Cleopatra
Summary
1963’sCleopatrawas a triumph at the box office , topping the chart for that year , but the four - hour epic still managed to be a thoroughgoing fiscal fail . The film , which star Elizabeth Taylor in the titular office , along with Richard Burton as Mark Antony and Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar , was steeped in contestation during its yr of developing . It seemed like everything that could go wrong did , and each error and dirt made the greenback rise ever higher . By the timeCleopatrawas released in 1963 , it had quadrupled its budget , pretend it near impossible for the box position to make up for it .
The idea for a monolithic , unlike - anything - anyone - had - take care - before motion picture about Cleopatra start with Walter Wanger ( viaVanity Fair ) , a successful photographic film manufacturer who brought the concept toTwentieth Century Foxin 1958 . At first , everything went as expected withCleopatra . Taylor was shape , Rouben Mamoulian was chosen to direct , and several other histrion were take to take on the various other roles . This was when everything began to go wrong . After delays and an entirely spend budget , Twentieth Century Fox had to basically bulge overwith a new director and massive recasts , rewrites , and refilms that all cost grown bucks .
Some of the nifty war flick ever made also had fabulously declamatory budgets , which were utilized for grand visuals and impressive set piece .
What Cleopatra Was About
The Four-Hour Epic All About Egypt’s Most Famous Queen
The handwriting forCleopatrawas conform from the 1957 bookThe Life and Times of Cleopatraby Carlo Maria Franzero . It ’s a story the humanity has long been fascinated with — the dominion of the notable Egyptian queen , Cleopatra , and her alleged sexual love affairs with first Rome ’s Julius Caesar , then Mark Antony . It ’s a tragic narrative of betrayals , takeover , murder , dear , and suicide , andCleopatraheld nothing back . The film ’s full runtime is 3 hours and 53 minutes , allow the 1963 epic to cover every point of the story , beginning withCleopatra ’s partnership with Caesarto dethrone her little sidekick ( and husband ) Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII , who had previously pushed her out of Egypt .
Once Cleopatra successfully retrieve her throne inCleopatra , she married Caesar , and the pair woolgather of rein the man together . Their combine heir , Caesarion , was formally recognise , and all seemed well — that is , of course , until the famed blackwash of Julius Caesar . After this , Cleopatra instead began a love affair with Mark Antony , and the two joined force against Octavian , Caesar ’s adopted son , who was pick out as heir above Caesarion . After several baffled battles and a few deceptions and misapprehension , Antony commits suicide and dies in Cleopatra ’s arm , who later kill herself as well .
Cleopatra Was A Big Box-Office Success In 1963
The Scandals Surrounding Cleopatra Drew Audiences To Theaters
Cleopatra has long been a mysterious and challenging historical figure , so it ’s no surprisal that her dramatized story quarter audience to field of operations . If the tragic seductress was n’t enough , the infamous scale of the picture show would do it . Cleopatra ’s monolithic runtime was bolster up by rumour of magnificent sets and harrowing performance , and the 1963 filmmanaged a whopping $ 58 million at the global box role . Adjusting for pomposity would putCleopatra ’s flagrant at about $ 484 million , which is still a fair succeeder by today ’s standard .
By the time Cleopatra pip theaters , the conflict and tilt present during production were common knowledge , and critics and audiences alike were wait to see whether they deemed all the trouble worth it .
Cleopatrawas the top motion picture of 1963 by a good perimeter , and the celluloid remained in the top 10 highest - grossing plastic film for quite some time after . decisive receipt was mixed , however . By the timeCleopatrahit theaters , the struggles and contention faced during production were vernacular knowledge , and critics and audiences likewise were looking to see whether they deemed all the fuss deserving it . The overwhelming conclusion seemed to be thatCleopatrawas just okay . This was ultimately reward by the fact that Twentieth Century Fox had lost millions on the undertaking despite thefilm ’s boxful - office success .
Cleopatra’s Budget & BTS Issues Explained - How Much Money It Lost
Love Affairs, Disorganized Sets, & Wasted Cash - Oh My!
Producer Walter Wagner had a grand visual sense forCleopatra , and it was clear from the rootage that it was break to be an expensive film . However , no one could have foretell how much Twentieth Century Fox would end up spending on the undertaking . At the very former stages of production , the studio apartment pay Wagner a budget of about $ 3 million to get the egg rolling — enough for 64 days of shooting with cast and theatre director earnings . Another $ 5 million was added to cover Nigel Balchin ’s playscript and a likely leading noblewoman . at long last , Taylor very publically signed a great deal for $ 1 million — more than any female histrion had ever been pay .
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Shooting forCleopatrastarted in England , and this was the first of many expensive misapprehension Fox made . An Alexandria readiness , which featured several 52 - foot - improbable sphinx and covered 20 acre , was constructed for $ 600,000 , only for the gloomy conditions to make filming Egypt - set scenes virtually impossible . To make matters worse , Taylor became seriously ominous with pneumonia and very nearly conk before she made a recovery and resume filming . Still , after several month of piece of work , Cleopatrahad already hold out over budget , losing $ 7 million and only completing 10 moment of footage ( none of which admit Taylor ) .
Cleopatra (1963) is an epic historical drama that chronicles the ambitious and tumultuous life of Cleopatra, the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Rex Harrison, the film explores her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and her enduring struggle to protect her realm from the expanding Roman Empire.
After several month of piece of work , Cleopatra had already gone over budget , losing $ 7 million and only completing 10 minutes of footage ( none of which included Taylor ) .
Cleopatrawas already in over its head by the meter Taylor recovered , but Fox decided to start over from straight one . The leading lady was one of the few actors to remain with the undertaking , and even a new director was brought in ( Joseph Mankiewicz ) . The England lot was argufy , and cinematography was brought to Italy instead . The new solidification were even imposing than before , withthe Roman Forum reproduction reportedly end up big than the real matter . Naturally , all of this costs an extravagant amount of money . In the end , Cleopatracost $ 44 million to make , about $ 350 million today .
The hideous cost ofCleopatrawas publicHollywood news in the sixties , as was the behind - the - view drama of the project . Taylor very excellently began an social function with Richard Burton , direct both to get divorce from their respective spouse . There were also frequent reports of drug and alcohol use , compounding the already disorganised commonwealth of filming . The cast would in public discuss the flaky summons of makingCleopatrafor years to come , name it as a dreamlike and chaotic experience . Despite being the biggest moving picture of 1963 , it took Twentieth Century Fox years to convalesce fromCleopatra .
In the end , it ’s count on that Twentieth Century Fox spent closer to $ 60 million onCleopatra(when taking into account disbursal that are n’t typically reported within budget ) , which meansthe film ’s $ 58 million box - power gross just did n’t cut it . It was n’t until Fox soldCleopatra ’s television broadcast rights for $ 5 million that it could be pronounce thatCleopatrabroke even , and this did n’t happen until 1966 — three eld after it achieved the status of smash hit and monumental financial flop all in one .
Source : Vanity Fair
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Cleopatra ( 1963 ) is an epic historical drama that chronicles the ambitious and tumultuous life of Cleopatra , the last active swayer of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt . Starring Elizabeth Taylor , Richard Burton , and Rex Harrison , the film research her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony , and her digest struggle to protect her realm from the expanding Roman Empire .
