“Cleopatra” (1934) w/ Claudette Colbert – 4/10/2018 (1 Viewer)

[bujaki]

I want a matronly woman with a figure and a seductive, musical voice like Colbert's.

 

[Thomas T]

because that outfit just screams matronly woman, LOL

It's not about the outfit but who's wearing it. My mother could wear that outfit and she'd still be matronly!

 

[Dick]

When is someone going to make a movie about Cleopatra in which she (and most of the cast) is played by a person of color?

 

[dana martin]

Cleopatra was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty. This dynasty descended from one of the generals of Alexander the Great, who ended up ruling Egypt when Alexander’s empire broke up. Like Alexander, Ptolemy I was Macedonian (that is, from northwestern Greece). We’ve got Cleopatra’s entire family tree going back to Ptolemy (which is a little…ingrown; the Ptolemaic dynasty practiced royal incest, with brothers and sisters often marrying to avoid creating too many rival branches of the family), even though images of Cleopatra herself are pretty thin on the ground. And both the textual and the archaeological evidence point to Cleopatra most likely being just as Greek—or rather, Macedonian—as the founder of her dynasty.

would have thought that Rome on HBO, was about as close as it was going to get, maybe one day it will happen again

 

[Blimpoy06]

When is someone going to make a movie about Cleopatra in which she (and most of the cast) is played by a person of color?

I thought Leonor Varela's casting in the 1999 TV version was the best approximation so far. She was born in Chile, but her mother was of Syrian and Hungarian descent.

 

[Thomas T]

When is someone going to make a movie about Cleopatra in which she (and most of the cast) is played by a person of color?

In spite of Spike Lee's claims, there is no evidence to support the theory that Cleopatra was black. At least Elizabeth Taylor looks like she could pass for Greek, not so sure about Claudette.

 

[B-ROLL]

In spite of Spike Lee's claims, there is no evidence to support the theory that Cleopatra was black. At least Elizabeth Taylor looks like she could pass for Greek, not so sure about Claudette.

At least one Cleopatra was black

 

[battlebeast]

As per Amazon, Universal will release Cleopatra (1934) starring Claudette Colbert on Blu-ray on April 10, 2018. Very unexpected (well, perhaps not, as it's been available in the UK for a few years) yet still very welcome.

Special features:

• Feature Commentary with Filmmaker F.X. Feeney

• Claudette Colbert: Queen of the Silver Screen

• Cecil B. DeMille: Hollywood's Epic Director

• Forbidden Film: The Production Code Era

• Theatrical Trailer

Universal, if I'm not being too greedy, can we have The Heiress with de Havilland and Clift next?

YES PLEASE!!! And HOLD BACK THE DAWN!!

 

[battlebeast]

Very happy!!

 

[benbess]

I’m not familiar with F.X. Feeney. Are his commentaries good?

Yes, I think he is fairly good. One thing he worked on was the documentary that came with the Warner boxed set The Greatest Year (1939).

 

[Matt Hough]

F.X. did the commentary on Horse Feathers in the recent Marx Bros. Blu-ray set. It was my least favorite of the five commentaries, but it was okay.

 

[Andrew Budgell]

...even though images of Cleopatra herself are pretty thin on the ground.

Very true. I traveled to Egypt in November 2016 (a lifelong dream come true!) and on my trip I visited the Temple of Dendera, which features the only wall relief of Cleopatra in Egypt. It was incredible to finally see this in person and stand in exact the spot where she would have stood thousands of years ago. Totally surreal.

 

[dana martin]

Helen of Troy was Greek too, guess a lot of people don't realize that

i have had the pleasure of visiting Egypt twice about 20 years apart, was amazed both times

 

[Brent Reid]

I'll definitely be picking this up but Claudette Colbert is my least favorite Cleopatra. I much prefer Elizabeth Taylor and Vivien Leigh. Colbert's Cleo seems more matronly than femme fatale.

Nonsense: Alma Barrie's towering portrayal is the definitive Cleopatra. Just ask Sid.

By the way, aside from the addition of French and Spanish subtitles, the Universal BD is identical to Eureka's.

 

[dana martin]

well while Universal is digging around in the old Paramount Library for items to release that have had some work done,

may i suggest

not one single title of her films has been released on blu ray worldwide,

 

[Johnny Angell]

well while Universal is digging around in the old Paramount Library for items to release that have had some work done,

may i suggest

not one single title of her films has been released on blu ray worldwide,

Looks like the censors got ahold of this image.

 

[dana martin]

Looks like the censors got ahold of this image.

yep, all part of that pre code naughtiness

 

[battlebeast]

Id love this one on Blu Ray. Even though it's only an hour, it's a very early Cary Grant (I love Grant's films), and it's a Best Picture nominee.

I'm very excited for Cleopatra!

 

[Ed Lachmann]

If you want pre-code naughtiness, DeMille's The Sign of the Cross is the one to beat.

 

[Johnny Angell]

If you want pre-code naughtiness, DeMille's The Sign of the Cross is the one to beat.

Seems like many of the biblical movies were the most naughty.