First off, let's state the obvious: the 4-hour running time is oppressive. I don't care how many weeks it took for the set designers to paint the walls of Cleopatra's inner chambers - cut, cut, cut! Either deliver a more concise single film or give us 2 installments. "Cleopatra 2", you ask...? Sure why not. I will say that even the mere act of watching "Cleopatra" felt luxurious. Everything looks so expensive! Unfortunately the cast is never amazing, as they deliver one tedious speech after another (although I did enjoy Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar). It often seems like the director's primary fixation was devising new and imaginative ways to showcase Elizabeth Taylor's cleavage. Worth a look for the pageantry, but by no means is this a great film.
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