vhs new graded VGA 80 NM Liz Taylor is CLEOPATRA 1963/1988 WM Richard Burton

Description: Original Rare, Hard to Find Factory Sealed New FOX Video SEALED with WATERMARKS, GRADED by VGA (Video Game Authority) with a 80 NEAR MINT Rating, comprised as an average from a BOX GRADE of 80 / SEAL GRADE of 80. This particular release was an ORIGINAL EARLY PRINTING 1988 issue. An investment level video collectible from the earliest days of the home video entertainment industry. FAST and SAFE DELIVERY is assured.1963. Directed by JOSEPH L MANKIEWICZ. TAGLINE : "The motion picture the world has been waiting for!" - Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt experiences both triumph and tragedy as she attempts to resist the imperial ambitions of Rome. In 48 B.C., Julius Caesar (Sir Rex Harrison) pursues Pompey from Pharsalia to Egypt. Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII (Richard O'Sullivan), now supreme ruler after deposing his older sister, Cleopatra VII (Dame Elizabeth Taylor), attempts to gain favor with Caesar by presenting the conquerer with the head of Pompey, borne by his governors, Pothinus (Grégoire Aslan) and Achillas (John Doucette). To win Caesar's support from her brother, Cleopatra hides herself in a rug, which Apollodorus (Cesare Danova), her servant, presents to Caesar. The Roman is immediately infatuated. Banishing Ptolemy, he declares Cleopatra Egypt's sole ruler and takes her as his mistress. A son, Caesarion (Loris Loddi), is born of their union. Caesar, however, must return to Italy. Although he is briefly reunited with Cleopatra during a magnificent reception for the Queen in Rome, Caesar is assassinated shortly thereafter, and Cleopatra returns to Egypt. When Mark Antony (Richard Burton), Caesar's protégé, beholds Cleopatra aboard her elaborate barge at Tarsus some years later, he is smitten and becomes both her lover and military ally. Their liaison notwithstanding, Antony, to consolidate his position in Rome, marries Octavia (Jean Marsh), sister of the ambitious Octavian (Roddy McDowall). The marriage satisfies no one. Cleopatra is infuriated, and Antony, tiring of his Roman wife, returns to Egypt. There he flaunts his liaison by marrying Cleopatra in a public ceremony. Sensing Antony's weakness, Octavian attacks and defeats his forces at Actium. Alarmed, Cleopatra withdraws her fleet and seeks refuge in her tomb. Nominated for NINE Academy Award OSCARs including BEST PICTURE, Best Actor (Rex Harrison) and Best Musical Score. WON FOUR including OSCARs for Best Cinematography & Best f/X. CAST includes Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Hume Cronyn, Pamela Brown, Cesare Danova, Kenneth Haigh, Andrew Keir, Martin Landau, Roddy McDowall, Robert Stephens, Francesca Annis, Martin Benson, Herbert Berghoff, John Doucette, Michael Gwynn, Michael Hordern, John Hoyt, Calvin Lockhart, Margaret Lee, Laurence Naismith, Desmond Llewelyn, Jean Marsh, Jeremy Kemp, Jack Taylor, Finley Currie, John Karlsen, Carroll O'Connor, Ben Wright (voice). BEHIND THE SCENES TRIVIA : A clerical error by Twentieth Century Fox probably cost Roddy McDowall a Best Actor in a Supporting Role Academy Award nomination. The studio erroneously listed him as a leading player rather than a supporting one. When Fox asked the Academy to correct the error, it refused, saying the ballots were already at the printer. Fox then published an open letter in the trade papers, apologizing to McDowall: "We feel that it is important that the industry realize that your electric performance as Octavian in 'Cleopatra,' which was unanimously singled out by the critics as one of the best supporting performances by an actor this year, is not eligible for an Academy Award nomination in that category . . . due to a regrettable error on the part of Twentieth Century Fox." Adjusted for inflation, this is one of the most expensive movies ever made. Its budget of $44 million is equivalent to over $400 million in 2021. Cleopatra's (Dame Elizabeth Taylor's) navy required huge numbers of boats and ships. It was said at the time that Twentieth Century Fox had the world's third largest navy. The Roman forum built at Cinecitta was three times the size of the real thing. Dame Elizabeth Taylor demanded that this movie be shot in the large, 70mm Todd-AO format system. She owned the rights to the system as the widow of the format system's creator: Mike Todd. Dame Elizabeth Taylor's overall take of $7 million is equivalent to approximately $64.3 million in 2022 dollars. When this movie finally broke even in 1973, Twentieth Century Fox "closed the books" on it, keeping all future profits secret to avoid paying those who might have been promised a percentage of the profits. This movie is widely regarded as one of the biggest flops of all time. It actually was the highest-grossing movie of 1963, making it and The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966) the only two movies to be the highest-grossing of their respective years, yet still run at a loss. Once it opened, it was sold out for the next four months. In 1966, ABC paid Twentieth Century Fox a record $5 million for two showings of the movie, a deal that put the movie in the black. If it hadn't suffered all of its false starts, reshoots, and delays, the movie could have been brought in for less than half of what the studio ended up spending. If its final cost had been in the $15-24 million range (which would have bought all of the production value that did end up on-screen), it would have been enormously profitable. In the end, production was a debacle because the studio, under the leadership of Spyros P. Skouras, was inept and unprepared. Television and home video revenue finally allowed the movie to turn a profit. Writer and director Joseph L. Mankiewicz hoped that this movie would be released as two separate movies, "Caesar and Cleopatra", followed by "Antony and Cleopatra". Each was to run approximately three hours. Twentieth Century Fox decided against this and premiered the movie at 4 hours 3 minutes. More cuts pared the movie to three hours fourteen minutes for general release. It is hoped that the missing two hours will be located, and that one day a six-hour "Director's Cut" will be available. In principle, Twentieth Century Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck did not object to writer and director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's idea to make two three-hour movies. However, he knew the public was obsessed with the Dame Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton affair, and would not show up for the first part, in which Burton did not appear. The two parts were edited into one movie. Writer and director Joseph L. Mankiewicz referred to this as "the toughest three pictures I ever made." A library of 20,000 to 30,000 video items from 1978 forward, including multiples, is being offered for the first time to the eBay community. ALL inventory is OFFSITE from eBay listing center, so singular items may not be described individually, but in general to the collection. Some images may be representative. Some items may be Brand New Factory Sealed, while a few may slip through in a lesser quality. These items are inspected but individual items slip through occasionally, and we apologize for this inconsistency. Please, ask questions before purchase, we will do our best to oblige you.

Price: 249.95 USD

Location: Wake Forest, North Carolina

End Time: 2024-11-18T19:09:38.000Z

Shipping Cost: 17.95 USD