Join Dr Rad and Dr G as we discuss, spar, and laugh our way through different aspects of the ancient Roman world! Our main series 'From the Foundation of the City' follows Roman history year by year from the traditional foundation date of 753 BCE. We also interview academics and specialists from around the globe for their insights into history and the representation of Rome and the ancient Mediterranean in popular culture. Dr Fiona Radford is an expert on Rome on film and wrote her thesis on Kubrick’s Spartacus. Dr Radford is exponent of not only Ancient History, but also Reception Studies. Dr Peta Greenfield is an expert on the Vestal Virgins. Dr Greenfield’s research interests include: religion and politics in Rome, the late republic and Augustan period, and the role of women.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join Dr Rad and Dr G as we discuss, spar, and laugh our way through different aspects of the ancient Roman world! Our main series 'From the Foundation of the City' follows Roman history year by year from the traditional foundation date of 753 BCE. We also interview academics and specialists from around the globe for their insights into history and the representation of Rome and the ancient Mediterranean in popular culture. Dr Fiona Radford is an expert on Rome on film and wrote her thesis on Kubrick’s Spartacus. Dr Radford is exponent of not only Ancient History, but also Reception Studies. Dr Peta Greenfield is an expert on the Vestal Virgins. Dr Greenfield’s research interests include: religion and politics in Rome, the late republic and Augustan period, and the role of women.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this special episode, we tackle the second half of the 1963 epic, Cleopatra.
In the first part of this double-header, we tried to keep our focus on Cleopatra and Caesar and the initial challenges faced by #TeamCleo. However, today we get to delve into the second half of the movie when Cleopatra and Antony get it on. This means we finally get to discuss ‘Le Scandale’, aka the Taylor-Burton affair that developed on the set once these two clapped eyes on each other. Their passion would result in two broken hearts, a publicity sensation and not one, but TWO, marriages (and divorces).
Cleopatra (1963) is a classic example of how the context of a film can shape how the history was received. It’s hard not to see some weird parallels between Taylor & Burton and Cleopatra & Antony. We need to work on some couple names before this gets too confusing. Cleotony? Antra? Tayton? Burtay? We’ll keep workshopping these ideas.
Things to listen out for:
· Unexpected feline births
· The casting couch makes an unwelcome appearance
· Studio coups
· Editing wars
· Broken hearts (#JusticeforSybil&Eddie)
· Odd similarities with the production of Spartacus
· MORE production problems than you can every imagine!
One thing we have concluded after three hours of discussion: don’t start shooting a movie without a finished script.
If you enjoyed this discussion, you might be interested in checking out The Plot Thickens, who are doing a whole season on Cleopatra (1963).
Our Sources
Drs G and Dr Rad discuss ancient sources such as Florus, Cicero, Appian, and of course, Plutarch’s Life of Antony.
Brodsky, Jack, and Nathan Weiss. The Cleopatra Papers : A Private Correspondence. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1963.
Geist, Kenneth L. Pictures Will Talk : The Life and Films of Joseph L. Mankiewicz. New York: Scribner, 1978.
Humphries, Patrick. Cleopatra and the Undoing of Hollywood : How One Film Almost Sunk the Studios. Cheltenham: The History Press Ltd., 2023.
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, and Daniel Ogden. “CELLULOID CLEOPATRAS or DID THE GREEKS EVER GET TO EGYPT?” In The Hellenistic World, 275-. United Kingdom: The Classical Press of Wales, 2002.
Royster, F. Becoming Cleopatra : The Shifting Image of an Icon. 1st ed. 2003. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-07417-1.
Southern, P. Cleopatra. Gloucestershire: Tempus, 2007.
Taraborrelli, J. Randy. Elizabeth. London: Pan Macmillan, 2006.
Wanger, Wanger, and Joe Hyams. My Life with Cleopatra: The Making of a Hollywood Classic. New York: Vintage, 1963.
Wyke, Maria. Projecting the Past : Ancient Rome, Cinema, and History. New York: Routledge, 1997.
Sound Credits
Our music is by the wonderful Bettina Joy de Guzman.
For our full show notes and edited transcripts, head on over to https://partialhistorians.com/
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Read our books
Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.