Carry on Cleo

Julius Cesar returns from his three-year campaign across Europe with his captured slaves to find a less than warm welcome awaits him. His wife is mad at him, the senate is plotting against him and a war between Cleopatra and a rival for control of Egypt. While Cesar and Mark Anthony try to keep control of Rome, they also must side with the beautiful Cleopatra.

Although it is true that Carry On films are an acquired taste and that some of the jokes will be lost to those not familiar with British gags and terms, it is still the case that the Carry On's can be very funny if you get them and they hit the mark. Cleo is yet another example of what made the Carry On movies such a success; this is one of the better ones - plenty of good gags and fine actors to deliver them. The plot is good enough to hold the gags together but not good in the traditional sense - basically the gags are what drive the film rather than the plot!

And what good laughs there are to be had! The humour is innuendo based but is not as out and out crude as the series often could be. Even the slightly smutty jokes are pretty clever and witty; regardless of where you are from, there is enough laughs here to be worth watching. I won't start quoting lines simply because there are so many good ones - the second half is a little weaker than the first, but it is all still good stuff!

The cast are great despite missing a few of the regulars. The film's stand out performances are easily Williams and James. James is his usual self, regardless of historical setting but Williams is simply superb and makes his lines work better due to his delivery. He has most of the screen time and he makes the film. Barrie is not that good looking but she makes a good Cleopatra and she has a good body on her. Williams and Dale don't have that much to do but are still OK despite feeling supplemental to the action. Hawtrey is hilarious and Sims is OK.

Overall this is as good an example of the Carry On series as any other. It is smutty without being overly crude, with a good mix of sex jokes and witty puns and such. The plot holds the film together without being intrusive on the gags. A fine example of a series that could be as good as it could bad - here it is good.

Looking back at the many ups and downs of the British Film Industry one clear period stands out as very firmly 'up'. This was during the reign of the 'Carry On' team at their peak. For a five year period (1963 - 1968) the team churned out a series of slickly produced genre parodies which, though often substituting authentic locations for a beach in Wales or a field in East Anglia, managed to upstage the Hollywood productions they were thumbing their noses at. 'Carry On Cleo' (1964) exemplifies this period and stands out as (some would argue) one of the greatest British films ever made. The usual cast is out in force, with only a couple of notable absences (i.e. Barbara Windsor), all delivering at the top of their form, and clearly revelling in the luxury of using the sets and props left over from Mankiewicz's megaproduction of 'Cleopatra' (1963). Sid James was never more ruggedly appealing than when suited in the white miniskirt and golden breast plate of Marc Anthony, he also gets to blast the immortal line "BLIMUS!!". Scriptwriting doesn't get any sharper, from start to finish Talbot Rothwell's script glitters. In the part of Cleopatra, Amanda Barrie gives us a good view of her ripples as she floats gracefully in asses milk. Whilst batting her extended eyelashes she asks "Do'st thou like what thou see'st?". Well I certainly do'st. The film is a pleasure to watch, there is never a dull moment as the plot flips furiously between the plight of the cowardly Hengist Pod and heroic Horsa escaping roman enslavement (Kenneth Connor & Jim Dale buckling a fine swash together), and the drama of Julius Caesar's last days of power (Kenneth Williams camping it up to the nines as usual). The story threads intertwine and build to a hilarious climactic chase scene involving a Shakespearian identity swap and a hulking Egyptian guard by the name of 'Sosages'. If contemporary British film-makers would return to taking the mickey instead of sitting passively in Hollywood's thrall, we might see a few more gems like this in the future.

As an American interested in British humor of all periods, I was fascinated to finally see some examples of the `Carry On' comedies, a beloved institution in England. The recent DVD releases are region 2 PAL format only, so they continue to be for the British market exclusively.

I believe these films were considered racy in their time, but are quaint indeed by today's standard. `Cheeky' is the best word I can think of to characterize them. I was familiar with Kenneth Williams and Sid James as voices on a couple of old `Round the Horn' radio shows I'd heard. They didn't look quite as I'd pictured them. The cast is colorful and likable, but the pace and form of the humor seem to me very English, or maybe more accurately, not very American. Sometimes the jokes make references that simply wouldn't register with Americans, and I can see why it was probably decided long ago that they wouldn't travel well. Still, if you are something of an Anglophile, and have seen and appreciated a great deal of British movies and television, as I have, you're likely to get the jokes.

One of the characters in `Carry On Cleo' is named `Hengist Pod,' and his wife's name is `Sena' – hence, `Sena Pod,' hardy-har! Now, I must have come across a hundred or more references to `senapod' in British comedies, and as an American, this was a great mystery to me. As far as I have been able to determine from countless sniggering references, a senapod was (is?) some sort of strong laxative. Ah, you saucy English and your beloved poo-poo humor!

Anyway, this is probably a good introduction to the `Carry On' films for the uninitiated, as it is colorfully filmed with lavish sets and costumes left over from the Burton/Taylor production of `Cleopatra.' In addition, as much of it is set in ancient Rome, it may not seem as provincially English to non-Britons as some of the others in the series. I was delighted to finally make the acquaintance of the `Carry On' films, and look forward to seeing more.

A pretty "unofficial" tale of the intrigues between Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius.

Hit-or-miss but frequently hilarious spoof of Joseph L. Mankiewicz' infamous super-epic "Cleopatra", that generates far more amusement than the original. The pace is hectic, the writing unusually clever and most of the actors caught somewhere near their best. Some dull spots, but the whole enterprise remains cheerful and sprightly.

A true classic.

Carry on Cleo is arguably one of the greatest of the Carry on films. It puts so many big budget films, notably Cleopatra, to shame.

It is a visual delight, admittedly it used the scenes from the bid budget flop, but I'd argue they made equally good use here. Awesome costumes, some truly incredible sets. However this film contains style, and substance.

Most of the regulars are here, notable faces missing include Barbara Windsor and Hattie Jacques.

Amanda Barrie gets her biggest Carry on role, she's excellent, and looks amazing, perhaps a more convincing Queen than Taylor was.

They're all amazing, but Kenneth Williams is truly at his best here, he is utterly hilarious, and perhaps gets the best of lines, who will ever forget Infamy, Infamy....

Well over half a century old, and still awesome. 9/10.