CLEOPATRA

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 2 out of 5

Because of: graphic sexual content, and violence

Rated:

You would have a hard time distinguishing this Hallmark adaptation from a Hollywood production. It has a gorgeous soundtrack, stellar acting, epic battle scenes... and enough violence and sex to give any modern marvel a run for its money at the box office. Although an enthralling story, Cleopatra is best left alone to her vipers. Egypt lies torn in its loyalty between the two women who struggle in power for the throne. In the midst of this turmoil, the taxes have not been paid to Rome and Julius Caesar has marched upon the city, to take it captive until new alliances can be formed. The ruler seated upon the throne is a twelve year old boy under the right hand of his older sister Arsinoe; it is she who has kept Cleopatra from taking the empire, despite their father's desire that it be his eldest to succeed him.

Caesar cares little who rules the throne... as long as Egypt remains loyal to Rome and pays its annual taxes. Cleopatra has learned of his conquest to take her father's city and devises a scheme to win him to her side. Having herself smuggled into the city, she is deposited literally at the feet of the Roman invaders and asks Caesar to help restore her to her throne. When all else fails, her charms take her into his bedroom, and after one night together he removes Arsinoe from the throne, and gives it to Cleopatra under the condition that she rules with her brother at her side. This safety is short-lived, for her brother has been turned against her... and Arsinoe rouses her armies to attack the palace and drive back the Romans. Caesar is triumphant in his victory, and Cleopatra's reign restored... but she goes against him and has her sister killed in the prison, despite his orders that she remain alive as a bartering tool. She only eludes his fury by flirting with danger, and her leadership becomes etched in stone.

Egypt has endured much in the way of civil war and famine. The people are hungry. The taxes are high. The treasuries in danger of depletion. And in Rome, rumor is stirring of Caesar's romantic affair with an Egyptian queen whist he neglects his Roman wife and responsibilities at home. Only his nephew, Octavian, and his loyal Mark Anthony are able to keep Marcus Brutus and his howling pack of wolves at bay.

Caesar must return to Rome to defend his position there, just as Cleopatra has learned that she will bear his child. This is her link between the Roman Empire and Egypt... a child, a bartering tool, a sense of security. But Rome is not compassionate to illegitimate children, and divorce is not something spoken of lightly... nor would a romantic alliance be favored. Cleopatra may have won her throne, but she may be forced to fight to keep it. Even then, she cannot protect Caesar in his fight in her favor. And her seductive charms may not work on all the men of the world... 

I knew going in that Cleopatra was not for the faint of heart. I expected my fair share of implied sex and perhaps some violence... but I was shocked how graphic it was, coming from a made-for-television production. I certainly didn't expect to see decapitated heads and mostly naked women. The story demands a certain amount of accuracy, and in most areas Hallmark has gone all out to make ancient Egypt as impressive and majestic as the tombs would have us believe. Rich fabrics, cold stone walls, and draped tapestries provide a rich backdrop for all the mischief that goes on behind closed doors.

In the first few opening minutes, Cleopatra consults a prostitute for tips on "lovemaking." She then seduces Caesar. The scene isn't particularly graphic, but does involve dialogue and kissing before the camera pans away. They're seen numerous times thereafter in an intimate context, often drowsily reclining next to one another. Ordinarily I could put up with that... it was the clothing and a later scene that most jarred me. Most of the garments are sheer and in ten to one shots you can see Cleopatra's breasts through the fabric. In part two, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra quarrel after he tries flirting with her; he angrily begins to storm from the room, but instead comes back and the two make violent love. Although intermixed with quick shots of what's going on at the party outside, it's probably one of the most graphic love scenes ever shown on primetime. (And it created quite a stir; the ratings skyrocketed.)

And then there's the violence... people are stabbed, shot with arrows, skewered with poles, impaled by lances, and beheaded. Cleopatra's brother falls from his chariot and strikes his head upon a stone, killing him. She has her sister murdered in the dungeons (seen only by reflection upon the wall). At least twice decapitated heads are shown in gruesome glimpses. Caesar's death scene is particularly cruel and jarring... in which he's stabbed a dozen times by those he counted among his friends. Men fall upon their swords to kill themselves, and blood is spilt in the city streets. It's very violent and shockingly graphic; it puts First Knight to shame.

If ancient Egypt and its history fascinates you as it does myself, I would say that Cleopatra certainly isn't worth renting; it won't benefit you in any way other than to give you a disgust for the barbaric, cruel way of life in which these people lived. It's a prime example of a world without Christianity... from the cold marble terraces of Rome to the sultry sands of the desert. In a world where brother is turned against brother, and each looks out merely for themselves, it's a small wonder that the Roman empire eventually fell.