The beginning scenes capture the magnificent buildings and architecture of the great city of Egypt. We see shields and armor made of gold being paraded through the city. Cleopatra, 1999, directed by Franc Roddam, was a movie of passion and power. This was a story of a timeless romance between Egypt’s most famous queen, the oldest child of Pharaoh Ptolemy XII, Cleopatra, and two of Rome’s most powerful men. Played by the beautiful Leonor Varela, Cleopatra was an aesthetically pleasing and powerful woman. Cleopatra reigned as the queen of Egypt. Known as one of Egypt’s most famous queen, Varela nailed her role as Cleopatra. To my surprise, oddly enough, Cleopatra married her 12-year-old brother to claim the throne. By doing this, she became the most compelling and exotic queens in Egypt’s history. She tells Caesar, “I am Egypt”, knowing her worth and great power. Early in the film, Cleopatra used her seductiveness on the Roman ruler, Julius Caesar. Caesar, played by Timothy Dalton, is a strong and mighty ruler; yet will occasionally fall under Cleopatra’s spell. Dalton plays a commanding and robust Caesar. She is very sexual towards him which leads to a passionate relationship in the film. Varela captures Cleopatra’s strong sexuality as a method to get what she wants and to win men over.
When Caesar leaves Egypt and returns to Rome, Cleopatra finds out she is pregnant. She begs Caesar to stay; without telling the news of her pregnancy. When their son is born, she lifts him up on the castle and shows all of Egypt her son. Cleopatra then travels to Rome to tell Caesar the news of their son. In Rome, Caesar finds a wife and has already picked Octavian as his successor. When Caesar finds out of his son, he is not pleased; but eventually claims him. The Romans seem to not be pleased as well; as they chant “Caesar’s whore!” when she arrives. Varela’s pouty face and dynamic acting show her anger and distress from this. Cleopatra meets Mark Anthony here, played by Billy Zane. The charismatic Mark Anthony surprises Cleopatra with their chemistry.
After Caesar’s murder, Anthony and Cleopatra move into lovers; the bloody battle for the heart and soul of the Roman Empire begins. It was no shock that Cleopatra’s entrancing behavior led Anthony to her; leaving Octavian with whom he was ruling Rome. At the end of the film, Cleopatra kills herself with the snake bite. All dressed in gold and jewels, Cleopatra wears her iconic eye makeup as she takes her final breaths.
Throughout the film, the battle scenes are staged for excitement and come off realistic. We see blood and sweat from the men fighting for their lives. Scenes are cut to views of beautiful landscapes of Egypt’s and Rome’s beautiful scenery. Varela’s acting was amazing and powerful. She fulfilled her role as Cleopatra and made the audience envious of her. She can be a seductress queen while maintaining the power of her country by selling herself to men in power. The beginning love story between Caesar and Cleopatra was no match for the love between her and Anthony. I find it interesting how two powerful love stories were put in one. The film seemed to be made for drama purposes, not so much for historical purposes. There was a lot of drama and betrayal that we see in this film. Yet, we do see parts of history such as Cleopatra’s status and her death. There are a lot of faults in historical accuracy. This was a very theatrical film; if you are looking for solid ancient Egyptian history, then you have come to the wrong movie.
