format (Blu-ray and DVD) release from Eureka features a tremendous HD transfer
authorised by Universal, and some nice documentaries covering DeMille,
Claudette Colbert and the background to the Production Code. A commentary by
film historian F.X. Feeney and forty page booklet crammed with essays and
imagery is also included. This is a highly recommended release.