May 28, 2013 DVD & Blu-ray: Cleopatra: 50th Anniversary Edition with Liz Taylor
by Annie Chu
May 22, 2013





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Coming to Blu-ray for the very first time is the four-time Academy Award-winning classic Cleopatra (1963) to honor the iconic film’s 50th anniversary.

Directed by Academy Award winner Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the 243-minute premiere version of the historical epic has been meticulously restored to be presented in stunning high definition -- making the opulence and grandeur that nearly bankrupted Twentieth Century Fox even more spectacular.





The 2-Disc 50th Anniversary Blu-ray Limited Edition is artfully packaged with a full-color book that provides rare images and a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making of this legendary film.

It features never-before-seen exclusive content including Cleopatra’s lost footage, commentary from Chris Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.

Additionally, fans can watch footage from the film’s original theatrical premieres in both New York and Los Angeles.





Elizabeth Taylor stars as Cleopatra, the glamorous and cunning queen of Egypt. To secure her hold on power, she seduces the rulers of Rome, only to meet her match in Mark Antony, played by Richard Burton.

Their passionate on-screen romance blossomed into a very public love affair during the film’s three-year production. On March 1, 2013, Richard Burton received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame placed next to Dame Elizabeth Taylor’s, honoring one of the most famous theatrical relationships and greatest love stories in history.







Special Features:


Disc 1:

- Cleopatra Through The Ages: A Cultural History

- Cleopatra’s Missing Footage

- Fox Movie Channel presents Fox Legacy with Tom Rothman

- Commentary with Chris Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky

- The Cleopatra Papers: A Private Correspondence



Disc 2:

- Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood

- The Fourth Star of Cleopatra

- Fox Movietone News featuring Archival Footage of the New York and Hollywood Premieres

- Commentary with Chris Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky

- Theatrical Trailers

http://www.examiner.com/article/may-28-2013-dvd-blu-ray-cleopatra-50th-anniversary-edition-with-liz-taylor?

Her are just some of the many interesting facts about Celopatra (1963):


Rouben Mamoulian was the original director, but he was fired, and replaced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Darryl F. Zanuck.
Filming lasted for THREE LONG YEARS, from 1960 to 1963.
Much of this movie was shot in Italy. Now at the time (not sure if they still do this today), Italian films were always post-dubbed. When Mankiewicz was trying to film his scenes, production lost hours and hours, trying to make it clear to the Italian crew that silence was essential on set at all times.