great_badir
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Joined: 6/10/2005
From: A breaking rope bridge in the middle of the jungle
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 Cleopatra, Joseph L Mankiewicz/Rouben Mamoulian/Darryl F Zanuck (1963)
Budget - $44million+
Worldwide Box Office - (eventual) $62million+Subsequent takings (rentals etc) - around $30million Here it is then - the mother of ALL cinematic behemoths, a veritable black hole of fund swallowing activities that has, with inflation, become the most expensive film ever made. Even more amazing, then, that it eventually turned a profit! Technically, Cleopatra shouldn't be included in this list, but its catalogue of disasters and set-backs are legendary, even when compared to modern day monsters like Heaven's Gate and Cutthroat Island - originally planned in 1957/58 as a low-ish budget ($2million) vehicle for Joan Collins, it was to be a quick UK studio shoot of just a couple of months, with the picture ready for release in late '58/early '59. Collins was becoming something of a star in the late 50s and, after a similar role in the decidedly B-grade Land Of The Pharaohs in 1955, Cleopatra was intended as her A-list reputation sealer. But, after just a few days, Collins quit the shoot as she'd already agreed to appear in The Bravados and Rally Round The Flag Boys (both 1958). The search was on for a replacement, but it wasn't until 1959 (after several on-the-up actresses had been offered the role) that Elizabeth Taylor accepted, after joking that she would do it for a million dollars. Producer Walter Wanger agreed without batting an eyelid and, with one off the cuff jokey comment, Taylor became the first person to sign up for a single picture million dollar contract. Perhaps realising an opportunity for easy money, Taylor then demanded a further return of 10% of the gross, whether the film broke even or not, as well as the use of her late husband Michael Todd's Todd-AO system (a large and expensive 70mm widescreen format known as "Bug-eye", thanks to its capability of capturing a huge 128 degree wide image without any loss in clarity) netting her even more profits as Todd-AO rights holder. Immediately the budget of the film was increased to make up the short-falls and, after several non-starters, filming finally began in 1960, nearly three years after production first started. But it soon fell over again - after just a few weeks of shooting, Taylor fell ill, citing the changeable English climate as the cause, and was unable to work. Almost the entire production now ground to a halt as Taylor was required for nearly every scene in the film and, three months in, she was still in her bed and apparently finding it difficult to move, let alone work. Early in 1961, original director Rouben Mamoulian quit in a fit of anger, blaming his decision (as well as the problematic production) on Taylor's lack of professionalism. Shortly after Mamoulian's exit, several leads and extras also left the project due to other commitments, effectively closing down Cleopatra, seemingly for good. Taylor, though, had other ideas. Nearly eight months after first falling ill, she was ready to work again, but only on the agreement that a new and better regarded director was hired and the shoot moved to a warmer location. In the new chapter of Cleopatra's existence, Joseph L Mankiewicz was brought in and the whole production moved to Rome's Cinecitta Studios. Mankiewicz soon scrapped everything that Mamoulian had shot in the UK and found no use for the props and sets originally built (with most of them being later used for Carry On Cleo). With larger and more authentic sets, props and costumes (the costume budget for Taylor alone was nearly $200000) Cleopatra was now, for all intents and purposes, an entirely new project from the one originally started, and very much a tent-pole film, with only Taylor and a few minor cast and crew members left as links to Mamoulian's low budget quickie. Together, Mankiewicz and Taylor now saw the film as an epic in every sense of the word and the cast was soon brought up to similar lofty standards, with Richard Burton (kicking off the epic Taylor Vs. Burton grudge match) and Rex Harrison hired as Marc Antony and Caesar respectively, replacing the lesser known Stephen Boyd and Peter Finch. Some new cast members were even contracted to the project for as much as 18 months, usggesting that someone somewhere knew the remainder of the new project would be far from a smooth ride. By the summer of 1961, the budget had gone way beyond its original $2million and was already well on the way to becoming the most expensive film of the year, not helped by enterprising Cinecitta staff not attached to the project who'd lifted (ie stolen) millions of dollars worth of equipment (all of which had to be replaced) to sell on the open market, production designer John Decuir having to rebuild his massive Alexandra set several times, and Cleopatra's enormous entrance sequence having to be reshot thanks to some careless extras who were seen sporting ice creams and sun glasses. On top of all this, Mankiewicz (having thrown out the original script early on) was now writing the screenplay himself day to day and basing it all on several different historic texts, which was a logistical nightmare - the director spent as much time smoothing out his own words and ideas as he did directing the action. With all these practical and monetary problems, Mankiewicz hit on the idea to release the film in two parts - one chronicling Cleopatra's time with Caesar and one with Marc Antony. This would, at least, go some way to ensuring that the film would make back its budget, if not go into profit. Mankiewicz went ahead and pretty much made two films for the price of........well, several, and eventually conceptualised two three hour episodes. Fox, however, soon nixed the idea, meaning that the director was now in charge of one project that would not only be extremely pricy, but also one that was destined to be heavily cut. As the shoot came to a close Mankiewicz was exhausted, but he had all the footage he wanted and was pleased with the way most of the film had turned out. Unfortunately, he still had the unenviable task of overseeing the editing and music. But, during editing, Fox decided to fire him (wisely waiting until after the last footage had been shot) after all of the delays and extra expense. At even greater expense, they tried to hire other editors and directors to put the hours of footage together (Darryl F Zanuck did some reshoots) but, soon realising Mankiewicz was the only person who knew how the end result would fit together, he was re-hired and given an extra salary. Fox would later switch their attentions to Elizabeth Taylor (see below). Mankiewicz finally delivered a cut running at six hours (basically his two episodes spliced together as one film) and, though Fox were happy with the results, they would not allow the film to be released in cinemas in its current state. Apart from anything, a six hour running time would restrict the film to two showings a day at most and, knowing that they now needed to get back every penny they could, they decided to leave in the meat of the film and most of Mankiewicz's hardest work and take out the slower (Fox saw them as unnecessary) sections so as not to bore the audience. As a result of Fox's eagerness with the scissors, many actors found that their performances had either been cut almost completely, or had been edited in such a way that there was none of the growth in character that Mankiewicz had so painstakingly scripted. With two hours on the cutting room floor and a final budget of around $44million (in today's money that's approaching $300million), Fox agreed to release the film as widely as possible. Rushed out to screens in the summer of 1963, Fox and Mankiewicz were hoping for a miracle. In a way, they got it. Although reviews were mixed, audiences flocked to see just what $44million looked like on screen. Word of the production problems had got out way before the film's release and, far from harming its cinema draw, many believe it's the one thing that kept the film floating. At the end of its US run, Cleopatra had almost made back its budget - an impressive haul in the early 60s, but nowhere near enough to make Fox or Mankiewicz happy as they were still paying various fees and charges. Its worldwide gross added little more and it wasn't until 1966 that the film turned a profit when ABC bought the TV rights for $5million for only two showings. Swiftly re-released around the world in the late 60s, Cleopatra finally managed grosses of over $60million before making an impressive profit with further TV sales and rentals. But its trail of destruction didn't end with its release - even after the film had finished its theatrical run, it was dealing out blows to those who had been involved. First to be hit was Cinecitta, a one time popular cheap alternative for foreign productions. Cleopatra's noteriety and demands had forced local suppliers and workers to increase their charges, signalling a downturn in production that kept dwindling until the previously popular sword & sandal epic was a dead donkey. Cinecitta languished for several years until becoming a popular location for the spaghetti westerns of the mid to late 60s. Closer to home, Fox was still reeling from its failed attempt at firing Mankiewicz for his epic production fetishes and instead launched an equally epic attack on Elizabeth Taylor in 1963 who, by this time, was married to co-star Richard Burton. The total of Fox's law-suit came to around $50million, and contained clear criticism of Taylor's huge demands, with much finger pointing at her earlier illness. Unfortunately for Fox, they had left it a tad too long after the event and Taylor and Burton counter-sued with Fox eventually settling out of court in 1966. Embarrassingly for Fox, the legal action went in Taylor's favour and they had to pay the star a further $3-4million, increasing her total Cleopatra earnings to a massive $7million. It went on to become one of the biggest earners of the 60s, but not before further expense and problems crossed its path. Any good? I don't think so, but many critics have long championed its qualities. It looks wonderful and is no doubt authentic, but for me (someone who's not a fan of costume epics anyway) it's 4 hours of sheer boredom.
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