MovieChat Forums > Cleopatra (1963) Discussion > Original 6-hour cut?

Original 6-hour cut?

posted 9 years ago by Geijutsu12
4 replies | jump to latest

Has it ever been released on a DVD/Bluray/online? I'be been trying to find some info to verify that but I can't seem to get an answer. Anyone here aware of the existence of it somewhere?

[–] angmc43 8 years ago

To this day, the majority of the missing footage has not been located. The only pieces found:
-Cleopatra walking out of her tent during her temporary exile from Alexandria, before she secretly goes to Caesar by carpet.
-Roman Archers firing their arrows (I believe killing Caesarion).
-The snake dance at Cleopatra's Roman Entrance.

The most complete cut is the 4-hour-and-half roadshow version.

[–] DonandLiG 8 years ago

This epic would have benefited by being a bit shorter. Several scenes between Antony and Cleopatra are quite tediously long.

[–] PrometheusTree64 8 years ago

Oh, no. The length isn't the problem --- although, obviously, it's reeeeeeeally long.

But the missing footage included location filming in Rome and Egypt, and Cleo's relationship with Antony is better fleshed-out and better-paced, making it less soapy than the truncated version. Supposedly.

If only they could find the 5 1/2 hour version today. But most of it has probably been destroyed for 50 years.

Too back Zanuck didn't consider saving Mankiewicz' full version, one they could sell to TV five years later as "the CLEOPATRA you never saw." Fox could have raked in additional bucks that way. But no one would have thought of that, of course.

--
LBJ's mistress on JFK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcXeutDmuRA

[–] Jennie_Portrait 8 years ago

I would love to see the REALLY long version. If only for the clothes.

The movie is very slow and Cleo is curiously unsympathetic. The two male leads are actually better fleshed out.
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