As Legiões de César

Legions Of The Nile casts Linda Cristal a year before she made her mark in John Wayne's The Alamo as Cleopatra in this low budget saga of Antony And Cleopatra. The story is told from the perspective of Ettore Manni a young centurion who Octavian has sent to Mark Antony played by Georges Marechal into surrendering peacefully. This of course is after the Battle of Actium.

In this story Cleo has a double life. Someone in Italian cinema might have read the story of Caliph Haroun Al-Raschid known to go out among his people incognito at night to get a feeling for public opinion in Bagdad. Cristal gets tired of all the worship by day, she wants a little fun so she goes out at night. On one of her romps she meets Manni, but of course for better or worse her fate is tied to Marechal.

This ain't Liz Taylor's or Claudette Colbert's Cleo, but not too bad.

The problem with this movie for English speaking viewers is that the English Language version was cut and then dubbed in an appallingly slipshod way. If you refer to the original Italian or French versions, you find that the dialogue is much more profound and intentionally comedic in places. Most of this was steamrollered over with bland lip-fitting inanities in the US version. At one point, Curridius stuffs a bunch of grapes into a slave-trader's face to shut him up, and in the original version, comments to his friends that people will just think he's drunk. The US dialogue has Curridius saying "Did you see his face when I offered him the two talents?" Don't blame Cottafavi for that, please.

The reason the French and Italians love Cottafavi is that they are seeing his movies as intended, not butchered to fit a TV screen, and dubbed with nonsensical dialogue.

Also, don't forget that this was the movie that 20th Century Fox bought for a million from its producers, so they could put it on the shelf, and make sure it wouldn't interfere with the blockbuster release of its own Elizabeth-Taylor-starring CLEOPATRA. Maybe when they eventually put it out on Television, they intentionally had it badly dubbed just so you wouldn't like it.

On late fifties and all sixties Italian filmmakers made a whole bunch of peplum & sandals pictures, Hercules, Maciste and relatives from Greek mythology also on Roma Empire as well, Cleopatra quite often is portraited due her strong influence over Julius Cesar and Mark Anthony's affairs, thus the Italian cinema always want capitalize on this profitable niche due Cleopatra was labeled as hoochie sexy woman, then Vittorio Cottafavi whose basically starts in this genre and being a expert was called to direct this project.

The famous story of Mark Anthony & Cleopatra were told many times by cinema industry whereof the audience knows it by heart, as Liz Taylor's Cleopatra, Fleming's Serpent of the Nile, Colbert's Cleopatra, then Cotafavi alludes a Cleopatra on double life, a daytime a Queen of Egypt and at night Berenice a tavern's dancer, actually a true sexy performance by Linda Cristal, falling in love with a stranger Curridius (Ettore Manni) in fact a roman soldier an old acquaintance of Mark Anthony (George Marchal) in Roman Legions.

Curridious drove at Alexandria disguised as civilian aiming for warning Mark Anthony concerning a truce with Cesar August already in Africa and he was ready to crush Mark Anthony's Roman Legions loyal to him, Corridius urges to Mark Anthony gives up of Cleopatra and make a peace of Cesar Augustus, well seemingly instead Cotafavi focuses on political issues, he turns on Curridious story on Egyptian ground, interacting on lowest lung of local society as the gladiators and saving a slave boy helping his teenager sister, also on secret Cleopatra's affair, it somehow leaves aside the political aspect on Mark Anthony, who sparsely appears.

Technically aspects of the picture is an average sets, ravish wardrobe and fabulous Egyptian garments mainly on Cleopatra's look, the battles aside the numerous armies is a slight unconvincing, Cottafavi also displayed some humor oriented on the mute midge and some sequences as well, in compliance with the Italian standard in this specific genre, no bad at all.

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First watch: 2023 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6.

A hockey and extravagant retelling of the infamous Queen Cleopatra who becomes infatuated with a Roman centurion , while going on her love for Marc Anthony . Medium budget 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 governs Africa , Octavius Augustus ruling over Hispania and Marc Anthony over Egypt and Orient. Then the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra (Linda Cristal) rules Egypt along with Caesar's possible successor , Marc Anthony (Georges Marchal) , but things do not turn out as well . Along the way , Octavian Augustus (Alfredo Mayo) intends to regain his empire by landing his army at Alexandria, besieging the city and attempting to capture Cleopatra and Marcus Antonius . Then Octavius sends a young centurion (Ettore Manni) to deal with Cleopatra into surrendering peacefully, and , of course , they fall in love. As there starts a tragic love story with fateful consequences . Later on , Octavian forms a huge army that's bigger than Cleopatra's forces , getting some allies from various Egyptian tribes who can come to her aid . Both sides prepare for a final showdown in the sunny desert . And Augustus eventually defeat them in Actium . Her Passion Ruled Rome! A Columbia Hit !. Cleopatra and the Emperor. He came her conqueror - He became her slave! The Loves of Cleopatra !

This "sword-and-sandal" epic concerning the known history about the famous Queen , the popular Egypt temptress who pins her hopes on rash Marc Anthony , resulting to be an extravaganza in budget enough , financed by Robert de Nesle and Italo Zingarelli , the latter a producer expert in making Peplums and Spaghetti Westerns . 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 starring quartet : Linda Cristal , Ettore Manni , Georges Marchal and Conrado San Martín. They are accompanied by an acceptable support cast , being an European co-production , here appears actors from various countries such as , Spain : María Mahor , Alfredo Mayo , Mary Carrillo ,Rafael Durán , Rafael Luis Calvo , Tomás Blanco ; Italy : Andrea Aureli ,Daniela Rocca Mino Doro, Salvatore Furnari and France : Jany Clair .

Enjoyable Sword and sandals flick , being professionally directed by Vittorio Cottafavi (1914-1998) ; he was a complete artist , painter and Peplum expert , as he directed : ¨Conquest of Atlántida¨, ¨Goliath and the Dragon¨(1961) with Mark Forest , Broderick Crawford , Bruce Cabot , ¨Hércules and the captive woman¨(1963) with Reg Park and the ordinary Ettore Manni , ¨Legions of Cleopatra¨, ¨Mesallina¨ and this ¨rebellion of gladiators¨. Vittorio began his professional career in the film industry as a clapper boy . After progressing to write motion picture screenplays and working as assistant director under Alessandro Blasetti and Vittorio De Sica, he became a director in his own right in 1943. Many of his films have been lavishly-produced, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, "sword-and sandal" or ¨Muscleman¨ epics, dealing with mythological subjects involving the Roman Empire or Ancient Egypt . From the mid-60's, Cottafavi concentrated exclusively on directing TV series and mini-series, under contract to RAI , many of them dealing with historic events or known characters , such as Oliver Cromwell , Don Giovanni , Napoleone a Sant'Elena , Vita Di Dante and Cristóbal Colon .

Others films concerning this historic figure Cleopatra are as follows : Silent version¨Cleopatra¨ (1917) by Gordon Edwards with Theda Bara. ¨Cleopatra¨ (1934) by Cecil B. DeMille with Claudette Colbert, Henry Wilconson, Warren William, C Aubrey Smith. ¨Serpent of the Nile¨ (1953) by William Castle with Rhonda Fleming , William Lundigan, Raymond Burr , Michael Ansara . ¨Two nights with Cleopatra¨ (1954) by Mario Mattioli with Sofia Loren, Alberto Sordi, Paul Muller. ¨Cleopatra's legions¨ (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 . The mamouth version is ¨Cleopatra¨ (1963) by Joseph L Mankiewicz with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Martin Landau, Roddy McDowall, Hume Cronyn, Andrew Keir, being produced by 20th Century-Fox that bought Le legioni di Cleopatra (1959) for $1 million and shelved it so it wouldn't draw potential customers away from its own upcoming Elizabeth Taylor rendition. And ¨Cleopatra miniseries¨ (1999) by Franc Roddan with Leonor Varela, Timothy Dalton, Billy Zane, Rupert Graves.

I've seen "Le Legioni di Cleopatra" in a restored print in the original Italian language.

If you want a history lesson you should not see this film (and the same applies to Hollywood movies), but the main historical facts are superficially presented (the details concerning the characters are, of course, fantasy) in it.

Mark Antony (Georges Marchal) is in Alexandria (Egypt) with his lover Cleopatra (Linda Cristal), the queen of Egypt. They rule the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Octavian (Alfredo Mayo) rules the western part of the Roman Empire. He lands with his troops in Egypt. Octavian's forces are superior, but Mark Antony with the help of his allies may still be a force to reckon with. The battle that will decide who will rule the Roman Empire looms ahead.

And Cleopatra! Her beauty is legendary. She conquered Marc Antony's heart and lives in a palace. Her legions keep watch over it. No one is admitted entrance without her permission. No one in the outside world is allowed to see her face. But at nights Cleopatra goes out in the streets, disguised in simple clothes, to dance in taverns! She just wants to leave the seclusion of her palace, meet people, and maybe, love.

Meanwhile, Octavian sends one of his officers (Ettore Manni), the handsome Curridio (a friend of Mark Antony) to Alexandria to see how things stand and talk Mark Antony into surrendering.

"Le Legioni di Cleopatra" may be (as many Italian epic films) a low budget production, but it's highly entertaining - tavern brawls, dances, battles, pretty girls.... The story is well told, with good comic, dramatic and romantic moments.

All in all, the film is very colorful - it's not only easy on the eyes and mind, but sometimes it's surprisingly serious and moving (that is, if you turn off your critical brain and let yourself flow with the film).

The European Community asked of 15 filmmakers of 15 countries that each one should choose a film of his/her country to be restored. Gianni Amelio, representing Italy, chose "Le Legioni di Cleopatra".