''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a 1972

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

of the play of the same name by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 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, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten ...

, and made by the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribut ...

. Heston and Hildegarde Neil 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 politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

and

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 ...

, 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, to bus conductor Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth (née Spall). His parents hope ...

, John Castle,

Fernando Rey Fernando Casado Arambillet (La Coruña (Spain), 20 September 1917 – Madrid (Spain), 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, i ...

Carmen Sevilla María del Carmen García Galisteo (born 16 October 1930), in Seville, Spain, known professionally as Carmen Sevilla, is a retired Spanish actress, singer and dancer. She began her career in the 1940s and became one of the most popular and hi ...

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 a ...

, Peter Arne, Douglas Wilmer,

Julian Glover Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...

and

Roger Delgado Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto (1 March 1918 – 18 June 1973) was a British 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 ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

by Federico De Urrutia and the director.

Cast

as Mark Antony * Hildegarde Neil as Cleopatra *

as Enobarbus * John Castle as Octavius Caesar *

as Lepidus *

as Octavia *

as Pompey * Peter Arne as Menas * Douglas Wilmer as Agrippa *

as Soothsayer *

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 George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

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'' as well as outtakes from the 1963 "Cleopatra". Charlton Heston had played Mark Antony in two previous Shakespearean films, both adaptations of ''

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, an ...

'', the first in 1950, the second in 1970 (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 in March 2011.Antony & Cleopatra: Movies & TV
Amazon.com. Retrieved on 14 November 2011.

References

External links

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

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' ( First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in aroun ...

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