An absolutely thrilling start to the saga of one of the most popular queens in history, or at least the one with the greatest legend. A difficult casting decision had lots of barriers even befkre the decision was made. Even predecessors Theda Bara and Claudette Colbert pale in comparison to the memory of Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 epic, and even being older than the real deal, it's Liz whom people think of when Cleopatra is mentioned in the context of film history. Chilean Leonor Varela plays the serpent of the Nile here, and while stunning to look at, isn't of similar star quality, effective to get the job done, a bit more than just serviceable, but nearly fading in the background in scenes with Timothy Dalton, perfectly cast as Julius Caesar.
There's a bit more detail to her banishment from Egypt after being declared pharaoh, with a younger half sister Arsinoe (along with the simpering eunich regent Ponthius) equally as scheming and getting her comeuppance thanks to the loyalty of Cleopatra's guard. When Julius admonishes her for her actions and other ruthlessness within the family, I immediately thought of Caesar's own family as documented in the BBC classic "I Claudius". This isn't particularly well acted outside of Dalton, with Kassandra Voyagis playing Arsinoe as if she was one of the real housewives of Cairo. But the episode scores beautifully with sensational sets and costumes, terrific photography (particularly the battle scenes) and most memorably, one of the most gorgeous film scores of the recent past. Half way through the episode, the first glimpse of Billy Zane as Mark Anthony and Rupert Graves as the future Augustus Caesar (Octavian) appears, and it's obvious that Graves has already taken over part II before it even begjns.
There's a bit more detail to her banishment from Egypt after being declared pharaoh, with a younger half sister Arsinoe (along with the simpering eunich regent Ponthius) equally as scheming and getting her comeuppance thanks to the loyalty of Cleopatra's guard. When Julius admonishes her for her actions and other ruthlessness within the family, I immediately thought of Caesar's own family as documented in the BBC classic "I Claudius". This isn't particularly well acted outside of Dalton, with Kassandra Voyagis playing Arsinoe as if she was one of the real housewives of Cairo. But the episode scores beautifully with sensational sets and costumes, terrific photography (particularly the battle scenes) and most memorably, one of the most gorgeous film scores of the recent past. Half way through the episode, the first glimpse of Billy Zane as Mark Anthony and Rupert Graves as the future Augustus Caesar (Octavian) appears, and it's obvious that Graves has already taken over part II before it even begjns.