| Carry on Cleo | |
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DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Gerald Thomas |
| Produced by | Peter Rogers |
| Written by | Talbot Rothwell |
| Narrated by | E. V. H. Emmett |
| Starring | Sid James Kenneth Williams Kenneth Connor Charles Hawtrey Jim Dale Joan Sims Amanda Barrie |
| Music by | Eric Rogers |
| Cinematography | Alan Hume |
| Editing by | Archie Ludski |
| Distributed by | Anglo-Amalgamated |
| Release date(s) | November 1964 |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £194,323 |
Carry On Cleo is the tenth film in the Carry On film series and was released in 1964. The website ICONS.a portrait of England cites the Carry On films as iconic of British cinema, and describes Carry On Cleo as "perhaps the best".[1] Regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey and Jim Dale are all present and correct. Connor was making his last appearance until his return in Carry On Up the Jungle six years later. Joan Sims was returning to the series for the first time since Carry On Regardless three years earlier. Sims would now appear in every Carry On up to Carry On Emmannuelle in 1978, making her the most prolific actress in the series. The title role is played by Amanda Barrie in her second and final Carry On. Along with Carry On Sergeant and Carry On Screaming, its original posters were reproduced by the Royal Mail on stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Carry On series in June 2008.
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The Romans have invaded Britain. An army led by Mark Anthony, slogging through wet and miserable weather, attacks a village (where the inhabitants still wear skins and live in caves) and capture some people as slaves. They include a maker of square wheels Hengist Pod (Kenneth Connor) and the fearless warrior Horsa (Jim Dale), among others.
They are taken to Rome, bought by the trader Spencius (of Marcus and Spencius) and auctioned off. No-one wants Hengist and he's marked down as lion-fodder. When an attempt is made to kill the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar (Kenneth Williams) at a Roman temple, Horsa fights and kills Caesar's enemies, but Hengist gets all the credit, and is made Caesar's bodyguard.
Meanwhile, Mark Antony (Sid James), Caesar's best friend, is sent to Egypt to negotiate an alliance, but becomes besotted with the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra (Amanda Barrie). The only way to achieve his heart's desire is to kill Caesar (and Hengist).
The plan to kill Caesar and Hengist ends up being unsuccessful. Hengist, Horsa and all of their fellow British countrymen escape, capture a galley and make it back to Britain.
Kenneth Williams' line as Caesar, in fear of his life before the conspirators and their drawn swords, is frequently voted among the funniest lines in British comedy. It has also been voted the all-time funniest one-liner in a film.
| “ | "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!" | ” |
However, it was not an original Carry On joke at all: scriptwriter Talbot Rothwell requested the use of the gag from its creators, Frank Muir and Denis Norden, who had written it for BBC radio comedy show Take It From Here.
In one scene at Caesar's palace, when Mark Antony demands Hengist to describe his 'fight' with the conspirators, he accidentally chops the arms off a statue of the goddess, Venus, apparently creating the Venus de Milo in doing so.
At one point, in a vision of the future, we see Caesar stabbed with a dagger, and he says "Is this a dagger I see before me?" This is a quote from Shakespeare, but is actually spoken by Macbeth.
The costumes and sets used in the film were actually taken from Cleopatra starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor after that production moved to Rome and rebuilt its sets there to take advantage of better weather.
The film's credits make ironic reference to the scant regard paid to historical accuracy. The titles advise that the story is "from an original idea by William Shakespeare", and that "Whilst the characters and events in this story are based on actual characters and events, certain liberties have been taken with Cleopatra".[2]
Carry on Cleo was filmed between 13 and 28 July 1964.
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