Antony and Cleopatra (1972 film)

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]

Antony and Cleopatra
Directed by	Charlton Heston
Written by	Federico 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
Cinematography	Rafael Pacheco
Edited by	Eric Boyd-Perkins
Music by	John Scott
Production company	Rank Organisation
Distributed by	Rank Organisation (UK)
Release date	2 March 1972 (1972-03-02) (UK)
Running time	160 min
Countries	United Kingdom Spain Switzerland
Language	English
Budget	$1.8 million[1]

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.^[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]

References

1. 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.

External links

• Antony and Cleopatra at IMDb