Antony and Cleopatra (1972 film)

Last updated

Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra (1972 film).jpg
Directed by Charlton Heston
Written byFederico De Urrutia
Charlton Heston
William Shakespeare
Produced by Peter Snell
Starring Charlton Heston
Hildegarde Neil
Eric Porter
John Castle
Fernando Rey
Juan Luis Galiardo
Carmen Sevilla
CinematographyRafael Pacheco
Edited byEric Boyd-Perkins
Music by John Scott
Production
company
Distributed by Rank Organisation (UK)
Release date
  • 2 March 1972 (1972-03-02)(UK)
Running time
160 min
CountriesUnited Kingdom
Spain
Switzerland
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.8 million [1]

Antony and Cleopatra is a 1972 film adaptation of the play of the same name by William Shakespeare, directed by and starring Charlton Heston, and made by the Rank Organisation. Heston and Hildegarde Neil portray the titular roles of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, with a supporting cast featuring Eric Porter, John Castle, Fernando Rey, Carmen Sevilla, Freddie Jones, Peter Arne, Douglas Wilmer, Julian Glover and Roger Delgado. The picture was produced by Peter Snell from a screenplay by Federico De Urrutia and the director. [2]

Contents

Cast

Production

Distributors in 21 countries put up 65% of the $1.8 million budget (which was actually $2.7 million but Heston and Snell deferred their fees). A bank put up the remainder 35%. Heston asked Orson Welles to direct, but Welles turned it down, so he decided to do it himself. [1]

The film was shot in Spain. Heston re-used leftover footage of the sea battle from his 1959 film Ben-Hur as well as outtakes from the 1963 Cleopatra . [3]

Charlton Heston had played Mark Antony in two previous Shakespearean films, both adaptations of Julius Caesar , the first in 1950, the second in 1970 (also produced by Peter Snell).

Home video

The film received poor reviews [4] and, as a consequence, a very limited release in the United States. It was released on DVD in March 2011. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlton Heston</span> American actor and political activist (1923–2008)

Charlton Heston was an American actor and political activist. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction films and action films. He won the Academy Award as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards. He won numerous honorary accolades including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1978, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1967, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1971, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1997, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003.

<i>Julius Caesar</i> (play) Play by William Shakespeare

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (First Folio title: The Tragedie of Ivlivs Cæsar), often abbreviated as Julius Caesar, is a history play and tragedy by William Shakespeare first performed in 1599.

<i>Antony and Cleopatra</i> Play by William Shakespeare

Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published in 1623, under the title The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra.

<i>Carry On Cleo</i> 1964 British comedy film by Gerald Thomas

Carry On Cleo is a 1964 British historical comedy film, the tenth in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992). Regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, and Jim Dale are present and Connor made his last appearance until his return in Carry On Up the Jungle six years later. Joan Sims returned to the series for the first time since Carry On Regardless three years earlier. Sims would now appear in every Carry On up to Carry On Emmannuelle in 1978, making her the most prolific actress in the series. Jon Pertwee makes the first of his four appearances in the series. The title role is played by Amanda Barrie in her second and last Carry On. Along with Carry On Sergeant and Carry On Screaming!, its original posters were reproduced by the Royal Mail on stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Carry On series in June 2008. The film was followed by Carry On Cowboy 1965.

<i>William Shakespeares Julius Caesar</i> 1953 Shakespearean film by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Julius Caesar is a 1953 American film adaptation of the Shakespearean play, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by John Houseman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It stars Marlon Brando as Mark Antony, James Mason as Brutus, Louis Calhern as Caesar, John Gielgud as Cassius, Edmond O'Brien as Casca, Greer Garson as Calpurnia, and Deborah Kerr as Portia.

<i>Julius Caesar</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by David Bradley

Julius Caesar is a 1950 film adaptation of the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar starring Charlton Heston. The first film version of the play with sound, it was produced and directed by David Bradley using actors from the Chicago area. Heston, who had known Bradley since his youth, and who was establishing himself in television and theater in New York City, portrayed Mark Antony. He was the only paid cast member. Bradley himself played Brutus, and Harold Tasker had the title role. Bradley recruited drama students from his alma mater Northwestern University for bit parts and extras, one of whom was future star Jeffrey Hunter, who studied alongside Heston at Northwestern.

John Michael Frederick Castle is an English actor. He is best known for his film and television work, most notably playing Bill in Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup (1966) and Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter (1968). Other significant credits include Man of La Mancha (1972), I, Claudius (1976) and RoboCop 3 (1993).

Jeffery Kissoon is an actor with credits in British theatre, television, film and radio. He has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company at venues such as the Royal National Theatre, under directors including Peter Brook, Peter Hall, Robert Lepage, Janet Suzman, Calixto Bieito and Nicholas Hytner. He has acted in genres from Shakespeare and modern theatre to television drama and science fiction, playing a range of both leading and supporting roles, from Mark Antony in Antony and Cleopatra and Prospero and Caliban in The Tempest, to Malcolm X in The Meeting and Mr Kennedy in the children's TV series Grange Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Wilmer</span> British actor (1920 – 2016)

Douglas Wilmer was an English actor, best known for playing Sherlock Holmes in the 1965 TV series Sherlock Holmes.

<i>Julius Caesar</i> (1970 film) 1970 Shakespearean film by Stuart Burge

Julius Caesar is a 1970 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name, directed by Stuart Burge. It stars Charlton Heston as Mark Antony, Jason Robards as Brutus, Richard Johnson as Cassius, John Gielgud as Caesar, Robert Vaughn as Casca, Richard Chamberlain as Octavius, and Diana Rigg as Portia. It was an independent production of Commonwealth United Entertainment, filmed in England and Spain. It is the first film version of the play made in colour.

<i>Caesar and Cleopatra</i> (play) Play by George Bernard Shaw

Caesar and Cleopatra is a play written in 1898 by George Bernard Shaw that depicts a fictionalized account of the relationship between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra. It was first published with Captain Brassbound's Conversion and The Devil's Disciple in Shaw's 1901 collection Three Plays for Puritans. It was first performed in a single staged reading at Newcastle upon Tyne on 15 March 1899, to secure the copyright. The play was produced in New York in 1906 and in London at the Savoy Theatre in 1907.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural depictions of Julius Caesar</span>

Gaius Julius Caesar, one of the most influential men in world history, has frequently appeared in literary and artistic works since ancient times.

The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare is a notable series of audio-drama presentations of 38 of William Shakespeare's 39 plays.

David Neal was a British television actor, active from the 1960s into the 1990s. He is chiefly remembered for a range of supporting roles in major productions.

Antony and Cleopatra is a play by William Shakespeare.

Antony and Cleopatra is a 1974 videotaped television production of William Shakespeare's 1606 play of the same name, produced by ATV starring Richard Johnson as Mark Antony, Janet Suzman as Cleopatra, and Patrick Stewart as Enobarbus. It was directed by Jon Scoffield and is an adaptation of Trevor Nunn's Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production of the play. It features then-little-known Ben Kingsley and Tim Pigott-Smith in small roles.

An Honourable Murder is a 1960 British drama film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Norman Wooland, Margaretta Scott and Lisa Daniely. It is a modern reworking of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar set in the corporate world of the City of London.

<i>Antony and Cleopatra</i> (1913 film) 1913 film by Enrico Guazzoni

Antony and Cleopatra is a 1913 Italian silent historical film directed by Enrico Guazzoni, starring Gianna Terribili-Gonzales, Amleto Novelli and Ignazio Lupi. The film is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same title, with inspiration also drawn from a poem by Pietro Cossa.

The Spread of the Eagle is a nine-part serial adaptation of three sequential history plays of William Shakespeare, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, and Antony and Cleopatra, produced by the BBC in 1963. It was inspired by the success of An Age of Kings (1960), which it was unable to rival. The episodes also aired in West Germany in 1968-69 and in 1972.

Peter Snell is a Canadian film producer. He is notable for the films he made with Alistair MacLean, Don Sharp and Charlton Heston as well as The Wicker Man (1973).

References

  1. 1 2 Mills, Bart. (26 March 1972). "Heston plays hero for Bard". Chicago Tribune . p. j16.
  2. "Antony and Cleopatra : Overview". MSN. Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  3. Rothwell, Kenneth S. (28 October 2004). A History of Shakespeare on Screen: A Century of Film and Television. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-54311-8.
  4. Rosenthal, Daniel. "Shakespeare on Film: Antony and Cleopatra". MovieMaker. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  5. Antony & Cleopatra: Movies & TV. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 14 November 2011.