MovieChat Forums > Cleopatra (1963) Discussion > I saw the movie again, for the first tim...

I saw the movie again, for the first time in decades.

posted a year ago by Otter (24464)
1 reply | jump to latest

And my big takeaway is that the movie is a slog for the most part, and Liz Taylor is NOT up to the demands of the role! The woman wasn't completely incompetent as an actress, she gave some good performances in her day, along with a lot of bad ones, but she's lost here. She totally fails to project the charisma and intelligence the real Clopatra must have had, and which the script calls for her to have, her best moments in the role are all when she's holding still and looking glam, while glittering pageantry goes on around her, and those moments aren't good because of her!

Seriously, does anyone like her performance?

[–] Mrmojo4700 (21452) 5 months ago

I’m a long time fan of this film, and my biggest gripe is not with Taylor’s performance, but with how it drops off so badly after Cesar is killed. It feels like Rex Harrison is basically doing a comedy routine, and to me, Burton just can’t carry the film the rest of the way to his level. I’m not saying the second half with Burton is bad at all, but it’s like it switched gears. Either way, he definitely over shines Taylor in the acting department and is the reason for my rewatches, not her.

“Young Lady, have you broken out of your nursery to irritate the adults? Some other time!” 😀