Broadway thrills to a new motion picture,
little realizing the months of effort by thousands of workers
that went into the making of these two hours of entertainment.
Come with us
as we turn back the calendar, leave Times Square for CLEOPATRA
is having its world premiere
and make a fine trip to Hollywood.
The studio is a beehive of activity.
After months of research,
the final draft of the scenario is written.
The casting office engages thousands of players.
Costumes are designed
and miles of material are used in their creation.
Blueprints are drawn for the settings.
Machinery hums in the huge mill
and a thousand and one other important details are carried out
before the big day when production actually begins.
We find ourselves on a soundstage
where Cecil B. DeMille, the director,
is making a last minute survey of the set.
Er... Mr. DeMille...
If we're not too presumptuous,
would you mind explaining just what you're doing with those little...
- gadgets? - Well...
These little gadgets...
give you the-the field...
that is the amount of screen that each lens...
takes in.
This for instance is a 35-millimeter which gives you the largest field
and this... is a 75-millimeter which gives you a smaller field.
The-the scene that we are doing for instance now requires enlargement.
It's Cleopatra's preparation to visit the Roman Senate.
All ready to go, Mr. DeMille.
We'd better have a sound rehearsal first, please.
Now...
If you're ready, I'll-I'll give the...
I'll give you the opportunity of observing the scene through this.
All ready?
- Give me quiet, please. - Quiet, please.
Lend it as a sound.
Ready? Action!
Camera!
The swan feathers.
Careful, Iras.
I'm trying to keep my hands from shaking...
but, Majesty, I'm so excited.
Majesty. Majesty.
Royal robes for the Empress of the world.
Up the stairs.
Before the Queen.
Majesty, wait until you see them.
They're beautiful, marvelous.
Take the lid off.
Beautiful!
The Roman Senate will get a thrill today.
Alright, cut!
Now, Mac...
The Nubian slaves should enter much-much quicker.
And the... the reaction of you girls...
when the lid is lifted off its chest and you see the...
wealth of these garments there...
Yo-you're asleep, you're dead. There's no life in you.
When you see these things studded with precious stones
and wealth of the Indies and wealth of Egypt...
That's Cleopatra's coronation robe!
React to that! Let me see it in your faces!
Let me hear it in your voices, the gasp. The "Oh! Ah!" and so forth.
Um, Claudette...
Don't-don't react away from that feather. The little girl...
er,is-is... fixing your eye way too quickly.
She was six inches from your eye but when you jump back there...
and with an exclamation. Let her practically touch the...
the... eye with the feather before you react to that.
And... this sword that the property department sent over...
Look...
Is that-is that what you find to battle with for a Roman Empire?
Here, I brought one down from my own selection to show you.
See what I mean? You have to have that because...
These men exchanged real blows. You can't fake those things, you know.
You can't have real battle the same with the sheilds you sent in.
Some are... not good. Li-listen to this!
An audience could tell easily... that is... tin.
- Yeah... - And not only that,
nobody wants to risk their life behind it
from the thresh of a scimitar. Do you want to try it?
- Should I cut through with this? - No, thanks.
All right... But on the other hand,
Now that, you wouldn't object at all for me to...
- jab as hard as I want, would you? - Real stuff.
Yeah, you wouldn't mind that.
That's exactly the way the extra man feels behind these.
His life depends on them.
Because these blows are real. I mean, they-they strike with the...
these real swords... against the shields...
They strike for the man's head and the fellow only has this as defense!
I mean, if he doesn't duck, it's too bad.
That's the way we'll stage these big battle scenes.
So make them real!
One of the most interesting
and difficult scenes from a technical standpoint
is the scene aboard Cleopatra's barge...
where Antony has come to arrest her.
And... she has... set the stage
to entrap him and allure him so that he will forget his purpose.
When she was sure that she had him,
she gave the signal to start.
The two lovers were surrounded by silken drapes,
rose petals rain from above,
the orchestra plays soft and beautiful music
and the rows started
from Tarsus to row a prisoner Marc Antony back to Egypt.
You see the silver-headed oars with a giant nubian in chain
attached to each one.
Rhythmically they rowed to the sound of a beating drum.
Tell Rudy (Rudolph G. Kopp) I want the...
the sound of the native instruments upper most.
The modern instruments I hear are drowning him too much.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm... sorry we haven't time to...
show you more of the detail of making of...
a picture such as CLEOPATRA.
It's an endless task.
We work perhaps 18 hours a day.
The making of a picture... of such... large dimensions
as CLEOPATRA is not the work of only one man.
The director only guides... the many geniuses that are under him.
And... I hope in CLEOPATRA you think that the work of...
these many minds that have given up so much time and energy
to... bringing back this wonderful story,
this astonishing love story of two thousand years ago
meets with your approval.
"Cleopatra" is a magic name.
A symbol of romance and love...
and power and passion and intrigue.
Cleopatra has been glorified in all the arts...
and by writers from...
Plutarch here to Shakespeare to Shaw.
Yet... she still remains a mystery...
eternal as the Sphinx.
I made this picture because the historical facts of her life,
are far more fascinating than any fiction.
How she schemed to meet her conqueror
and saved her throne.
Observe, Caesar.
- A most unusual design. - Well!
Greetings to Caesar from Egypt.
A very amusing joke.
Very good.
But... I'm too busy.
But even the mighty Caesar surrenders to Cleopatra,
bringing her back in triumph to all the splendor Ancient Rome.
On the steps of the Senate Caesar is warned:
"Beware the ides of March!"
But the conspirators drive their daggers in him.
The iron soldier Marc Antony
swears to avenge the death of Caesar.
From Tarsus, I shall send Cleopatra to Rome... in chains.
And how did Cleopatra received the great Marc Anthony?
Antony finds that all the legions of Rome
are not as strong as the soft white arms of Egypt.
And so begins one of the great love stories of all time
starting with human desire and rising to immortality
as Anthony and Cleopatra face the might of Rome
in one of the seven great battles of history:
the Battle of Actium.
In drama, in song and story,
four great loves have been told over and over again:
Romeo and Juliet, Samson and Delilah,
Tristan and Isolde, Anthony and Cleopatra.
Two of these I have brought to the screen.
Who shall say which is the greatest love?
Now don't decide until you have seen CLEOPATRA.
Paramount again presents from Cecil B. DeMille,
the master showman who gave you THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH,
and SAMSON AND DELILAH
the stirring human story of the queen whose two great loves
changed the course of history.
Only DeMille could have filmed the amazing scenes
of this tremendous production.
You'll see Anthony and Cleopatra meeting on the most fabulous vessel ever built.
You'll see scenes of luxury and lavishness beyond belief,
Julius Caesar bringing Cleopatra to share the glory that was Rome,
the Battle of Actium with thousands of warriors clashing,
the story of a love greater than the civilization it destroyed.
Starring Claudette Colbert as Cleopatra.
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