Cleopatra - Movie

The first mention of Caesar in the movie Cleopatra is with the image above, within the first few seconds of the movie. "In the year 48 B.C., Julius Caesar, having conquered half the world, turned his ambitious eyes toward splendor Egypt..." Already Caesar has a stereotype. Within the first few moments of the movie the view is told that not only has he conquered half the world, but he wants more. He is ambitious. This written introduction is not historically accurate either. Although Caesar was in Egypt in 48 B.C., he was not there to conquer it. (See Historical Caesar) When Caesar is finally seen in the movie he is working, as he tells Cleopatra in the clip above. She mentions that she always imagined him either fighting or loving. He says that he has experience in fighting, but not in loving 'pretty little queens.' (This is another deviation from the historical Caesar, who was known for seducing the Roman wives.) In the clip above love is mentioned again, and Caesar disregards it again. He has no interest in love, just like the opening title said. He is only interesting in his own ambition. He is unable to cope with love because it does not matter to him. This inability gives him trouble in the movie. Since he does not love Calpurnia, he carries on an affair with Cleopatra. Caesar with Calpurnia and Cleopatra He has no attachment to Calpurnia. He was even going to divorce her so he could marry Cleopatra. The only reason he wanted to marry Cleopatra was for his own ambition, so he could gain the wealth and power of Egypt. Caesar and Cleopatra saluting each other as emperor and empress. Caesar seems like a pretty straight forward character. He is ambitious and he freely uses love to gain what he wants. However, the clip I have included below shows something completely different. Antony states that taking Cleopatra as his bride to get what he wants is something Caesar would not normally do. Both Caesar and the general agree with that statement. Then Antony accuses Caesar of speaking like and 'Egyptian lover.' Caesar brushes him off, then ends the conversation. Obviously this means that Antony is right. It seems that the Caesar that was constant through the whole movie is completely different. This is the only time that happens. He is never accused of being a lover again. After his death, everyone agrees that he was just using Cleopatra to get power. Caesar's reaction to love is the basis of his character in Cleopatra. For him love is a tool for his own ambition. With the exception of one scene his only purpose is to gain more power, stepping on whoever he wants along the way. Menu Index Historical Caesar Spartacus-Movie Cleopatra-Movie Julius Caesar-Movie Works Cited