The best thing about the digital age is that new technology is being used to restore old film classics, giving a new generation of film fans the chance to relive cinema's golden past. Case in point is the new Masters of Cinema Series restoration of Cecil B DeMille's blockbuster historical romance, Cleopatra. If ever there was a film that defined the epic grandeur of 1930's Hollywood, it's this one.
Jaw-droppingly beautiful with its thousands of extras perfectly positioned within elaborate sets that completely evoke the period's love for all things Egyptian (with an Art Deco edge); while Claudette Colbert's sultry queen of the Nile glides elegantly from one richly ornate scene to the next – in stunning (and revealing) costumes – as she beds Warren William's Julius Caesar and Henry Wilcoxon's Marc Antony, this is vintage cinema at its most lush, epic and spectacular. It also deserves multiple viewings so as to fully appreciate DeMille's epic visual feast, which was quite risqué for its day.
The Masters of Cinema Series release comes as Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) and DVD editions, and as a limited edition Blu-ray SteelBook, all boasting an officially authorised HD transfer from Universal; original trailer, and booklet containing archive material.
Released 24 September from Eureka!
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