Cleopatra Review: Landon

Colors in Cleopatra play a role in deciphering the importance and ranks of characters.  There is a scene early on in the film that represents this clearly. It is when Caesar arrives in Egypt for the first time. In the foreground is Ptolemy and his royal aids, all in lavish gold armor and clothing. This shows their wealth and power in the scene. In the background are the workers unloading crates from the dock. They are in browns and tans, to show their lower class lifestyle. It is a more rugged and worn color. The clothing that the characters wear is significant in discovering motives and positions of power.

Cleopatra Screenshot- Alayna K

 

This full, eye level shot of 3 characters looking down at Cleopatra shows how defeated she is in this moment. In this scene Cleopatra is the powerless character because Mark Antony has just died, and she now knows Octavian has killed her son. She also is disheartened because Octavian has made his intentions clear that he wishes to make Egypt a territory of Rome. Her continuous struggle to take power over Egypt and Rome throughout the movie is now over and she accepts defeat; in this moment she plans to end her own life. Towering above Cleopatra, Octavian has much power because he believes Cleopatra has agreed to rule over Egypt as a province of Rome. He also feels accomplished because the traitor, Mark Antony, is now dead and Cleopatra will have no one left to defend her.

Cleopatra Screencap Analysis - Ash

 

Of all the powerful moments in Cleopatra, I find the one where Cleopatra decides to take her life to be most resonant. This is one of the rare scenes where the camera is looking down at her, and by placing Octavius above her, the audience better understands that she has lost the power she once held. The lighting gives the scene a deeper feeling of despair, as do the drab colors of the tomb. The most light and color lie on Cleopatra herself, giving her the focus she deserves in this penultimate scene. Finally, the medium shot gives us a clear view of Cleopatra's face after she sees Octavius wear the ring she gave to her son: with nothing left to live for, she closes her eyes and accepts her fate.

Cleopatra Scene - Anders Webb

 

In Cleopatra, at the very beginning, the watcher is overloaded with a battle scene of the Battle of Pharsalus. The watcher has enough time to figure out a war is going on between two armies, and no one in particular is shows, only hordes of people and smaller groups discussing battle, or the result of the battle. I don't particularly remember, but Caesar might have had his name mentioned before the screen above, but not in great detail. The scene above is the first time caesar is given the full spotlight in the movie, and implies a few things to the watcher with the background, lighting, and mise en scene. First off, the main shot mostly in the center of the screen is of Caesar, who, among other people wearing roman-looking uniforms, seems to be wearing a slightly more ornate version, implying a sort of higher status among the people. The shot is also on even ground with Caesar, not giving any low or high angle in order to keep the watcher's attention on the scene around him, instead of further emphasizing his sole importance in the scene. While the lighting on Caesar doesn't stand out too much, the lighting on the soldiers behind him create a sense of prestige and sharpness in the eyes of the watcher. Regarding the mise en scene, Caesar is in the forefront in a full body shot, garding the most attention of any individual aspect on the screen, but not overemphasizing his presence in the scene. In the background, there are many soldiers gathered on the left and a fort of some sort on the right side. The emphasis on the details and individual features of Caesar emphasize his importance in regards to everyone else, which are also meant to be portrayed as elite soldiers of the roman army. The fort is representative, and seems like it would be a place to discuss important matters of the army, and gives Caesar a portrayal as a tactician in the army. The combination of the two gathered backgrounds both imply that the front character is am important character who is a key aspect of the army, both in regard and in intelligence. Even without knowing anything about what is going on, the watcher finally has a somewhat established sense of organization finally that leads into the next scene where Caesar directs his army to Egypt. 

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Screenshot- Stella Vincent

  This caught my attention the most because it utilizes a variety of methods to show power dynamic. For one cleopatra is kept as front and center, this is by a combination of supporting factors to manipulate your eyes direction: one example is the rule of thirds which brings your eye directly to her. She is also the brightest and most well-lit person in the frame. There is a subtle yet important use of shadows on her face that contour it making her appear even more powerful, while the rest of the characters experience random areas of glare or shadow. If you consider the clothing worn you will also find cleopatra to be highlighted while the other characters are more mildly dressed. 

 

Cleopatra Review - Matthew

 

This moment in particular stuck out to me for several reasons. One of those being the previous grand entrance moments before this is taken, to both win the roman people over with her abundance of wealth and to possibly scare Roman senators into place to show she is nothing to be messed with, like how Caesar walked all over her before falling in love. Another technical reason why both this film and this shot were remembered by is the use of the rule of thirds so well, a focus on Cleopatra and a blur of her riches behind her, possibly representing the focus she has and her past successes leading her to Caesar but mainly just showing the technical ability this film showcased. 

Cleopatra review- Chase

    This specific screenshot from the movie Cleopatra gave me literal chills. Caesar was betrayed by his own men and brutally murdered. He was stabbed by 7 of his men a total of 23 times. One of these men was Antony and that was just completely unexpected. This cruel act of betrayal left me completely astonished. After this I could not help but be on the edge of my seat for the rest of the movie. It left me wondering what would happen next? Who would they betray next? Well come to find out, it was their own people that they would betray next.