Cleopatra

ThatAnimeSnob May 1, 2012

6.5

This movie is a hard one to judge. It is so outgoing with its humour that it seems to be quite chaotic in terms of storyboard. On the other hand it is making some really smart parodies around historical events and even erotic clichés that it is something worth noticing. One should approach it with the mindset that this is a well made farce and not a serious production. And would you believe it is in fact directed by Osamu Tezuka, the God of manga? People usually imagine him making only shows for kids but turns out he has also done adult works. The first thing that stands out in this movie is its animation style. It is not uniform or even steady as it sometimes drops its mainstream looks for bizarre imagery of sex. The opening and ending are also a weird blend of live action film with the heads of the actors being drawn over as cartoons. The action scenes are also made to feel neurotic as the scenes change rapidly and the colours become monochromic, while a really frantic music is playing in the background. All that easily shows that the animators were experimenting and trying all sorts of cinematics in order to make it look eye-catchy. Which is a good thing; it would be boring otherwise.Even during mainstream scenes, there is a lot of slapstick and parody going around, by shoehorning all sorts of anachronisms and twisting of historical events to keep a smile on your face all the way. Combined with the vibrant motions of the characters as well as their extreme facial grimaces, you get something that doesn’t feel dull not even for a minute.The story is as I said very chaotic and one should not try to reason it. It is basically a parody of the life of Cleopatra and just for kicks they throw in some time travellers and a funny leopard. The key events like Cleopatra seducing Julius Caesar, the role of Octavius, Mark Antony, Brutus, and of a few other historical figures is basically the same yet twisted around for laughs. I must say that people who don’t know their history will miss half the gags; this is a parody that works best when you are an educated. Thus it is a “smart” comedy of sorts. At the same time it is not ingenious as it is just mocking history and good storytelling with a completely messy line of events that ill confuse the average viewer. In all it is a very entertaining film and for its age highly artistic and different. It has a variety of themes, the animation is trippy, the characters are funny, the events are parodied in a smart way, and it has sex and violence… cartoony and trippy too but it does. It is also not a political correct movie and it is not even following anime clichés. I liked it for being different and I highly recommend it.

Kamahal Dec 2, 2016

5

Some time travelers turn back in ancient egypt to watch the life of Cleopatra, cleopatra is a Princess who want to save his kigdom from romans, and use her beaty to win the heart of the commanders, Osamu Tezuka like in his movie some sex scene, the animation is old style, so u have to accustom, funny things is the appearance of various characters of other random works

grimfangs Jan 5, 2021

9

It wasn't as experimental or abstract as 1001 Arabian Nights. The detail in the artwork seems much higher this time around, and the only things which I can consider experimental were the intro and the ending scene where the faces of cartoon characters have been overlaid on to still pictures of actual human actors as well as the scenes of Rome wherein there are vastly varying art styles mashed together to give a more complete feel of the place. The sex is pretty erotic and artistic at the same time just like in the previous movie, but clearer, rather than a collection of abstract aesthetic shapes. The sounds in the movie are also quite amazing. While 1001 Nights was abstract/psychedelic, this one was more dramatic and much more in line with how movies normally are made. This also went well with the essence of the movie. The story and screenplay itself has a very clear sense of humour, much more than the previous movie, yet it tells a beautiful tale of Cleopatra of how she was used by different people to achieve their own ends and her dismay and resistance to it all until she finally wishes to break free from her own touch which seems to destroy everything she seems to love. The movie starts slow, but once it picks up pace, it gets really interesting. It is also portrayed in a very beautiful, albeit humorous way. I loved this movie and would definitely like to recommend it to folk.