Cleopatra (1963, U.S.)

I've always planned to watch this movie, so I'm not sure what took me so long to get around to it. I think I was inspired to finally watch it because I've been having my love of historical fiction renewed in novels, so I thought I should have one in films too.

So what do I have to say? It was long. Looooooong. I have no problem sitting through Meet Joe Black, Titanic, or Gone with the Wind (even after countless viewings), and they don't seem long at all. Cleopatra, however, seemed like it would never end. I think it would have been much, much better if it was made into two movies as originally planned. (I gather they combined it into one so as to cash in on the Burton-Taylor affair, since Burton doesn't appear in the first part.)

Aside from the length, my main reaction was horror at the countless anachronisms. The sets and the costumes were just absolutely ridiculous. It looked exactly like what it was—a 1960s Hollywood version of the ancient world. Taylor's costumes were especially awful. Yes, some of them were quite beautiful, but they were a far, far cry from anything Cleopatra would have actually worn. (On a more positive note, they did an incredible job aging Cleopatra over the course of the film, mostly with her hair but partially with makeup. Good work.) I'm cringing just thinking about the costumes and sets, especially considering that this won Oscars for set design and costuming. The horror! (I guess the criteria don't include accuracy. They were beautiful except for that, really.) What else? The music was way over the top, very brassy sounding. I guess that's pretty standard for this kind of film from this time period, but boy did it grate. Oh, and don't get me started on how inaccurate a lot of the history was here. Obviously, it goes without saying.

The saving grace of this film, as far as I'm concerned, was in some of the acting and writing. Some of the writing was bland, some of the acting was bad, but there were parts that simply shone. Harrison, Burton, and Taylor all delivered some of the most passionate performances I've seen. Harrison was nearly inspiring with some of his speeches as Caesar. Burton's anger-filled rants were a sight to behold. And Taylor was so full of life, whether she was speaking words of love, rage, or anything in between.

Overall I'm glad I saw this, but I wouldn't watch it again.

Rating: 2.5

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969, UK)

Here's another one of those movies that it seems like I should have seen by now. It's one of Jennifer's favorites and it's about Tudor England. My kind of movie.

As far as portrayals of Anne Boleyn go, I thought this one was pretty good. She was shown as a strong, self-willed woman who wasn't going to let anyone tell her what to do, be he king or kin. That's the norm for her character I guess, but I thought that Geneviève Bujold did an exceptional job with this facet. However, I thought her relationship with the Earl of Northumberland could have been significantly strengthened. They seemed to be in love, but she gave up quite easily. Her relationship with Mary was also non-existant, but I guess we come to expect otherwise with the recent release of The Other Boleyn Girl.

The casting of Richard Burton as Henry VIII seems so obvious. Don't get me wrong, he was okay, but I just don't think he pulled it off, charisma-wise. (Come to think of it, I can't say that anyone has done Henry justice; perhaps Burton does come the closest.) The chemistry between Bujold and Burton was weak, I thought, so that didn't help matters.

Otherwise, this film was exactly what you'd expect of such an undertaking. Often oversimplified and cliched, but still entertaining. The "thousand days" of the title were quickly glossed over too. Most of the film was the courtship, then Elizabeth was born, then she was 3 and Anne was executed. Those 1000 days just flew right by! Anne apprently sacrifices herself so that Elizabeth won't be a bastard; she's all nobility and craziness. (Oh, how historical aftersight can futher dramatize these things!) I thought it was overdone, though well done. Then there was the ending, where young Elizabeth hears the cannons signalling her mother's death, and she goes walking off into the garden, away from the camera. Quite corny, but still touching. I appreciated that this filmmaker didn't feel the need to put an awful caption beneath the image of the toddler.

One more note: The score to this film was composed by Georges Delerue, who I am very familiar with, since he composed a boatload of scores for François Truffaut. It was a bit over the top, as his scores often are, but it fit quite well.

Overall, entertaining if taken a bit too quickly and with less emotion than this story requires. (It was not the "passionate and shocking love story" of the tagline.)

Rating: 3.5