GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Ghoulumbe Better than most people think

WiseRatFlames An unexpected masterpiece

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

calvinnme Quite a remarkable production, a key film on the continuum of American film that set the bar higher. Considering King Tut's tomb wouldn't be found for another ten years, the sets and costumes were well done, funny chubby Egyptian figures painted on the walls. Thank goodness D.W. Griffith was compelled to innovate a few years later but restoration funds were well spent on this historical film.Cleopatra is a very stagey film. Nothing happens here that could not happen in a theatre. Genuine exteriors are almost non-existent, and even simple exteriors, requiring only a field and a tree or two, are duplicated with backdrops. This of course was in an era when the theatre still commanded a good deal more respect than did the cinema. Remember that one of the earliest film companies, a precursor to Paramount, was originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays. Also note that the extras seem to have nothing really to do. They are all standing around seeming to look for direction. Most of the film is very long shots, once again, going back to theatre roots. The score is terrible and does not fit the film at all. I don't care for avant-garde stuff and the music definitely falls into that category. If someone were going to use that type of music I would think it would be better suited to something like a German expressionist style film, not a period piece "historical" type film. That noise Ms. Gardner (Cleopatra) was making at the beginning was just odd and distracting. Then the actual "singing" (if you can call it that because the words were pretty much unintelligible) was again distracting. I was trying to figure out what she was saying and ended up missing part of the movie. However,the sounds and the score is somebody in modern times trying to augment the film, so I can hardly blame Ms.Gardner for it one hundred years after the fact.I'm glad this film was restored, as it's an interesting piece of film history. Before the money men got involved there was a place for women behind the camera in writing and directing as well as owning their own studios as Helen Gardner did. It's also very interesting that she made many feature length films (80-90 minutes) as opposed to the one and two reelers of the time. Cleopatra is listed as being the first feature length film (6 reels) made in the U.S., although De Mille always incorrectly tried to claim that "The Squaw Man" - which he directed -was the first feature length film.Worthwhile for the novelty of it all.

edalweber Like other people, I found the sound track to be rather annoying.I think that the main problem with this and similar films is that it appears that the actors forgot that they were making a silent movie and that no one could hear what they were saying.You have much too long sequences where two people are talking to each other, generally with not even many gestures, and only occasional subtitles.Of course this was a very early film, and people were feeling their way, but lacking both sound and any interesting settings, this turns out to be pretty dull.The peculiar movement of the barge as it moves on and off scene does give it a surrealist appearance.

lugonian "Cleopatra" (1912), directed by Charles Gaskill, which premiered on Turner Classic Movies in August 2000, stars stage actress Helen Gardner in the title role. In spite of when it was made (1912), I was prepared to witness a prestigious production handicapped by some overacting and bad camera shots. However, what makes the movie unbearable for me to watch is the really bad sound track that accompanies it: bongo drums, off screen chanting, etc. An organ score would have been sufficient. Presented in correct silent film speed, "Cleopatra" plays at 90 minutes, but again, complaining about the score, made it seem like it runs at 190 minutes. "Cleopatra" was obviously filmed in a studio sound stage, with backdrops moving about like a painted curtain. Had it been done a few years later under the direction of DW Griffith, then possibly it would have become a masterpiece as his 1916 production of INTOLERANCE. But because of that new underscoring (there I go again), maybe "Cleopatra" would have been somewhat bearable. I recommend the present version for insomniacs only.

mastone-2 Dull Curio from 1912. Filmed stage play with few moments of interest. Suffers from pre-Birth of a Nation lack of close-ups. What makes this one particularly dreadful is its unusual length (for the times) of over 70 minutes. Only point of interest is the odd new soundtrack recorded by Ted Turner's restoration crew.