''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a 1972

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

of the play of the same name by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, directed by and starring

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

, and made by the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation (founded as the J. Arthur Rank Organisation) is a British entertainment conglomerate founded in 1937 by industrialist J. Arthur Rank. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the Uni ...

. Heston and

Hildegarde Neil Hildegard Hope Zimmermann (20 May 1939 – 19 September 2023), also credited as Hildegard Neil, was an English actress. Career Born in South Africa, she came to England in 1961 and went to RADA for two years. Neil first appeared on television ...

portray the titular roles of

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic ...

and

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

, with a supporting cast featuring

Eric Porter Eric Richard Porter (8 April 192815 May 1995) was an English actor of stage, film and television. Early life Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdo ...

John Castle John Michael Frederick Castle (born 14 January 1940) is an English actor. He is best known for his film and television work, most notably playing Bill in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Blowup'' (1966) and Geoffrey in '' The Lion in Winter'' (19 ...

Fernando Rey Fernando Casado Arambillet (20 September 1917 – 9 March 1994), best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States. A suave, international actor best known for hi ...

Carmen Sevilla María del Carmen García Galisteo (16 October 1930 – 27 June 2023), known professionally as Carmen Sevilla, was a Spanish actress, singer, and dancer. She began her career in the 1940s and became one of the most popular and highest paid star ...

Freddie Jones Frederick Charles Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.''; at ancestry.com (12 September 1927 – 9 July 2019) was an English actor who had an extensive career in television, theatre and cinema productions for ...

Peter Arne Peter Arne (born Peter Randolph Michael Albrecht; 29 September 19181 August 1983) was a British actor. He made more than 50 film appearances including roles in '' Ice Cold in Alex'', '' The Moonraker'', '' Conspiracy of Hearts'' and '' Victor/Vi ...

Douglas Wilmer Douglas Norman Wilmer (8 January 1920 – 31 March 2016) was an English actor, best known for playing Sherlock Holmes in the eponymous 1965 TV series. Early life Wilmer was born 8 January 1920 in Brentford, Middlesex, to Harry Bradlaugh Wilme ...

Julian Glover Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English actor with many stage, television, and film roles. Classically trained, he is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Gl ...

and

Roger Delgado Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto (1 March 1918 – 18 June 1973) was an English actor. He played many roles on television, radio and in films, and had "a long history of playing minor villains" before becoming ...

. The picture was produced by Peter Snell from a

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

by Federico De Urrutia and the director.

Plot

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, messengers from

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

arrive to inform Mark Antony, a Roman general and member of the

Second Triumvirate The Second Triumvirate was an extraordinary commission and magistracy created at the end of the Roman republic for Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian to give them practically absolute power. It was formally constituted by law on 27 November ...

, of Rome's political affairs. Antony, who has fallen in love with

, the Queen of Egypt, is uninterested but Cleopatra persuades him to listen.

Proculeius The gens Proculeia was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are first mentioned at the end of the Republic. Gaius Proculeius was one of the most trusted friends and advisers of Octavian, and one of those whom he consider ...

informs Antony that his wife

Fulvia Fulvia (; d. 40 BC) was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the late Roman Republic. Fulvia's birth into an important political dynasty facilitated her relationships and, later on, marriages to Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gaius Scribo ...

has died after she and Antony's brother Lucius Antonius had rebelled against Octavius, another triumvir. In Rome, Octavius notifies Lepidus, the third triumvir, that Antony has abandoned his responsibilities. Lepidus defends Antony's weaknesses, and the two agree to raise an army against

Sextus Pompey Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius ( 67 – 35 BC), also known in English as Sextus Pompey, was a Roman military leader who, throughout his life, upheld the cause of his father, Pompey the Great, against Julius Caesar and his supporters during the la ...

. Antony returns to Rome to amend relations with Octavius, in which

Agrippa Agrippa may refer to: People Antiquity * Agrippa (mythology), semi-mythological king of Alba Longa * Agrippa (astronomer), Greek astronomer from the late 1st century * Agrippa the Skeptic, Skeptic philosopher at the end of the 1st century * Ag ...

suggests Antony marry Octavius's sister Octavia. Before battle, the triumvirs meet with Pompey and offer him control of

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

and

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

on the condition he drives out the pirates and pay tribute. After some hesitation, Sextus agrees. They engage in a drunken celebration on Sextus' galley. Meanwhile, Menas suggests to Sextus that he defeat his political rivals and make himself ruler of the Roman Republic, but Sextus refuses. Back in Egypt, Cleopatra learns Antony's marriage to Octavia and strikes her messenger for delivering the news. She sends her messenger to witness the marriage union in Rome, in which the messenger then returns to Egypt and describes Octavia's physical features. While in Rome, Antony asks a soothsayer whether his or Octavius's fortunes will rise. The soothsayer replies in favor of Octavius and advises Antony to keep his distance. Antony then returns to Egypt and reunites with Cleopatra, where he crowns her and himself as coregents of Egypt. In the wake, Octavius finds Antony is displeased with his allocation of Sextus Pompey's territories and dictates that Lepidus be disposed as triumvirate. Octavius agrees with the latter demand but declares war against Antony. Enobarbus urges Antony to fight on land, believing that Octavius's naval forces hold the greater advantage. Antony however refuses and battles Octavius's forces in the

Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between Octavian's maritime fleet, led by Marcus Agrippa, and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, near the former R ...

, with assistance from Cleopatra's fleet. During the battle, Cleopatra's fleet withdraws and Antony follows, leaving his forces defeated. Antony returns to the palace and lies in shame accusing himself of dishonor. Cleopatra comforts Antony, and as the two kiss, he remarks that even her kiss repays him for his shame. On the eve of battle, Antony sends the soothsayer requesting a truce, but Octavius declines. Octavius then sends Thidias, a messenger, to ask Cleopatra to give up Antony and switch sides. She hesitates and flirts with the messenger until Antony walks in and angrily denounces her behavior. He has Thidias whipped. Eventually, Antony forgives Cleopatra. The next day, Antony challenges Octavius, whose forces are near

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, to a one-on-one combat. Antony's forces depart to battle Octavius's on land while Enobarbus stays behind. Believing Antony's forces will fall to Octavius, Enobarbus throws himself off a cliff and dies. Antony loses the battle and as he deserts en masse, he denounces Cleopatra for betrayal. Inside the palace, Cleopatra locks herself inside a monument, and sends her messenger to falsely inform Antony of her death. Believing she has died, Antony requests Eros, his aide, to impale him with his sword. Eros declines and instead impales himself, leaving Antony to do it himself. As Antony bleeds, the soothsayer informs him that Cleopatra is still alive. A dying Antony returns to Cleopatra and dies in her arms. Octavius is informed of Antony's death and sends Proculeius to demand for Cleopatra's surrender. Cleopatra tries to take her own life but is prevented. Sometime later, Octavius arrives and assures her that as his prisoner of war, she will be treated with respect. Cleopatra imagines she will be humiliated and proceeds to kill herself through the venomous bite of an asp. Her handmaidens Charmian and Iras follow her in death. Upon learning of Cleopatra's death, Octavius decides to have her buried next to Antony.

Cast

Enobarbus ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...

Octavius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

Lepidus Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (; 89 BC – late 13 or early 12 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who formed the Second Triumvirate alongside Octavian and Mark Antony during the final years of the Roman Republic. Lepidus had previously been ...

as Octavia *

as Menas *

as Soothsayer *

Production

Distributors in 21 countries put up 65 percent 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 percent. Heston asked

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

to direct but Welles turned it down, so he decided to do it himself. The film was shot in Spain. Heston re-used leftover footage of the sea battle from his 1959 film ''

Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to: Fiction *'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace ** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899 ** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...

'' as well as outtakes from the 1963 film ''

''. Charlton Heston had played Mark Antony in two previous Shakespearean films, both adaptations of ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 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 Caesar's civil wa ...

'', the first in

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

, the second in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

(also produced by Peter Snell).

Home video

The film received poor reviews and, as a consequence, a very limited release in the United States. It was released on

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 ki ...

in March 2011.Antony & Cleopatra: Movies & TV

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...

. Retrieved on 14 November 2011.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Antony And Cleopatra (1972 Film)

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...

Swiss drama films Films based on Antony and Cleopatra British epic films British historical drama films 1970s English-language films English-language Spanish films English-language Swiss films Spanish epic films 1970s historical drama films Films directed by Charlton Heston Films scored by John Scott (composer) Epic films based on actual events Films shot in Almería Historical epic films 1972 drama films 1972 directorial debut films 1970s British films Cultural depictions of Lepidus English-language historical drama films