Cleopatra's Daughter

This is one of the most obscure movies I've watched in recent memory, and it deserves to stay obscure. It's not very good.

Cleopatra's Daughter is like historical fan fiction, following - shock horror - the daughter of Cleopatra. It feels a bit like when the monster movies of the 1930s and 40s would do "Son of x" or something. But also, the big Cleopatra movie from around this time came out later, so that doesn't really line up. I've never seen that one, but I maybe would be morbidly curious if it wasn't also four hours long.

At least Cleopatra's Daughter wasn't long. I kind of half-watched it at a point, though. There is something interesting about the star, Debra Paget, but the same can't be said about all her movies. She retired from acting more than 60 years ago, and is apparently still out there somewhere, or maybe not? Who knows - being reclusive is fascinating. Her Wikipedia article is interesting, partly because of how it just stops at about 40 years ago. She's like the Thomas Pynchon of Classic Hollywood actresses.

Anyway, reading the limited information about her is more interesting than the movie; I think that's what I was trying to get at.

After Julius Caesar's death, Marc Antony and Cleopatra met in Assyria for political purposes. While there, Cleopatra left her daughter Shila with the Assyrians rulers. Shila was raised by and as one of the Assyrian royals. In the years following the death of Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Egypt is in turmoil from their evil and mentally ill Pharaoh Nemorat. Nemorat's Queen Mother, Tegi, wanted her son Pharaoh Nemorat and the Princess Shila to marry in order to unite Egypt and Assyria. Shila rejected Nemorat and he took some poison then died. Now the Queen Mother Tegi has Shila imprisoned for the death of her son. The royal physician, Resi, is in love with Shila and wants to help her. Tegi's younger son, Kefren, is now next in line for the throne. Now Resi and Shila must risk all for their love of one another. Resi has a plan to get the Princess Shila out of prison before she is put to death by order of the Egyptian Queen Mother Tegi.

This is a fairly good "B" historical drama. It's not great but it did hold my interest fairly well, I was surprised by how pleasant it was. The first half of the film I did find boring but it picked up about 1/2 through it.

4.5/10

Meanwhile back at the sarcophagus, Italian filmmakers go to great lengths to create an effectively atmospheric Peplum set during the time of the Ancient Egyptian empires. Or there abouts, depends on which language version you encounter. The sets are elegant, the costumes right out of a high school textbook and the film delivers the goods if you like talky period-type drama mixed in with your Swords & Sandals. Lots of intrigue involving royal courts, family lineage, duplicitous religious leaders, and Debra Paget decked out in a Pharaonic babe-getup that is very easy on the eyes. She can lounge around eating grapes over at my place anytime and the dialog is surprisingly fluid for Italian translated to English.

All of which is routine. The film will stand out in my mind as the one where the threat of having one's tongue cut out is repeated sufficient times to prove curious. The first time was cool. The second time was odd. The third time had me wondering if the dubbing was on right, and the fourth time made me laugh. Maybe there's a drinking game to be had here. Nothing else about the film's story made much of an impression though I do not regret the time invested (wasted?), no, consumed by watching it. A mummy subplot could have been cool, or maybe more slave chicks. At least a giant cyclops or something, Guys.

Which is perhaps why having a female lead with a respectable pedigree in such a production will ultimately work against the film's appeal beyond the boundaries of genre viewers. Since Ms. Paget is the intended focus of our ardor the fate of random half naked slave chicks hurled to their doom for the entertainment of some slavering despot becomes less pressing to the needs of the plot, and sadly the filmmakers took the easy way out. Court intrigue or giant a cyclops devouring centurions? If choosing the former, bingo.

The beautiful young Sushila (Debra Paget) is forced into a political marriage with young Pharaoh Nemorat in order to consolidate power. However, the young Pharaoh is beset with mental illness and the marriage becomes dangerous, all the while the chief advisor Kefren (a menacing Erno Crisa) and his scheming mistress plot to destroy the unstable pair. The girl is framed for an attempt on the vulnerable king's life and sentenced to death. Meanwhile, her sympathetic would-be lover, the handsome physician Resi (Ettore Manni in one of his best roles)concocts a scheme to save her by drugging her to appear dead and reviving her later when they can escape. However, she is sealed into her former young husband's tomb with the air supply rapidly running out. The action plot proceeds at a brisk pace and holds viewers interest which is increased by well-acted parts with attractive players, great costumes and sets.

Cleopatra, after the civil war that followed the assassination of Caesar, met with Marc Antony in Assyria where they planned the defense of Egypt against the Romans.

Before leaving, Cleopatra entrusted her young daughter, Shila, to the rulers of Assyria to be brought up as their own.

After Marc Antony's defeat and Cleopatra's death, Egypt, for the next twenty years, was torn apart and ruled by a youthful Pharaoh, Nemorat, with his despot Queen Mother, Tegi, who desired to unite both kingdoms and strengthen her son's rule by conquering Assyria and making Shila, now a beautiful woman, his queen.

Sounds intriguing, right?

Not sure what the budget was for this period piece, but it's tedious