Cleopatra Movie Analysis

As the name Cleopatra is widely known among us, how many of us truly knows the tale of her life besides the queen title and her great beauty? Joseph L. Mankiewics’s feast “Cleopatra” in 1963 may give you some ideas about the glamorous yet tragic life of the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. The film has succeeded in demonstrating many historical aspects, especially the mighty ambitious Cleopatra, yet still has some inaccuracies which all will now be discussed.

The film accurately portrayed most of the historical details, from the triumph to the tragedy of Cleopatra. It began with the meeting with Julius Caesar, a Roman politician and general, who solidified her grip on the throne and made her the sole ruler of Egypt by removing

To begin with, Caesarion was 17 when he, Antony, and Cleopatra died, but in the film he looks about 12, and Caesarion died after Antony and Cleopatra did, though not long after. Moreover, Cleopatra gave birth to three children with Antony, 9- or 10-year-old twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene II and a 6-year-old son Ptolemy Philadelphus; and Antony had a son Marcus Antonius Antyllus, whom all were not in the film. Furthermore, her entry to Rome scene is meant to indicate that Cleopatra entered the heart of the city and was received in the Forum, which is not correct. As a Egyptian Queen, she was prohibited from crossing the Pomerium, the sacred boundary of the city, into Rome proper. The original route was from the port of Ostia to the outskirts of Rome. She then stayed in one of Caesar’s villa in Transtiberim and never crossed the borderline. In the film, she stayed at Caesar’s house in Rome, where in fact she could not permitted to stay. Besides, in Caesar 's assasination attempt, Cicero was taken completely by surprise and never even visited the Senate during this period; however, the film has presented him getting directly involved in the

In history, the Egypt queen is believed to yearn for her throne and even more. In the film, there were many details that clarified her desires. Cleopatra, who became queen at a young age, was an extraordinary woman for her time, and was capable of ruling the whole Egypt. Technically she was co-ruler with her younger brother, Ptolemy who tried to oust her from the throne. Her love for Caesar was actually no more than an act of getting the throne back and even to conquer the world as she longed to accomplish the dream of the Great Alexander. When Caesar was assasinated, she cried “My son” rather than mourning for him. After Caesar, was Antony her real love or just another attempt to rule the known