Man I would love to see the entire 6 hour epic as originally intended. Even if it's not that "good" overall and too long, just seeing all the elaborate sets and costumes would be a real thrill!
FR! I would pay top dollar to see it myself. The actors aren't alive anymore so it's like getting new content or work from them. Zanuck did Mankiewicz dirty!
An uneven film. But what was good was quite spectacular. I also loved the music, interiors, and Liz's costumes. No CGI, of course. They spent a fortune on this, and it shows.
It is TIME for a massive theatrical release. A whole new generation needs to see this on the BIG screen 40, 60, 80 feet. I need to see it again in theater. its been way too long..
Humans are so much more capable of mighty creations than we even attempt to try and give ourselves credit for. Awesome movie and imagination come to life.🙏🔥
This will not be a popular comment (and I truly mean no harm), but this documentary is far more interesting and entertaining than the actual movie was. I think they should turn THIS into a movie. The behind the scenes aspect is fascinating.
I never watched it and certainly don't feel like it after this. It all seems like nothing but a dreadfully dragging romantic soap opera, no matter how pompous the set is.
I remember the news full of the Burton/Taylor affair when I was in my early teens, but sadly haven't yet seen the film. Watching this presentation has spurred me on to seeing it!
FAITH,WHAM!PURPLE RAIM WHAM !HEART RAMSTERED LISTEM WITHOUT FAITH BY ONE TRAILER TOO RIP SING TOP LYRICS HOWTOM PLAY SZERENCE SZOMBAT YELLOW CAKE AND THE COMPLETE 3 SETS OF10 REAPS DJJ 19 12 TISHA BAV 8 DE AVA 9 DE MISHNA JUNE 20 2020 SUMER SUMMER TODA MARKS BEHINO THE THE SCEMNES 2020 A ALBORG -DE N MARK LIND D HOLM HOJE VINKING MARKET.
You can actually find pictures ftom the cut scenes with the sript right next to them on Google.I think it was called "Cleopatra Restored".It includes scenes from the beginning(introduction),Cleopatra's servants sneaking her into the place,her spending time with Ceasr in Alexandria,Cleopatra arriving at Rome and spending time there,family time with Cesarean and Mark Anthony,her first suicide attempt and many more.It was so nice so see a portion of what was cut out,kinda sad that the full footage may never be released.
Oh that would be wonderful if they restore Cleopatra and put out the six hour version of it. I would definitely watch it and I would definitely buy it. They should include the history of the making of the movie.
Yes, count me in. I would sit through 6 hours to see the missing parts of the movie. I bought the 3 hour version, but I have to agree with Elizabeth. It showed Marc Antony as a weak man and diminished Richard's role. No wonder she threw up after she saw the London premiere.
Rex Harrison was a fantastic Caesar! Unfortunately he gets totally overshadowed by the Taylor/Burton hoopla and the studio refusing to allow Mankiewicz to have two films (Caesar and Cleopatra/Antony & Cleopatra) like he wanted. It's too bad but its a great performance regardless. And a shout out to Roddy McDowall too who was robbed of an Oscar for his wonderful Octavian
My mom saw both Elizabeth Taylor in the Commissary at MGM, in the 1950’s. She said ET eyes were really violet. And that Debbie Reynolds seemed really cheerful.
In the end, Liz and Debbie made up. They were on a cruise ship together and Liz arranged to see Debbie. Debbie thanked her for taking him from her, he was an ass.
Luv .... the final shot of Taylor's wink .... said before many greater actors, but who else could cause such interest in the entertainment industry today !!
*These 5 perforation height 65mm motion picture cameras used to shoot CLEOPATRA were The Mitchell B.F.C. 65mm studio cameras and the MOS FC 65mm motion picture cameras, as this was a full TODD-AO 70 MM Epic Production, which, at the time Elizabeth Taylor owned. Taylor inherited TODD-AO from the will of her late husband, Michael Todd. The huge, blimped BFC studio Mitchell Movie Cameras, although gigantic, and enormously heavy (Close to 200 LBS fully configured and loaded with a 1,000 foot roll of Eastman Type II motion picture negative film) (11 minutes running time approximately between reloads), used specially made Cooke-Taylor-Hobson Lenses. These cameras shoot a quality of image so beautiful and high in quality that not even IMAX (Also uses 65 mm motion picture film, but 15 perforations across the film as it travels sideways through its camera) or any digital format has been able to replicate. Digital Cinema cameras are coming closer and closer to reaching the same image resolution and visual quality as TODD-AO 70, Super Panavision 70, Ultra Panavision 70 and IMAX 15/70, but is not quite there at this time of writing. The original 6 hour version of this picture must have been amazing to have seen. Elizabeth Taylor claimed she had seen the director's original 6 hour cut, and said the studio revisions ruined the picture to the point that she ran to the ladies washroom and threw up upon seeing it on debut night ! The Mitchell BFC 65 studio cameras were also used to shoot The Sound of Music.*
Jon agreed. This is classic movie making history. How on Earth UA-cam could take 6 months for publishing this classic movie is beyond me. I'd love to see all 6 hours of this movie. In 1963, I was nine years and desparately wanted to see this film. My Mother, a progressive Mom, took pity on her movie obssessed daughter and five friends.
This was a far cry about Cleopatra. It was more showing off lavish costumes and scenary The most unbelievable scene in a movie caught on film, was the "silent version" of Ben Hur.. the horse race. Silent Film!
Yes, the researchers flubbed that one. The arch in the film doesn't look like the Arch of Titus; the arch that Cleopatra passes through has two side portals, and in true Hollywood style, appears to be larger than the Arch of Titus, which is about 50 ft. high. Also, the Arch of Titus is on the Via Sacra, not in the Forum proper.
A great documentary and more interesting than the film. In reality the more cultured Julius Ceasar,, was the love of Cleopatras life and not Anthony but she needed the support of Rome. She was a great statesman following in the footsteps of her father having attended on foreign dignities with him so could speak several languages. Apparently her being smuggled in a rolled up carpet to meet Ceasar is considered true from that moment seduced him with her charm and Egyptian sights .
"More interesting than the film"...! I love that!! In a lot of cases it's true, ―the gossip, the news of who was going to play what role and didn't, who got paid what... it can be a lot more interesting than the dull finished product movie. But in this case I have to disagree. Cleopatra is a masterpiece. I just think it's so sad they chopped a good 2 hours off the film. I prefer part 2, I know a lot of people would disagree and say part 1 is better. But I so much wish they could have split it in 2 and released it as 2 movies as they were originally going to. And why couldn't they have saved just one copy of the original? I know film was expensive, especially 70mm prints in Todd AO or whatever but surely they could have kept one copy. The lack of respect Hollywood seemed to have for their own product boggles my mind sometimes!
@@ZadenZane Cleopatra is hardly a masterpiece. This documentary makes it clear that Mankiewicz was working under duress for much of the film's protracted shooting schedule, which is not a way to focus one's creative energies. But neither is the film the bloated failure some have made it out to be. Cleopatra ended up somewhere in between a grand statement and a folly.
@@weveri6 I love old sword and sandals epics but the worst of them could be insufferably boring. I much prefer part 2 Anthony and Cleopatra to part 1 Caesar and Cleopatra. They should have released the film in 2 parts as originally intended. And paid/cajoled/begged Burton and Taylor to put on a show of unity even if they weren't still together by the time part 2 came out (which of course they were but the studio was afraid they wouldn't be)
That was very awesome to watch! They should have just gone to Rome in the first place! I think I will watch this movie again today! Thank you for putting this up, it is always interesting to see what goes into the production of a movie, and one as vast as this seemed to be a huge head ache to a lot of people! Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity to see this!
The search for the remaining lost footage continues even today? So, they spent millions that had the company on the verge of bankruptcy but after editing it down they said, well everything we edited out is worthless so throw it away. That sounds really stupid.
I think FOX didn't think "Cleopatra" would be a hit and an immediate forgotten picture after it's theatrical release. So throw out the worthless scenes and call it a night.
If they restore a 6-hr version of Cleopatra, it could be re-issued in theatres and Blu-Ray as a 2 movie feature, or even a miniseries. Would be nice if the Blu-Ray included this documentary as a bonus feature. There is still money to be made from this film. I would buy the Blu-Ray. I currently have the 248-min restored version (picture & sound, not cut footage) on DVD.
This film was an object lesson in how Hollywood can blow money making a piece of tripe. Once they gave in to Taylor's demands it was downhill. Joe M was the wrong guy to direct what was ended up being a large scale spectacle with battle scenes. He just did not have any aptitude for that. The naval battle at Actium illustrates this.
For anyone who's interested, here are the top 20 record holders so far.... 1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 2015 Est. budget - $447 million dollars 2. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - 2011 Est. budget - $379 million dollars 3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - 2007 Est. budget - $300 million dollars 4. Spider-Man 3 - 2007 Est. budget - $258 million dollars 5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - 2006 Est. budget - $225 million dollars 6. X-Men: The Last Stand - 2006 Est. budget - $210 million dollars 7. King Kong - 2005 Est. budget - $207 million dollars 8. Titanic - 1997 Est. budget - $200 million dollars 9. Waterworld - 1995 Est. budget - $172 million dollars 10. True Lies - 1994 Est. budget - $100 million dollars 11. Terminator 2: Judgement Day - 1991 Est.budget - $94 million dollars 10. Die Hard 2 - 1990 Est. budget - $70 million dollars 11. Rambo III - 1988 Est. budget - $63 million dollars 12. The Cotton Club - 1984 Est. budget - $58 million dollars 13. Superman - 1978 Est. budget - $55 million dollars 14. Cleopatra - 1963 Est. budget - $31 million dollars 15. Mutiny on the Bounty - 1962 Est. budget - $19 million dollars 16. Ben-Hur - 1959 Est. budget - $15 million dollars 17. The Ten Commandments 1956 Est. budget - $13 million dollars 18. Quo Vadis - 1951 Est. budget - $7 million dollars 19. Forever Amber - 1947 Est. budget - $6 million dollars 20. Duel in the Sun - 1946 Est. budget - $5 million dollars
even the making video took two parts to be put together....y couldn't they make two parts of the film..rather than chopping off the scenes n putting all hardwork to waste...pls fox release the movie in two parts soon
Bill Geiger it was 4 year old Loris Lodi. He played ceasaroine, the son of.Cleopatra and Caesar. Fun fact, he was cut from Cleopatras belly at birth, which is where the tears ceasaroine comes from that we still use today.
Product of its time, Cleopatra with the voice and mannerisms of a vacuous American. I do respect the scale and production, it’s more a testament to American film industry.
All we saw it over 250 mins is enough... Lots of the deleted were on 7 episodes of miniseries format the studio released on TV in the 90s...good thinking.... also.. would like to see how they cut for TV only 192 m.in the 90s...somewhat normal length of big flicks..
@Un Believer I think it depends on which scene you are referring to. The film took so long to make that Taylor's performance is...variable. Often she is understated. When Burton first showed up for his scenes, he would watch her during takes. He thought she wasn't doing anything. Of course, Burton came from a theatrical background. What "Welsh accent"? Burton's early tutelage under Philip Burton, and his time at Oxford trained him to speak in Received Standard English, which was de rigueur for acting on the stage, and in many ways still is.
@@weveri6 To quote from the book, "Burton himself was at first perplexed by Elizabeth's apparent lack of technique. "She's just not doing anything," he complained to Mankiewicz, until the pipe smoking director took him aside and showed him Taylor's impact onscreen. It took his breath away. Burton trained to move, to speak, to act was struck by Elizabeth's absolute stillness, and he would later say that he learned an important film technique from her; How to tone down his theatrical performances for the camera's cool eye.
while the making of such mammoth movie... issues happen..it should be ignored always by all..for greater good..pls put back together the six hour movie...v wanna watch it soon.
I don’t understand all the hate directed at Liz or the movie...if you don’t like it, nobody is twisting your arm to watch it OR this documentary. Just scroll on by ppl.
So people like the movie can has a voice, people don't care are silenced, isn't this this how the "fake news" started? With people has a fairy tale mindset like you?
If only Joan Collins had played Cleopatra. Can you imagine??! Alexis Carrington-Colby would have manifest in 1963 and Joan Collins' career gone stratospheric! Joan Collins' screentest for this role was pretty dire though!!
What are you talking about? Richard's (Antony's) words were "I shall never be free of you," which were quite prophetic. They were divorced twice, but never stopped loving each other. An incredible, amazing love story.
Well, Nicky Hilton nearly destroyed Elizabeth. He physically beat her. Kicked her in the stomach one time and caused a miscarriage. Michael Wilding and Elizabeth agreed together to divorce. Remained good friends until he died. Michael and his wife would come and stay with Elizabeth and Richard in Puerto Valliarta. Eddie Fisher got what was coming to him. He wanted Elizabeth, even before his good friend Mike Todd died in that plane crash. When Mike died, Eddy didn't waste anytime moving in and "comforting" Elizabeth. She was incapable of making any decisions at that time. Richard Burton adored her for the rest of his life, as she did him. I'm pretty sure she didn't destroy anyone. Eddy destroyed himself with his decision to leave his wife and little girl and brand new baby boy.
Can they dig up the uncut version with the redone battle scenes & sell it now? or at least screen it in theaters for a while? A lot of people would pay for that. I would pay for it. It would be like getting new films by actors that cannot make movies anymore because they're dead. Do like an exclusive theater release.
I don’t think I have ever had the chance to watch the complete film. It was undoubtedly spectacular but I think Elizabeth Taylor was miscast. Her voice never seemed more inadequate her costumes were too over the top but no doubt the film turned out to be far from a flop
After watching two hours plus of the making of Cleopatra makes me Not want to buy it or watch it ever. I mean, the entire production was a disaster from beginning to end. Some of the lead actors including Ms Taylor were nothing less than arrogant. Cleopatra entrance to Rome was nice but her head item looks crooked/bent/out of place, it is so noticeable, how such an expensive production couldn't get that fix when they filmed it? It seems to be a hectic movie in all its senses. Good for the company to be recovered financially after its release though.
What a colossal abortion. I tried watching it once -- seemed rather frivolous with its pingy, whimsical music score more fitting to I Dream of Jeannie. But this doc is a beautiful production -- I'll take one on moviemaking any day over most movies, esp. those made nowadays.
Is that pingy as in "stingy," or pingy as in "thingy"? The score is neither "pingy" nor "whimsical"; it is fitting for an epic film. Alex North was an excellent composer for film, nominated fifteen times for an Oscar. "North was one of several composers who brought the influence of contemporary concert music into film, in part marked by an increased use of dissonance and complex rhythms." - Wikipedia
Why was this movie ever made? People know what Egyptians look like and none of the Egyptian characters in this film were middle eastern. Even if you don't believe that ancient Egyptians were black they sure weren't as white as Elizabeth Taylor! This is a notorious bad movie. It is emblematic of everything which was wrong with old Hollywood.
She was actually descended from Macedonian Greeks. After Alexander the Great conquered Egypt he left his general Ptolemy in charge as his viceroy. After Alexander’s death a power struggle for the rule of Egypt led to civil war. Ptolemy, one of Alexander’s generals who was married to Alexander’s cousin ,also named Cleopatra, won (Ptolemy also stole Alexander’s body and carted it around with him. Which somehow was meant to show that he was Alexander’s rightful heir . I don’t get it either) The names Ptolemy and Cleopatra are Greek. This was at least 6 or7 generations before Cleopatra VII who we know as Cleopatra.
The Ptolemys from Alexander the great's conquest ruled Egypt during that time...Cleopatra was of Macedonia Greek lineage. So yes light olive white skin tone
@@gloriamontgomery6900 Ptolemy I wasn’t married to anyone related to Alexander or anyone named Kleopatra. Alexander had a full sister with the name but not a cousin.
FAITH WHAM!PURPLE RAIM WHAM ! HEART RAMASTERED LISTEM WITHOUT FAITH BY ONE TRAILER TOO RIP SING TOP LYRICS HOWTOM PLAY SZERENCE AZOMBAT YELLOW CAKE AND THE COMPLETE 3 SETS OF 10 8 DE AVA 9 DE MISHNA BAV 20 2020 SUMER SUMMER TODO 2020 A ALBORG =DEM MARK LIND HOLM HOJE VIKING MARKET .
Man I would love to see the entire 6 hour epic as originally intended. Even if it's not that "good" overall and too long, just seeing all the elaborate sets and costumes would be a real thrill!
FR! I would pay top dollar to see it myself. The actors aren't alive anymore so it's like getting new content or work from them.
Zanuck did Mankiewicz dirty!
An uneven film. But what was good was quite spectacular.
I also loved the music, interiors, and Liz's costumes.
No CGI, of course. They spent a fortune on this, and it shows.
It is TIME for a massive theatrical release. A whole new generation needs to see this on the BIG screen 40, 60, 80 feet. I need to see it again in theater. its been way too long..
Humans are so much more capable of mighty creations than we even attempt to try and give ourselves credit for. Awesome movie and imagination come to life.🙏🔥
YES Bring back the 6 HR version! Will happily purchase it!
This will not be a popular comment (and I truly mean no harm), but this documentary is far more interesting and entertaining than the actual movie was. I think they should turn THIS into a movie. The behind the scenes aspect is fascinating.
@Alain Quartermaine Me too.
I totally agree.
I agree, yes this was way better than the film.
I never watched it and certainly don't feel like it after this. It all seems like nothing but a dreadfully dragging romantic soap opera, no matter how pompous the set is.
@Un Believer Honestly, I think she's awful :-)
i would love to see the full version who else :)
Oh yes
I remember the news full of the Burton/Taylor affair when I was in my early teens, but sadly haven't yet seen the film. Watching this presentation has spurred me on to seeing it!
What a time to be alive 🤩
I hope the 6 hours Director's Cut gets released during my lifetime
FAITH,WHAM!PURPLE RAIM WHAM !HEART RAMSTERED LISTEM WITHOUT FAITH BY ONE TRAILER TOO RIP SING TOP LYRICS HOWTOM PLAY SZERENCE SZOMBAT YELLOW CAKE AND THE COMPLETE 3 SETS OF10 REAPS DJJ 19 12 TISHA BAV 8 DE AVA 9 DE MISHNA JUNE 20 2020 SUMER SUMMER TODA MARKS BEHINO THE THE SCEMNES 2020 A ALBORG -DE N MARK LIND D HOLM HOJE VINKING MARKET.
It may not even exist anymore. And that is truly sad.
You can actually find pictures ftom the cut scenes with the sript right next to them on Google.I think it was called "Cleopatra Restored".It includes scenes from the beginning(introduction),Cleopatra's servants sneaking her into the place,her spending time with Ceasr in Alexandria,Cleopatra arriving at Rome and spending time there,family time with Cesarean and Mark Anthony,her first suicide attempt and many more.It was so nice so see a portion of what was cut out,kinda sad that the full footage may never be released.
It was a beautiful film when all is said and done, and I would love to see the 6 hr version.
I HOPE that Hollywood, is STILL looking for the other 3 hours...what a gift to leave behind!!
Oh that would be wonderful if they restore Cleopatra and put out the six hour version of it. I would definitely watch it and I would definitely buy it. They should include the history of the making of the movie.
Aidah Di Leoni me too.
Yes, count me in. I would sit through 6 hours to see the missing parts of the movie. I bought the 3 hour version, but I have to agree with Elizabeth. It showed Marc Antony as a weak man and diminished Richard's role. No wonder she threw up after she saw the London premiere.
Exactly
Count me out. Six hours? That's insane. Movies should no longer be more than three hours tops
It has to be somewhere. They WASTED millions of dollars in the cutting room. They never would have just thrown it away.
Great documentary and a fun time capsule of the early Sixties
Rex Harrison was a fantastic Caesar! Unfortunately he gets totally overshadowed by the Taylor/Burton hoopla and the studio refusing to allow Mankiewicz to have two films (Caesar and Cleopatra/Antony & Cleopatra) like he wanted. It's too bad but its a great performance regardless. And a shout out to Roddy McDowall too who was robbed of an Oscar for his wonderful Octavian
Roddy McDowell is superb as always
anne Larsen Too bad McDowell was nominated in the wrong Oscar category. He should have won Best Supporting Actor that year
thanks a lot.i didnt end up wondering what happened in the end of this wonderful documentary
Great film. I think this is as great as the film.
My mom saw both Elizabeth Taylor in the Commissary at MGM, in the 1950’s. She said ET eyes were really violet. And that Debbie Reynolds seemed really cheerful.
In the end, Liz and Debbie made up. They were on a cruise ship together and Liz arranged to see Debbie. Debbie thanked her for taking him from her, he was an ass.
Isn't that nice...@@IrishAnnie
Great genius score for that humongous production
Richard Zanuck and David Brown (Helen Gurley Brown's husband btw) later produced the mega-hit Jaws.
Luv .... the final shot of Taylor's wink .... said before many greater actors, but who else could cause such interest in the entertainment industry today !!
Chuck Cummins donald duck with pants on that's who boy could he act
Nobody in this era has the mystic of the golden age. They just don't have "it." Miss that time...thankful for all the Classic we have
@ 2:54 unsurpassed film making. This pivotal scene is beyond comprehension in its scope! And that ain't CGI.
The shadow of the scaffolding building up the Arc of Triumph is seen when Elizabeth Taylor goes under it.
Thanks for this. I searched all over for it.
*These 5 perforation height 65mm motion picture cameras used to shoot CLEOPATRA were The Mitchell B.F.C. 65mm studio cameras and the MOS FC 65mm motion picture cameras, as this was a full TODD-AO 70 MM Epic Production, which, at the time Elizabeth Taylor owned. Taylor inherited TODD-AO from the will of her late husband, Michael Todd. The huge, blimped BFC studio Mitchell Movie Cameras, although gigantic, and enormously heavy (Close to 200 LBS fully configured and loaded with a 1,000 foot roll of Eastman Type II motion picture negative film) (11 minutes running time approximately between reloads), used specially made Cooke-Taylor-Hobson Lenses. These cameras shoot a quality of image so beautiful and high in quality that not even IMAX (Also uses 65 mm motion picture film, but 15 perforations across the film as it travels sideways through its camera) or any digital format has been able to replicate. Digital Cinema cameras are coming closer and closer to reaching the same image resolution and visual quality as TODD-AO 70, Super Panavision 70, Ultra Panavision 70 and IMAX 15/70, but is not quite there at this time of writing. The original 6 hour version of this picture must have been amazing to have seen. Elizabeth Taylor claimed she had seen the director's original 6 hour cut, and said the studio revisions ruined the picture to the point that she ran to the ladies washroom and threw up upon seeing it on debut night ! The Mitchell BFC 65 studio cameras were also used to shoot The Sound of Music.*
Hey thanks UA-cam for finally allowing this to go up.
Jon agreed.
Yup, agreed!
Agreed
Jon agreed. This is classic movie making history. How on Earth UA-cam could take 6 months for publishing this classic movie is beyond me. I'd love to see all 6 hours of this movie. In 1963, I was nine years and desparately wanted to see this film. My Mother, a progressive Mom, took pity on her movie obssessed daughter and five friends.
This was a far cry about Cleopatra.
It was more showing off lavish costumes and scenary
The most unbelievable scene in a movie caught on film, was the "silent version" of Ben Hur.. the horse race.
Silent Film!
1:00 "...swarmed through the Arch of Titus." That must have been quite a feat, since it was built until a century after Cleopatra was in Rome.
Yes, the researchers flubbed that one. The arch in the film doesn't look like the Arch of Titus; the arch that Cleopatra passes through has two side portals, and in true Hollywood style, appears to be larger than the Arch of Titus, which is about 50 ft. high.
Also, the Arch of Titus is on the Via Sacra, not in the Forum proper.
A great documentary and more interesting than the film. In reality the more cultured Julius Ceasar,, was the love of Cleopatras life and not Anthony but she needed the support of Rome. She was a great statesman following in the footsteps of her father having attended on foreign dignities with him so could speak several languages. Apparently her being smuggled in a rolled up carpet to meet Ceasar is considered true from that moment seduced him with her charm and Egyptian sights .
"More interesting than the film"...! I love that!! In a lot of cases it's true, ―the gossip, the news of who was going to play what role and didn't, who got paid what... it can be a lot more interesting than the dull finished product movie. But in this case I have to disagree. Cleopatra is a masterpiece. I just think it's so sad they chopped a good 2 hours off the film. I prefer part 2, I know a lot of people would disagree and say part 1 is better. But I so much wish they could have split it in 2 and released it as 2 movies as they were originally going to. And why couldn't they have saved just one copy of the original? I know film was expensive, especially 70mm prints in Todd AO or whatever but surely they could have kept one copy. The lack of respect Hollywood seemed to have for their own product boggles my mind sometimes!
@@ZadenZane Cleopatra is hardly a masterpiece. This documentary makes it clear that Mankiewicz was working under duress for much of the film's protracted shooting schedule, which is not a way to focus one's creative energies. But neither is the film the bloated failure some have made it out to be. Cleopatra ended up somewhere in between a grand statement and a folly.
@@weveri6 I love old sword and sandals epics but the worst of them could be insufferably boring. I much prefer part 2 Anthony and Cleopatra to part 1 Caesar and Cleopatra. They should have released the film in 2 parts as originally intended. And paid/cajoled/begged Burton and Taylor to put on a show of unity even if they weren't still together by the time part 2 came out (which of course they were but the studio was afraid they wouldn't be)
God I wish, they could find a restore completely 6 hours version
That was very awesome to watch! They should have just gone to Rome in the first place! I think I will watch this movie again today! Thank you for putting this up, it is always interesting to see what goes into the production of a movie, and one as vast as this seemed to be a huge head ache to a lot of people! Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity to see this!
“We came, we saw, kicked its ass!”
- (Pete Venkman)
The search for the remaining lost footage continues even today? So, they spent millions that had the company on the verge of bankruptcy but after editing it down they said, well everything we edited out is worthless so throw it away. That sounds really stupid.
I think FOX didn't think "Cleopatra" would be a hit and an immediate forgotten picture after it's theatrical release. So throw out the worthless scenes and call it a night.
Their problem
@@mariecohen3052 Ours too.
I love this great movie come back again please.
I guess we were cheated out of some terrific ending battle sequences
If they restore a 6-hr version of Cleopatra, it could be re-issued in theatres and Blu-Ray as a 2 movie feature, or even a miniseries. Would be nice if the Blu-Ray included this documentary as a bonus feature. There is still money to be made from this film. I would buy the Blu-Ray. I currently have the 248-min restored version (picture & sound, not cut footage) on DVD.
The blu ray has this documentary on it and also a short piece on the search for the six hour version.
I'd even love to see the Mamoulian production as well.
Enter NETFLIX for a 7 hour series on the film. [PV] Post Virus
I just wanna a whole movie of that dancer at the start of the parade/entrance
Ha ha. Oh my gosh, I don't know how they got away with that.
25:30 Robert Ryan, working in a box office? An actor's life is one of ups and downs...
The ever so Fabulous Dame Elizabeth Taylor ❤
Restore the six hour version and run it as a series!
This film was an object lesson in how Hollywood can blow money making a piece of tripe. Once they gave in to Taylor's demands it was downhill. Joe M was the wrong guy to direct what was ended up being a large scale spectacle with battle scenes. He just did not have any aptitude for that. The naval battle at Actium illustrates this.
For anyone who's interested,
here are the top 20 record holders so far....
1. Star Wars:
The Force Awakens - 2015
Est. budget - $447 million dollars
2. Pirates of the Caribbean:
On Stranger Tides - 2011
Est. budget - $379 million dollars
3. Pirates of the Caribbean:
At World's End - 2007
Est. budget - $300 million dollars
4. Spider-Man 3 - 2007
Est. budget - $258 million dollars
5. Pirates of the Caribbean:
Dead Man's Chest - 2006
Est. budget - $225 million dollars
6. X-Men:
The Last Stand - 2006
Est. budget - $210 million dollars
7. King Kong - 2005
Est. budget - $207 million dollars
8. Titanic - 1997
Est. budget - $200 million dollars
9. Waterworld - 1995
Est. budget - $172 million dollars
10. True Lies - 1994
Est. budget - $100 million dollars
11. Terminator 2:
Judgement Day - 1991
Est.budget - $94 million dollars
10. Die Hard 2 - 1990
Est. budget - $70 million dollars
11. Rambo III - 1988
Est. budget - $63 million dollars
12. The Cotton Club - 1984
Est. budget - $58 million dollars
13. Superman - 1978
Est. budget - $55 million dollars
14. Cleopatra - 1963
Est. budget - $31 million dollars
15. Mutiny on the Bounty - 1962
Est. budget - $19 million dollars
16. Ben-Hur - 1959
Est. budget - $15 million dollars
17. The Ten Commandments 1956
Est. budget - $13 million dollars
18. Quo Vadis - 1951
Est. budget - $7 million dollars
19. Forever Amber - 1947
Est. budget - $6 million dollars
20. Duel in the Sun - 1946
Est. budget - $5 million dollars
A great documetry,as the film itself.
Does anyone know if there was ever a featurette made on The Longest Day? If there is one that was made how can I see it?
razorbackfilms
I don’t know about a featurette, but I bought a great making-of book at the time.
Linda Terrell thank you. I did have a chance to see the film in 2018. They were not showing a featurette with it.
Where's elizabeth taylor's interview?she should be in this video
even the making video took two parts to be put together....y couldn't they make two parts of the film..rather than chopping off the scenes n putting all hardwork to waste...pls fox release the movie in two parts soon
37:45 Greek Advertising of the film!!!
all this legacy is now owned by Disney
Who was the young boy that roade with Miss Taylor on her float as she arrived in Rome ? The actors name and what part did he play .
Bill Geiger it was 4 year old Loris Lodi. He played ceasaroine, the son of.Cleopatra and Caesar. Fun fact, he was cut from Cleopatras belly at birth, which is where the tears ceasaroine comes from that we still use today.
Product of its time, Cleopatra with the voice and mannerisms of a vacuous American. I do respect the scale and production, it’s more a testament to American film industry.
"voice and mannerisms of a vacuous American"...if you are referring to Elizabeth Taylor, I quite agree.
All we saw it over 250 mins is enough... Lots of the deleted were on 7 episodes of miniseries format the studio released on TV in the 90s...good thinking.... also.. would like to see how they cut for TV only 192 m.in the 90s...somewhat normal length of big flicks..
Hope to see new choices of Cleopatra from Fox on dvd ... TV series from 1963 version and the 192 m.another one....
Is it me, or did Liz waaaay over act?
@Un Believer I think it depends on which scene you are referring to. The film took so long
to make that Taylor's performance is...variable. Often she is understated. When Burton
first showed up for his scenes, he would watch her during takes. He thought she wasn't
doing anything. Of course, Burton came from a theatrical background.
What "Welsh accent"? Burton's early tutelage under Philip Burton, and his time at Oxford
trained him to speak in Received Standard English, which was de rigueur for acting on
the stage, and in many ways still is.
@@weveri6 To quote from the book, "Burton himself was at first perplexed by Elizabeth's apparent lack of technique. "She's just not doing anything," he complained to Mankiewicz, until the pipe smoking director took him aside and showed him Taylor's impact onscreen. It took his breath away. Burton trained to move, to speak, to act was struck by Elizabeth's absolute stillness, and he would later say that he learned an important film technique from her; How to tone down his theatrical performances for the camera's cool eye.
while the making of such mammoth movie... issues happen..it should be ignored always by all..for greater good..pls put back together the six hour movie...v wanna watch it soon.
I don’t understand all the hate directed at Liz or the movie...if you don’t like it, nobody is twisting your arm to watch it OR this documentary. Just scroll on by ppl.
So people like the movie can has a voice, people don't care are silenced, isn't this this how the "fake news" started? With people has a fairy tale mindset like you?
If only Joan Collins had played Cleopatra. Can you imagine??! Alexis Carrington-Colby would have manifest in 1963 and Joan Collins' career gone stratospheric! Joan Collins' screentest for this role was pretty dire though!!
6 hour version
Eddie Fisher, Karma is a bitch. Lol
The Longest Day was a much better film.
Looks like Robert Ryan at 25:33
Ditto
It seems odd that this video was dedicated only to the primary men, and Elizabeth Taylor was not included.
She was still alive.
She destroyed almost all of her husbands.
What are you talking about? Richard's (Antony's) words were "I shall never be free of you," which were quite prophetic. They were divorced twice, but never stopped loving each other. An incredible, amazing love story.
Well, Nicky Hilton nearly destroyed Elizabeth. He physically beat her. Kicked her in the stomach one time and caused a miscarriage. Michael Wilding and Elizabeth agreed together to divorce. Remained good friends until he died. Michael and his wife would come and stay with Elizabeth and Richard in Puerto Valliarta. Eddie Fisher got what was coming to him. He wanted Elizabeth, even before his good friend Mike Todd died in that plane crash. When Mike died, Eddy didn't waste anytime moving in and "comforting" Elizabeth. She was incapable of making any decisions at that time. Richard Burton adored her for the rest of his life, as she did him. I'm pretty sure she didn't destroy anyone. Eddy destroyed himself with his decision to leave his wife and little girl and brand new baby boy.
Where's part 1?
Can they dig up the uncut version with the redone battle scenes & sell it now? or at least screen it in theaters for a while? A lot of people would pay for that. I would pay for it. It would be like getting new films by actors that cannot make movies anymore because they're dead. Do like an exclusive theater release.
Yeah good idea mate.
If they find the rest of the film I'll pay $60 to buy or to watch it
Absolutely gorgeous and amazing Documentary!!!! 20th Century Fox destroyed / killed Marylin Monroe!!! WHO KEPT THE PROPS FROM THIS MOVIE ?
Debbie Reynolds bought as much as she could, much got thrown away according to her. Sad!
Zanuck ruined what could have been a great movie. No wonder Elizabeth threw up after watching it.
Stay on till end of credits.Many behind the scenes footage of sequences,dancers,snake etc..
" Did you see those tins of film !!, Imagine making the film out of that ..You couldn't pay me enough that's Soul crushing.
I don’t think I have ever had the chance to watch the complete film. It was undoubtedly spectacular but I think Elizabeth Taylor was miscast. Her voice never seemed more inadequate her costumes were too over the top but no doubt the film turned out to be far from a flop
Miscast is quite an understatement.
Who else to cast at that time as the ultimate femme fatale?
@@weveri6 Audrey Hupbern or Marilyn Monroe
Did Alexandria c. 46 BC really have columnated, classical Greek-style buildings?
Regardless, Joe Mank did some credible cod-Shaw and cod-Shakespeare.
No, they didn’t.
@@388Caroline They didn't have the Arch of Constantine either (the big Cleo entering Rome scene).
Alexandria was a Greek city after all.
It was a Greek city so yes,there were lot's of them.
Honestly, i'd have the version 6 hrs better this 4 hrs version today
After watching two hours plus of the making of Cleopatra makes me Not want to buy it or watch it ever. I mean, the entire production was a disaster from beginning to end. Some of the lead actors including Ms Taylor were nothing less than arrogant. Cleopatra entrance to Rome was nice but her head item looks crooked/bent/out of place, it is so noticeable, how such an expensive production couldn't get that fix when they filmed it? It seems to be a hectic movie in all its senses. Good for the company to be recovered financially after its release though.
Colliding Forces
Then Don’t. Watch. It. 🙄
I think Lucille Ball should have played Cleopatra.
Mark Antony .... " Cleo I'm Home!"
What a colossal abortion. I tried watching it once -- seemed rather frivolous with its pingy, whimsical music score more fitting to I Dream of Jeannie. But this doc is a beautiful production -- I'll take one on moviemaking any day over most movies, esp. those made nowadays.
A quip for for a main character's death scene is something you only see in high camp. (Burton's line about his arms.)
@@sebeckley
E
Is that pingy as in "stingy," or pingy as in "thingy"? The score is neither "pingy" nor "whimsical"; it
is fitting for an epic film. Alex North was an excellent composer for film, nominated fifteen times
for an Oscar. "North was one of several composers who brought the influence of contemporary concert music into film, in part marked by an increased use of dissonance and complex rhythms." - Wikipedia
Care when making a movie. Lost sceans , lost movies. Lost dreams.
big deal . when the hell are they going to do the epic movie about the life of Emperor Norton of San Fransico ?!
Who wants to see that one?
@@bjones3994 who the Hell is Emperor Norton?
Why was this movie ever made? People know what Egyptians look like and none of the Egyptian characters in this film were middle eastern. Even if you don't believe that ancient Egyptians were black they sure weren't as white as Elizabeth Taylor! This is a notorious bad movie. It is emblematic of everything which was wrong with old Hollywood.
Jimvanhise The actual Cleopatra wasn’t Egyptian, though, she was descended from Greeks.
She was actually descended from Macedonian Greeks. After Alexander the Great conquered Egypt he left his general Ptolemy in charge as his viceroy. After Alexander’s death a power struggle for the rule of Egypt led to civil war. Ptolemy, one of Alexander’s generals who was married to Alexander’s cousin ,also named Cleopatra, won (Ptolemy also stole Alexander’s body and carted it around with him. Which somehow was meant to show that he was Alexander’s rightful heir . I don’t get it either)
The names Ptolemy and Cleopatra are Greek. This was at least 6 or7 generations before Cleopatra VII who we know as Cleopatra.
The Ptolemys from Alexander the great's conquest ruled Egypt during that time...Cleopatra was of Macedonia Greek lineage. So yes light olive white skin tone
Kleopatra was Macedonian not Egyptian.
@@gloriamontgomery6900 Ptolemy I wasn’t married to anyone related to Alexander or anyone named Kleopatra. Alexander had a full sister with the name but not a cousin.
FAITH WHAM!PURPLE RAIM WHAM ! HEART RAMASTERED LISTEM WITHOUT FAITH BY ONE TRAILER TOO RIP SING TOP LYRICS HOWTOM PLAY SZERENCE AZOMBAT YELLOW CAKE AND THE COMPLETE 3 SETS OF 10 8 DE AVA 9 DE MISHNA BAV 20 2020 SUMER SUMMER TODO 2020 A ALBORG =DEM MARK LIND HOLM HOJE VIKING MARKET .
financially cleopatra was a flop this narration is false
The biggest flop in the story of Hollywood. 3 Hours of garbage.
Stupidest movie ever made! LOL! HUGE WASTE!