Arch of Constantine in CLEOPATRA (1 Viewer)

trajan · Jun 2, 2013

This arch was not even around when Cleopatra entered Rome . It was built in 315, almost 300 years after Cleopatra came to Rome. Also the Arch of Constantine is not even in the forum. I want a recall on this disc.

chrisagon · Jun 3, 2013

Yes, I noticed that. There's also Trajan's Arch, but that too was much later. But what an impressive scene!

john a hunter · Jun 3, 2013

chrisagon said:
Yes, I noticed that. There's also Trajan's Arch, but that too was much later. But what an impressive scene!

Well I always thought it was the Arch of Titus from the 70's AD. The whole forum set is over the top for if shown realistically it would be extremely unimpressive .Rome at the time of Cleopatra was not the world centre we later think of it as, eg ,as in Fall of the Roman Empire.
It was Octavian who transformed Rome "from brick to marble" in the years following Actium.
Also as is remarked on the making of doco, the set designer, John De Cuir, liked everything big and that is certainly true of his efforts in Cleopatra!.

TonyD · Jun 4, 2013

What a horrendous and grievous mistake.

I'm outraged.

Everyone involved with this release should be fired and blackballed.
A travesty.

I am so glad you started a topic on this very important error in the making of this legendary story.

Charles Smith · Jun 4, 2013

I keep seeing this thread title as "Arch of Constipation".

Scott Merryfield · Jun 4, 2013

The Romans and Egyptians were not English-speaking people, either. This film should have been re-dubbed in their native tongues!

RECALL! RECALL!

Andrew Budgell · Jun 4, 2013

john a hunter said:
Well I always thought it was the Arch of Titus from the 70's AD. The whole forum set is over the top for if shown realistically it would be extremely unimpressive .Rome at the time of Cleopatra was not the world centre we later think of it as, eg ,as in Fall of the Roman Empire.
It was Octavian who transformed Rome "from brick to marble" in the years following Actium.
Also as is remarked on the making of doco, the set designer, John De Cuir, liked everything big and that is certainly true of his efforts in Cleopatra!.

You're correct. It is supposed to be the Arch of Titus.

trajan · Jun 4, 2013

Cleopatra visited Rome in 46BC. The Arch of Titus was built in 82AD. Cleopatra could of never seen it.. The Arch of Titus is outside the forum. The Arch of Trajan is in the town of Benevento in Italy.

Johnny Angell · Jun 4, 2013

Pretty soon someone's going to claim that Cleopatra didn't wink at Caesar when she arrived in Rome.

There's another item misrepresented in the movie. If one believes one of the docs, I think it was Cleopatra Through the Ages (or something like that) an historian says that a coin is probably the most accurate representations of Cleo. They show the coin and it looks like she could have passed for the Wicked Witch in Wizard of OZ. Seriously.

john a hunter · Jun 4, 2013

Johnny Angell said:
Pretty soon someone's going to claim that Cleopatra didn't wink at Caesar when she arrived in Rome.

There's another item misrepresented in the movie. If one believes one of the docs, I think it was Cleopatra Through the Ages (or something like that) an historian says that a coin is probably the most accurate representations of Cleo. They show the coin and it looks like she could have passed for the Wicked Witch in Wizard of OZ. Seriously.

Your certainly right there. However I like to think it was a limitation of the dye makers at the time in making their coins.
Or perhaps Caesar and Anthony were very short sighted!!

ROclockCK · Jun 4, 2013

In terms of historical accuracy, I always wondered about those Vegas-style candy-hued smoke bombs preceding Cleopatra's entrance. R-e-a-l-l-y???

Johnny Angell · Jun 5, 2013

ROclockCK said:
In terms of historical accuracy, I always wondered about those Vegas-style candy-hued smoke bombs preceding Cleopatra's entrance. R-e-a-l-l-y???

ROclockCK · Jun 5, 2013

Another reason why Taylor's 'wink' was so perfect...

Ernest · Jun 6, 2013

Very good movie, not historically accurate, good because Taylor and Burton were perfectly cast. Most historians now believe Cleopatra was executed by Octavian who had no need for her. With Cleopatra gone the Romans now controlled Egypt assuring Egyptian grown grain was shipped to Rome uninterrupted.

Was Alexander's body still on display when Caesar went to Alexandria to resolve the civil war between Cleopatra, Ptolemy and Arsinoe? During the civil it is believed Ptolemy drowned trying to escape the Romans. Arsinoe was captured and spared by Caesar who exiled her to Ephesus a Roman city in Turkey. Some historians believe they have found her grave site. After Caesar's death Cleopatra was able to convince Antony to have Arsione executed.

Cleopatra was the only Greek Pharaoh, Ptolemaic Dynasty, who spoke Egyptian. She was not pretty by modern standards but he was very smart. The Greeks ruled Egypt for almost 300 years with Cleopatra being the last of the Pharaohs.

Johnny Angell · Jun 6, 2013

Remind me who is Arsione? Was that a sister of Cleopatra? The movie forgets about her. I did not know Cleopatra was the last Pharaoh.

Concerning the display of Alexander's body, it appears in the movie to be in a coffin made with transparent material and the body appears to be floating in there, at least I couldn't discern what he was resting on. Did they have glass back then?

trajan · Jun 6, 2013

Yes, the Romans did produce glass. They say Alexanders body was in some kind of crystal encasing.

AdrianTurner · Jun 7, 2013

Another architectural Romano boo-boo is in Barabbas - those arena sequences are stunning but there wasn't a proper stone amphitheatre in Rome at that time. Gladiatorial shows and executions were generally held in the Circus Maximus, as depicted in Quo Vadis.

Jonathan Perregaux · Jun 7, 2013

I'm willing to bet that there would never be people walking around with tracheotomy scars either. REFUND THIS DISC!!

Ernest · Jun 7, 2013

Yes Johnny Arisone was Cleopatra sister who formed an allegiance with her brother Ptolemy 13th to exile Cleopatra to Syria. You are correct as important as Arsione is to Cleopatra's true story she is not mentioned at all in the movie.

That happens far to often in movies. How could a movie about Alexander not include the battle for the island kingdom of Tyre? Tyre is a small island lying off the coast of Lebanon. Approximately 3/4 of a mile into the Mediterranean Sea. When the rulers of Tyre refused to allow Alexander to visit their temples he instructed his army to build a bridge to the island. Took the Greeks about 9 months to build the bridge cross over to kill the leaders and their families.

After the conquest of Tyre Alexander marched his army into Egypt. The Persians ran from Egypt the Egyptians were ecstatic making Alexander Pharaoh. From that day on until Cleopatra died all the Pharaohs were Greek. Cleopatra was Greek, maybe some Egyptian, her father was Ptolemy the 12th.

Paul Rossen · Jun 7, 2013

Jonathan Perregaux said:
I'm willing to bet that there would never be people walking around with tracheotomy scars either. REFUND THIS DISC!!

I'm sure the viewer with attention to detail can spot Kirk Douglas' smallpox vaccine scar in SPARTACUS. I don't want my money back as I enjoy the film too much!

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