Hummina hummina Hamunaptra! Queen of the Nile 50 years ago, and of the cinema box office, Cleopatra was a mammoth project to produce back in the day. Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Button in a tale about Egypt and Rome, it was a smash hit when released.
And now it’s getting the HD treatment for a home release on the bluest of formats.
Originally filmed on a then staggering $44 million budget, Cleopatra wasn’t much of a hit at the box office, but it still went on to become a cult hit over the years, as well as four academy awards come Oscar season. Adjusted for inflation, Cleopatra is one of the most expensive movies ever made, with a budget of $323 million if it had been made today. It’s also the film that almost bankrupted 20th Century Fox.
But at least the production companies got their money’s worth. The first cut of the film was estimated to have a six hour running time, before being trimmed down to a four hour butt-numbing premiere, and then further snipped to a three hour total.
But hey, that’s show business. Here’s what you’ll get on the Blu-Ray when it arrives May 24:
CLEOPATRA Blu-ray Features:
Disc 1
● Cleopatra Through The Ages: A Cultural History
● Cleopatra’s Missing Footage
● Fox Movie Channel presents Fox Legacy with Tom Rothman
● Commentary with Chris Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky
● The Cleopatra Papers: A Private Correspondence
Disc 2
● Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood
● The Fourth Star of Cleopatra
● Fox Movietone News
○ Archival Footage of the New York Premiere
○ Archival Footage of the Hollywood Premiere
● Commentary with Chris Mankieqicz, Tom Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky
● Theatrical Trailers
CLEOPATRA BLU-RAY: (Catalog # 2277459)
Screen Format: 16:9
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD-MA
French 5.1 DTS
Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Castilian 5.1 DTS
Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Castilian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, Hebrew, Icelandic and Mandarin
U.S. Rating: PG
Total Run Time 561 minute
561 minutes? Sounds like you’re going to have the full Cleo experience. Prepare your couch for an imminent indentation of your ass cheeks for when the film arrives on disc.
Last Updated: March 4, 2013
