Cleopatra (1970 Film)
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is a 1970 Japanese
adult animated An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...
fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...
directed by
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...
and
Eiichi Yamamoto was a Japanese film director and screenwriter of anime. He is known for directing the Animerama film series conceived by Osamu Tezuka. Yamamoto directed ten films between 1962 and 1986. His 1973 film '' Kanashimi no Belladonna'' was entered in ...
. The film is the second part of
Mushi Production or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima. The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry wit ...
's adult-oriented ''
Animerama is a trilogy of thematically related adult anime feature films originally conceived and initiated by Osamu Tezuka and made at his Mushi Production animation studio from the late 1960s to early 1970s. As well as the erotic themes, they are al ...
'' trilogy, following '' A Thousand and One Nights'' (1969) and preceding ''
Belladonna of Sadness is a 1973 Japanese adult animated art film produced by the animation studio Mushi Production and distributed by Nippon Herald Films. It is the third and final entry in Mushi Production's adult-oriented ''Animerama'' trilogy, following '' A Thous ...
'' (1973). The film was a critical and commercial failure. A manga adaptation of the film, also from Tezuka and Hisashi Sakaguchi, was released later that same year in October exclusively in ''
COM Com or COM may refer to: Computing * COM (hardware interface), a serial port interface on IBM PC-compatible computers * COM file, or .com file, short for "command", a file extension for an executable file in MS-DOS * .com, an Internet top-level d ...
'', and was reprinted in late 2018.


Plot

In the far future, three humans—Jiro, Harvey, and Mary—discover that an alien race called the Pasateli intends to conquer humankind with the mysterious "
Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
Plan". Through the use of a time machine, the three transport their minds into the bodies of members of the historical Cleopatra's court to discover and stop the plan. Harvey, however, vows to use the opportunity to secure the title of the greatest lover who ever lived by having sex with Cleopatra. In the middle of the Roman conquest of Egypt, a group of Egyptians secretly plot a rebellion to overthrow
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
. The group plans to send Cleopatra to seduce and murder Caesar. The Romans discover the group and attack them. Cleopatra escapes, along with her handmaidens Libya and Apollodoria. Cleopatra goes to an ancient priestess, who magically grants her an irresistibly seductive body for her mission. It is at this point when Jiro, Harvey, and Mary arrive: Mary is now Libya; Harvey finds himself in the body of the priestess' pet leopard Rupa, thwarting his plans to seduce Cleopatra; and Jiro finds himself in the body of Ionius, a Greek man captured and enslaved by the Romans. Ionius frees himself and the other slaves by using his knowledge of future technology to make modern
hand grenades A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade ge ...
. They accompany Cleopatra to meet Caesar, who is so overcome by her beauty that he makes her queen of Egypt. Caesar recaptures Ionius and, amused by his fighting skills, orders him to fight in the
gladiatorial arena A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
. He gives Ionius a modern-day handgun to ensure his victory. Ionius proves so popular with the Roman public that Caesar's own popularity soars, leading his senators to conspire to murder both him and Ionius to end their influence. Libya and Apollodoria insist Cleopatra must murder Caesar; Cleopatra, however, has had a change of heart and keeps putting off the assassination in favor of sex. They accompany Caesar back to Rome, just in time for him to be assassinated by his own senators. Caesar's adopted son, Octavian—soon to be called
Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...
—takes command. Cleopatra tries to continue the plan by seducing Octavian, only to learn that he is homosexual and impervious to her charms. Meanwhile, Caesar's right-hand man,
Marcus Antonius Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autoc ...
or Anthony, falls in love and has sex with Cleopatra. Octavian, on the other hand, is attracted to Ionius and spares his life. Finally, during the
Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between a maritime fleet of Octavian led by Marcus Agrippa and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII Philopator. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, nea ...
where Octavian's fleet defeats Anthony's Egyptian fleet, Anthony kills himself. Octavian goes to Cleopatra trying to persuade her to surrender and is taken into custody by the Romans. Disappointed by the rejection after Anthony's death, Cleopatra commits suicide by using the venomous bite of an asp. The time travelers return to the future and report that the Cleopatra Plan is a scheme by the Pasateli to assume the form of beautiful human women to seduce and destroy Earth's most powerful male leaders. The Pasateli have already taken their human forms and are poised to strike when this information arrives, but Earth is able to root them out and save the world in time.


Cast

*
Chinatsu Nakayama Chinatsu Nakayama is a Japanese voice actress, writer, and politician. Biography Nakayama was born in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan on July 13, 1948. She began acting on stage as a child in 1955, then her family moved to Tokyo with the encouragement ...
as
Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
*
Hajime Hana was a Japanese actor. He was the leader of the comic jazz band The Crazy Cats, which featured such talent as Hitoshi Ueki and Kei Tani, and which starred in a series of film comedies (such as the "Irresponsible" (Musekinin) series at Toho) and ...
as
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
*
Osami Nabe Osami Nabe (real name ''Shuzo Watanabe'', May 2, 1939 -) is a Japanese comedian and actor. Early life and education Nabe was born in Omori, Tokyo. He graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Omori High School and attended Meiji University beginning i ...
as
Marcus Antonius Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autoc ...
*
Jitsuko Yoshimura is a Japanese film and television actress. She was discovered by Shōhei Imamura as a newcomer and cast in the film '' Pigs and Battleships''. She went on to appear in films like Imamura's ''The Insect Woman'', Kaneto Shindō's '' Onibaba'', for ...
as Mary/Libya * Tsubame Yanagiya as Harvey/Rupa *
Nobuo Tsukamoto Nobuo (written: , , , , , in hiragana or in katakana) is a masculine, Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese basketball player * Nobuo Fujita (1911–1997), Warrant Flying Officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy *, ...
as Jiro/Ionius *
Kazuko Imai Kazuko (written: , , , , , or in hiragana) is primarily a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese writer and translator *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese opera composer *, Japanese astrologer and writer ...
as Calpurnia * Susumu Abe as Cabagonis *
Nachi Nozawa was a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and theatre director from Tokyo. He was affiliated with Office PAC at the time of his death. His real name was . Nozawa was the official dub-over artist of Al Pacino and Alain Delon. Also he was known ...
as
Octavian Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...
*
Kotoe Hatsui Kotoe (written: or ) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese volleyball player *, Japanese figure skater and coach {{given name Japanese feminine given names ...
as Apollodoria * Yoshirō Katō as Chief Tarabahha


Release

In 1972,
Mushi Productions or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima. The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry wi ...
, who made the film, accepted a deal with
Xanadu Productions Inc. Xanadu may refer to: * Shangdu, the ancient summer capital of Kublai Khan's empire in China * a metaphor for opulence or an idyllic place, based upon Coleridge's description of Shangdu in his poem ''Kubla Khan'' Other places * Xanadu (Titan ...
, a small distributor, to release a subtitled version of the film in the United States to try to save themselves from bankruptcy. When it was released in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, Xanadu changed the title to ''Cleopatra: Queen of Sex'' and released it with a self-applied
X-rating An X rating is a rating used in various countries to classify films that have content deemed suitable only for adults. It is used when the violent or sexual content of a film is considered to be potentially disturbing to general audiences. Aust ...
on April 24, 1972, playing at the
Bijou Bijou is a French word meaning ''jewel'', often loosely applied to buildings to mean small and elegant. It may also refer to: Buildings * Bijou Palace, also known as the Al-Gawhara Palace, a palace in Cairo, Egypt * Bijou Theatre (Manhattan), two ...
theatre and presumably other theatres. It was advertised as the first X-rated animated movie in the United States. However, ''
Fritz the Cat ''Fritz the Cat'' is a comic strip created by Robert Crumb. Set in a "supercity" of anthropomorphic animals, it focused on Fritz, a feline con artist who frequently went on wild adventures that sometimes involved sexual escapades. Crumb began d ...
'' came out with its X-rating from the
MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...
before it on April 18, 1972. The movie was not received well by audiences over in America, and was not a success at the box office, due to false advertising claiming it to be a "pornographic" movie, which caused people who saw the film wanting refunds. It was not successful in its native Japan either. Critics give it mixed reviews. Howard Thompson of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said it was basically a movie that involved "mostly a voluptuously drawn Cleopatra and a bevy of cuties that trot around bare breasted", but praised the "lavish backgrounds" and some of the imagery and color. ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' called the movie "partly sophomoric", with "emphasis on vulgar low comedy", but praised it for having "good animation and color." ''Cleopatra'' was not submitted to the
MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...
, and might not have received an X-rating if it had been. In its native country, it has been released on VHS, VHD,
Laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
, and
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
(bundled with '' A Thousand and One Nights'' and ''
Belladonna of Sadness is a 1973 Japanese adult animated art film produced by the animation studio Mushi Production and distributed by Nippon Herald Films. It is the third and final entry in Mushi Production's adult-oriented ''Animerama'' trilogy, following '' A Thous ...
'' or released separately) throughout the following years.
Third Window Films Third Window Films is a UK-based distributor of movies from East Asia founded in 2005. They have provided distribution for numerous award-winning films, such as ''Oasis'' (Winner of Marcello Mastroianni Award, FIPRESCI Prize Signis Award and Specia ...
released the film bundled with ''A Thousand and One Nights'' on
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
for the first time and on DVD on June 18, 2018, for Region 2 territories.
Discotek Media Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retro titles fr ...
released the film on Blu-ray for Region 1 territories on October 27, 2020.


See also

*
List of Osamu Tezuka anime This is a list of Osamu Tezuka's notable anime work in alphabetical order. This list of anime includes all those listed on Tezuka's official site as well as others that are directly based on his work, but not listed on the site yet. The English tra ...


References


External links

* *
''Cleopatra''
in the TezukaOsamu.net database {{Osamu Tezuka 1970 anime films 1970 manga Japanese animated films Japanese adult animated films Japanese alternate history films Comics about time travel Films based on Antony and Cleopatra Films directed by Eiichi Yamamoto Films scored by Isao Tomita Depictions of Cleopatra in comics Depictions of Cleopatra on film Depictions of Julius Caesar in comics Depictions of Julius Caesar on film Discotek Media Films about time travel Osamu Tezuka anime Osamu Tezuka manga Works based on Antony and Cleopatra