Serpent of the Nile

It's difficult to take this movie seriously, indeed if nothing else it will make you smile it's so campy. Cheap painted scenery, the same waves in all the sea scenes (notice the painted ships don't move), moronic character motivations, and I could go on. Its definitely history on the cheap as only William Castle could imagine it. Don't expect any resemblance to facts other than on the barest surface and even then it's a stretch. But it is FUN. Everyone acts like a 30s Chicago gangster except they wear Roman armor and togas. Rhonda Fleming is absolutely delightful in her over-the-top portrayal of the legendary queen, her form deliciously outlined in all her costumes. She is perfect in this role, the queen of camp playing the queen of the Nile. Raymond Burr's portrayal of Anthony makes you wonder how such a dope could have risen to such a height of power. As for William Lundigan, well he switched allegiances effortlessly, from Caesar to Brutus to Anthony to Cleopatra back to Anthony to Octavius and then I lost track. As for the plot don't expect to make much sense of it. So be warned and beware that you might not be able to take your eyes off this train wreck of a film.

Hollywood's love affair with Cleopatra is as strong as the ones she had with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony - and just as doomed.

As for "Serpent of the Nile", maybe only lovers of bad movies could sit through it today, and for them there is much to enjoy. However it's fascinating to see a star like Raymond Burr before he became famous on television.

"Serpent of the Nile" starts with the death of Caesar, which allows Mark Antony (Raymond Burr) to follow his destiny to Egypt and Cleopatra. Fair-skinned Rhonda Fleming is a glamorous Cleopatra, although the makeup department didn't even bother to remove the cap off the bronzing cream in the pursuit of ethnic authenticity.

Along the way, Antony spares the life of Lucilius (William Lundigan), a Roman officer who becomes a friend. However, Lucilius has had history with Cleopatra and has the inside running although she does take up with Mark Antony. Eventually Antony loses his grip, giving himself over to pleasure.

After a falling out of buddies, Lucilius joins Antony's rival, Octavian, who arrives to stop the nonsense in Egypt. Finally, Antony falls on his sword while Cleopatra heads for the basket with the asp.

"Serpent" is flat looking and stagy. That's probably because much of the film looks as though it was shot in director William Castle's office where they just pushed the furniture aside and hung a curtain on the wall - the film uses a lot of curtains.

The film opens out in a few scenes, and does come to life in the big dance number. The movie doesn't seem to have taxed the research department too much except where they apparently discovered that the Ancient Egyptians were partial to scantly-clad dancing girls. In fact researchers on all Cleopatra pictures come to the same conclusion, although I can't remember ever seeing hieroglyphics that depicted things quite that way.

The dance sequence in "Serpent" seems to owe more to Las Vegas than Luxor and is a bit of an eye-opener, especially for a 1953 movie. Julie Newmar cut loose clad in gold paint and not much else - the rest of the movie has a hard time matching a performance like that.

The audacity of the whole thing is reason enough to give the film a viewing. Although it's not a send-up, in some ways it could give "Carry on Cleo" a run for its money.

Before he found his niche directing Horror films, Castle tried his hand at all kinds of genres: these included Noirs, Westerns and, most surprisingly, Epics; for the record, I should be catching up with some of his efforts in this vein throughout the Easter period. Made for cheapie producer Sam Katzman, this looks amazingly handsome under the circumstances (for which sets and costumes from Columbia's concurrent "A" spectacle, SALOME', were recycled!) – though the film's modest pedigree is evident in the way battle scenes are depicted via montages, while a general disregard for authentic detail exposes its sheer commercial nature (notably the over-lit Roman tents).

The narrative obviously deals with familiar events and historical figures: indeed, it begins with the aftermath of Julius Caesar's assassination. With this in mind, the script works its way around the fact that Cleopatra alternated between romances with Caesar and Mark Antony by having Brutus' fictional lieutenant (who, following the latter's suicide, manages to win Antony's confidence!) replacing Caesar! Curiously enough, the story thus far would be presented again during that same year in the adaptation of Shakespeare's play about the Roman leader/dictator! Anyway, while Rhonda Fleming is tolerable as the Egyptian Queen (though trading her usual redhead look for a long dark wig!), the film nearly collapses under the weight of central miscasting with respect to her two co-stars: would you believe Raymond Burr (appropriately brooding though he may be) as Mark Antony?!; William Lundigan, then, makes for an utterly wooden Roman officer – who, being the more handsome, is predictably (but unhistorically) favored by Cleopatra (even from the time he served under Caesar himself!), yet is almost instantly given the cold shoulder by him for what she has done to Antony i.e. causing his falling-out with Augustus Caesar!

I have watched a number of films revolving around these characters (yet another followed this viewing) but, of course, Castle's entry would not pass muster (crucially, perhaps, it did not prove quite as enjoyably bad as I had been led to believe!) alongside the two most renowned renditions: Cecil B. De Mille's impressive 1934 version – from which this actually 'recreates' the early barge sequence – and the notorious, but undeniably worthwhile, 1963 mega-budgeted fiasco.

They actually try to do their best out of a bad script. The problem is that everyone is miscast, without a single exception, or perhaps with Jean Byron as Charmian for the only exception. The actress playing Arsinoë could also be an exception, but no one still knows who that actress was, but the part is perhaps the only interesting one in the film. None of the others, without exception, is convincing. Rhonda Fleming is not bad, but her script is impossible. John Lundigan as Lucilius is laughable as a head to foot yankee. The less said about Raymond Burr as Antony, the better, while he at least makes an effort to be convincing as a drunk. There have been a lot of miserable screenings of this great romance of the antiquities, they have all failed, but this must be (at least one of) the worst. Even the music is a disaster. Sorry, no one ever seems to get this story right, while Shakespeare got close enough, but no one will ever understand Cleopatra the woman, if Elizabeth Taylor though after all was the best one. "Did anyone ever conquer a woman?" Lucilius asks in the beginning, he never gets an answer, but the Cleopatra case seems to forever confirm the answer as no.

Low budget trashy version of the famous Queen of Egypt and Roman lovers, as her lust for Marc Anthony after Caesar's death . Set 44 BC later Julius Caesar's murder by Brutus and Casius , governing the second triumvirate formed by Lepido who runs Africa, Octavius Augustus ruling over Hispania and Marc Anthony over Egypt and Orient. Then the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra : Rhonda Fleming , wants to rule Egypt by defeating her brother Ptolomeo and sister Arsinoe but she needs the power of Rome to make things happen , as well as continue the sucession on her child Cesarion, the out-of-wedlock son of Cleopatra and Caesar . When Caesar's possible successor Marc Anthony : Raymond Burr , comes to Egypt along with his army commandant and one of the highest ranking Roman general called Licinius : William Lundigan, she seduces the conqueror but also his general in order to gain the kingdom again , but things do not turn out as well. As there starts a tragic love story with fateful consequences .

This known history about the famous Queen , the popular Egypt temptress's who pins her hopes on rash Marc Anthony results to be an extravaganza in short budget financed by producer Sam Katzsman , an expert in making quickies. It is a multi-colored sleeping tablet with historical characters giving plain and simple recreation . It contains abundant matte painting , carton/stone settings , well-staged battles, some opulent grotesque interiors and a few actors hopelessly wooden. Passable trio starring : Raymond Bur, William Lundigan and Rhonda Fleming who also performed another historic role : Semiramis. They are accompanied by an acceptable support cast such as : Michael Andara as captain Florus, Michael Fox as Octavius Augustus and Julie Newmar as the gilged girl carrying out some erotic dances. This underdone epic was regular but professionally directed by William Castle.

Others films concerning this historic figure Cleopatra are as follows : Silent version starred by Theda Bara. Cleopatra 1934 by Cecil B. DeMille with Claudette Colbert, Henry Wilconson, Warren William, C Aubrey Smith. Two nights with Cleopatra 1954 by Mario Mattioli with Sofia Loren, Alberto Sordi, Paul Muller. Cleopatra's legion 1959 by Vittorio Cottafavi with Linda Cristal, Ettore Manni, Georges Marchal, Conrado San Martin. A Queen for Caesar 1962 by Piero Pierotti with Pascale Petit, George Ardisson, Akin Tamiroff, Gordon Scott, Corrado Pani .Cleopatra 1963 by Joseph L Mankiewicz with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Martin Landau, Roddy McDowall, Hume Cronyn, Andrew Keir. Cleopatra miniseries 1999 by Franc Roddan with Leonor Varela, Timothy Dalton, Billy Zane, Rupert Graves.