The 1950s and 1960s were probably the times in the cinema history that for long will be associated with sword and sandal epics, not only those made by Hollywood studios but also by the Italian producers whose careers did not spread worldwide. Since the famous Cinecitta Studios near Rome grew popular for colossal American epics, such directors like Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia or Fernando Cerchio also took a chance to make movies of the genre with an attempt to depict historical periods in their own way, sometimes more original, sometimes more influenced. And in this way, we had movies like ANNIBALE, ERODE IL GRANDE, GIUSEPPE VENDUTO DAI FRATELLI, and many others. IL SEPOLCHRO DEI RE, sometimes misleadingly translated as CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER, is perhaps the least popular of them but appears to convey something rare. To make my comment clear, let me introduce short headlines before each paragraph.
WHAT IS SO RARE ABOUT "CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER?"
Let me say one significant thing: this movie builds a strong bridge between Hollywood epics and Italian ones, like ANNIBALE did. This time, the link is not the well built male star, a pioneering actor of the genre, Victor Mature, but beautiful, subtle actress who must have made this epic a vehicle to be seen in 1960, Debra Paget. The beautiful Lucia from DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS and the unhappy Lilia from THE TEN COMMANDMENTS plays the main role here, the role of exotic Shila from a faraway kingdom of Assyria. And the effect is sheer delight. She is absolutely brilliant in the role of the Assyrian princess - Egyptian hostage who becomes the wife of Pharaoh but is soon, due to jealousy and sick ambition, accused of assassination and sentenced to cruel fate... SPOILER: But as long as there is romance, there is hope of survival, there is room for justice, for punishing the wicked and for a happy end...
WILL THE LEADING ACTRESS MAKE YOUR DAY?
It is true that the film was and still is worth seeing due to Debra Paget who makes the story interesting and the whole film pretty enjoyable to watch. The rest of the cast have their moments, but moments of strength and weakness as well. Among better ones, I would mention the famous Italian actor of that time, Ettore Manni. However, generally these are average performances. It is only Debra Paget who will make your day.
TOO MUCH HAUNTED BY MORE COLOSSAL EPICS?
If you expect this movie to stun you like some American movies of the time, I once again refer to what I have already said: it is more ANNIBALE than THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Due to low budget, this film can mostly offer interior sets, some are clearly fake, the costumes mix the dynasties ruling in Egypt throughout centuries. The same can be said about historical accuracy. The movie is rather an adventure than history. Moreover, its content is built upon previous American films. Resi (Ettore Manni), the surgeon, for instance, reminds me much of Sinuhe, particularly in the scene when Pharaoh accuses him of healing the poor. Ambitious Kefren is pretty much like Rameses from DeMille's film, the only difference being the fact he is not the Pharaoh's son.
JUST A FEW WORDS AT THE END...
Not to make my comment too wordy because it is not one of those movies that can be analyzed in more details, I'll put this in a nutshell: IL SEPOLCHRO DEI RE is a film for epic buffs, for people who already have some knowledge of the genre. Then, this may be understood in the right way being seen as one among many others. Otherwise, the movie will be an average adventure for you that you will see and will soon forget. Unless, we take into consideration one more aspect that everyone will find impressive: Debra Paget. 5/10
WHAT IS SO RARE ABOUT "CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER?"
Let me say one significant thing: this movie builds a strong bridge between Hollywood epics and Italian ones, like ANNIBALE did. This time, the link is not the well built male star, a pioneering actor of the genre, Victor Mature, but beautiful, subtle actress who must have made this epic a vehicle to be seen in 1960, Debra Paget. The beautiful Lucia from DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS and the unhappy Lilia from THE TEN COMMANDMENTS plays the main role here, the role of exotic Shila from a faraway kingdom of Assyria. And the effect is sheer delight. She is absolutely brilliant in the role of the Assyrian princess - Egyptian hostage who becomes the wife of Pharaoh but is soon, due to jealousy and sick ambition, accused of assassination and sentenced to cruel fate... SPOILER: But as long as there is romance, there is hope of survival, there is room for justice, for punishing the wicked and for a happy end...
WILL THE LEADING ACTRESS MAKE YOUR DAY?
It is true that the film was and still is worth seeing due to Debra Paget who makes the story interesting and the whole film pretty enjoyable to watch. The rest of the cast have their moments, but moments of strength and weakness as well. Among better ones, I would mention the famous Italian actor of that time, Ettore Manni. However, generally these are average performances. It is only Debra Paget who will make your day.
TOO MUCH HAUNTED BY MORE COLOSSAL EPICS?
If you expect this movie to stun you like some American movies of the time, I once again refer to what I have already said: it is more ANNIBALE than THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Due to low budget, this film can mostly offer interior sets, some are clearly fake, the costumes mix the dynasties ruling in Egypt throughout centuries. The same can be said about historical accuracy. The movie is rather an adventure than history. Moreover, its content is built upon previous American films. Resi (Ettore Manni), the surgeon, for instance, reminds me much of Sinuhe, particularly in the scene when Pharaoh accuses him of healing the poor. Ambitious Kefren is pretty much like Rameses from DeMille's film, the only difference being the fact he is not the Pharaoh's son.
JUST A FEW WORDS AT THE END...
Not to make my comment too wordy because it is not one of those movies that can be analyzed in more details, I'll put this in a nutshell: IL SEPOLCHRO DEI RE is a film for epic buffs, for people who already have some knowledge of the genre. Then, this may be understood in the right way being seen as one among many others. Otherwise, the movie will be an average adventure for you that you will see and will soon forget. Unless, we take into consideration one more aspect that everyone will find impressive: Debra Paget. 5/10