Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Caesar and Cleopatra |
| Original title | Caesar and Cleopatra |
| Country of production | Great Britain |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1945 |
| length | 129 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Gabriel Pascal |
| script | George Bernard Shaw |
| production | Gabriel Pascal |
| music | Georges Auric |
| camera |
Jack Cardiff , Jack Hildyard , Robert Krasker , Freddie Young |
| cut | Frederick Wilson |
| occupation | |
| |
Caesar and Cleopatra is a 1945 by director Gabriel Pascal turned feature film with Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh in the lead roles. It is based on the play of the same name written by George Bernard Shaw in 1898. The film was first shown in German cinemas in mid-December 1946 and was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Production Design in 1947 with John Bryan .
action
Julius Caesar , ruler of the Roman Empire , is now getting on in years, is in a crisis of meaning and invades Egypt with two legions . But the Egyptians already have enough to cope with their internal affairs: Sixteen-year-old Cleopatra - who is under the strict control of her despotic wet nurse - and her younger brother Ptolemy (influenced by his guardian Pothinus) fight for rule. Caesar likes Cleopatra , who is pretty but infantile and not overly intelligent. Initially, however, he favors a double reign, but fails on the Pothinus block. Julius Caesar barricades himself with Cleopatra and his numerically weak retinue in the Alexandrian royal palace against the enemy army, which has sealed it off and is commanded by a Roman traitor, but holds out for months. Caesar apparently succumbs to the grace of his companion, who in turn increasingly refines her power-political skills and has long since fallen in love with the handsome Marcus Antonius, who does not appear in the film. Cleopatra secretly hopes that Caesar will eliminate her inner opponents and return to Rome.
production
The color film production, which was expensive at the time, fueled rumors that it could be the most expensive project of its time. Director Pascal even intensified his relationship with the project to such an extent that he traveled to Egypt to procure sand that was to have the local color. Pascal produced another Shaw film with the comedy Androcles and the Lion , but no longer acted as a director. As the first assistant director, Pascal engaged Brian Desmond Hurst for this production , although he was not named in the credits.
occupation
The 17-year-old Roger Moore has an appearance in Caesar and Cleopatra as a Roman soldier, but without being mentioned in the credits. Jean Simmons also has a role in it, but without dialogue as a harpist. John Gielgud was originally supposed to play Caesar, but dropped out after a meeting because of an instant dislike of director Pascal.
criticism
“The ironic dialogues and the skeptical philosophy of history of George Bernard Shaw's original (1898) look a bit strange in the bombastic colossal film. A literature adaptation that was fundamentally unsuccessful and a thoughtfully overloaded historical adventure. "
“After the success of his George Bernard Shaw film ' Major Barbara ', director and producer Gabriel Pascal dared to adapt another play by the author, who also wrote the script himself. Despite the participation of stars like Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh, the most expensive British film to date turned out to be a colossal flop, which is not least due to the heaviness of dialogue in the film. Excellent cast, in addition to the main actors and Stewart Granger, upcoming stars such as Jean Simmons and Roger Moore can be discovered in the elaborate scenery. "
"George Bernard Shaw's original, an intimate chamber play, provides an ironic-erotic exchange of blows."
Awards
Academy Awards 1947
nomination
- Oscar / Best Production Design (Color Film) ( John Bryan )
synchronization
The film was dubbed in 1948 at Phoenix Film GmbH in Berlin, directed by Helmuth Brandis .
| role | actor | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Julius Caesar | Claude Rains | Robert Klupp |
| Cleopatra | Vivien Leigh | Ruth Hellberg |
| Apollodorus | Stewart Granger | Rolf Ritschel |
| Ftatateeta | Flora Robson | Elf tailors |
| Pothinus | Francis L. Sullivan | Werner Pledath |
| Rufio | Basil Sydney | Harry Foerster |
| Britannus | Cecil Parker | Kurt Lauermann |
| Lucius Septimus | Raymond Lovell | Knut Hartwig |
| Achillas | Anthony Eustrel | Axel Monjé |
| Theodotus | Ernest Thesiger | Robert Assmann |
| Nubian slave | Robert Adams | Martin Rosen |
| centurion | Michael Rennie | Heinz Palm |
| Belzanor | Stanley Holloway | York Bertram |
Web links
- Caesar and Cleopatra in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Gabriel Pascal directs Shaw's 'Caesar and Cleopatra' 1945 report from the American newsreel The March of Time on youtube.com
- Film review on badmovies.de
Individual evidence
- ^ Certificate of release for Caesar and Cleopatra . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , April 2004 (PDF; test number: 67 758 V / DVD).
- ↑ Caesar and Cleopatra. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Caesar and Cleopatra at video.de ( Memento from March 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Caesar and Cleopatra at cinema.de ( accessed on January 21, 2013 )
- ↑ Synchronous database ( memento of the original from January 1, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
