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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.
Cast
- Charlton Heston as Mark Antony
- Hildegarde Neil as Cleopatra
- Eric Porter as Enobarbus
- John Castle as Octavius Caesar
- Fernando Rey as Lepidus
- Carmen Sevilla as Octavia
- Freddie Jones as Pompey
- Peter Arne as Menas
- Douglas Wilmer as Agrippa
- Roger Delgado as Soothsayer
- Julian Glover as Proculeius
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.
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 .
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 and, as a consequence, a very limited release in the United States. It was released on DVD in March 2011.
Year | 1972 |
ReleaseDate | 1972-03-18 |
RuntimeMins | 160 |
RuntimeStr | 2h 40min |
Plot | After the murder of her lover Caesar, Egypt’s queen Cleopatra needs a new ally. She seduces his probable successor Mark Antony. This develops into real love and slowly leads to a war with the other possible successor: Octavius. |
Directors | Charlton Heston |
Writers | Federico De Urrutia, Charlton Heston, William Shakespeare |
Stars | Charlton Heston, Hildegard Neil, Eric Porter |
Produced by | Julián Esteban,Barry Romans,Peter Snell |
Music by | John Scott |
Cinematography by | Rafael Pacheco |
Film Editing by | Eric Boyd-Perkins |
Production Design by | Maurice Pelling |
Art Direction by | José María Alarcón |
Set Decoration by | José María Alarcón,José Algueró,Don Picton |
Costume Design by | Wendy Dickson |
Makeup Department | Cristóbal Criado |
Production Management | Julian Esteban,Julián Esteban,Miguel Ángel Bermejo |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | Joe Canutt,Carlos Gil,Fraser C. Heston,Luis Matilla,Ron Maxwell,Julio Sempere |
Art Department | Antonio Muñoz,Emilio Ardura,Luis Esquinas Sanchez,John L. Jensen,Francisco Prósper |
Sound Department | Maurice Askew,Vernon Messenger,George Stephenson,Lionel Strutt |
Special Effects by | Pablo Pérez |
Visual Effects by | Ray Caple,Emilio Ruiz del Río |
Stunts | Miguel Pedregosa |
Camera and Electrical Department | Ricardo Navarrete,Dickie Lee |
Editorial Department | Denis Whitehouse,María Luisa Pino |
Music Department | Augusto Algueró,John Scott,Dick Lewzey,John Scott |
Script and Continuity Department | Pamela Davies |
Additional Crew | Frederick Buckman,Barry Romans,Quinn Donoghue |
Genres | Drama, History |
Companies | Folio Films, Izaro Films, The Rank Organisation |
Countries | UK, Spain, Switzerland |
Languages | English |
ContentRating | Not Rated |
ImDbRating | 5.8 |
ImDbRatingVotes | 1033 |
Keywords | character names as title,marc antony character,cleopatra character,three word title,murder |