Monday, April 21, 2014

Cleopatra's Daughter (1960)

Original title: Il Sepolcro dei re

Director: Fernando Cerchio

Writers: Fernando Cerchio, Damiano Damiani

Composer: Giovanni Fusco

Starring: Debra Paget, Ettore Manni, Erno Crisa, Corrado Pani, Yvette Lebon, Andreina Rossi, Ivano Staccioli, Angelo Dessy, Renato Mambor, Nando Tamberlani, Stefania Re, Rosalba Neri, Betsy Bell

More info: IMDb

Tagline: More beautiful and desirable than Cleopatra herself

Plot: Cleopatra, after the civil war that followed the assassination of Caesar, met with Marc Antony in Assyria where they planned the defense of Egypt against the Romans. Before leaving, Cleopatra entrusted her young daughter, Shila, to the rulers of Assyria to be brought up as their own. After Marc Antony's defeat and Cleopatra's death, Egypt, for the next twenty years, was torn apart and ruled by a youthful Pharaoh, Nemorat, with his despot Queen Mother, Tegi, who desired to unite both kingdoms and strengthen her son's rule by conquering Assyria and making Shila, now a beautiful woman, his queen.



My rating: 5/10

Will I watch it again? No.

I'm probably being generous by giving this a 5 out of 10 instead of a point or two lower.  It doesn't help that the only copy out there is my old VHS copy from Sinister Cinema.  No widescreen anywhere I can find.  What's worse is the English dub is atrocious.  Even the sound effects are weak.  The story is OK but these Sword & Sandal pictures are made for the spectacle and to be seen on the big screen.  I will give this one another chance if I should come across a good widescreen print and in the original Italian with English subs.  Gee, I don't ask for much, do I?  Watch it for yourself above, if you dare.  I've got 250 of films in this genre and more than half are widescreen.  I should go with those first instead of torturing myself with these shit VHS rips.  



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