Carry on Cleo

As I make my way into nine of the Carry On movies, there seems to have been a sudden upswing since Cabby, Cruising and Regardless.

Spying and now this one, Carry On Cleo, are funny.

"Cleo" was all Williams as Ceasar. I don't think anyone else could have done that so-so line and made it funny. "Friends, Romans, . . I know that!"

Okay, Sid James and Kenneth Conner had a bit more material to work with here, namely plot and direction.

Direction would have helped more in earlier ones, such as Regardless and Nurse. I guess the history helped drive Carry On Cleo.

Upon seeing Cleo, I thought Barbara Windsor (whom I had only glimpsed for the first time just earlier when I watched Spying) was the Egyptian queen, and deduced, wow, she used alot of padding in her bra.

Now I read I was in error and it was Amanda Barrie as Cleo. I wonder if Windsor was offered the part of Cleo first?

That soothsayer. What a scene stealer and master at his craft that one was! I liked James and Conner here, but the Soothsayer was running with the movie from them all. Had he hung around, he would have shown Williams how to do it as well, no doubt.

Who was he? Jon Pertwee, Doctor Who #3.

No idea where Hattie Jacques would have fit in this tale. I haven't seen her now since Carry On Cabby. Look forward to what is left, with or without her.

Next up: Carry on Screaming! Heard it is a good one.

Looking back at the many ups and downs of the British Film Industry one clear period stands out as very firmly 'up'. This was during the reign of the 'Carry On' team at their peak. For a five year period (1963 - 1968) the team churned out a series of slickly produced genre parodies which, though often substituting authentic locations for a beach in Wales or a field in East Anglia, managed to upstage the Hollywood productions they were thumbing their noses at. 'Carry On Cleo' (1964) exemplifies this period and stands out as (some would argue) one of the greatest British films ever made. The usual cast is out in force, with only a couple of notable absences (i.e. Barbara Windsor), all delivering at the top of their form, and clearly revelling in the luxury of using the sets and props left over from Mankiewicz's megaproduction of 'Cleopatra' (1963). Sid James was never more ruggedly appealing than when suited in the white miniskirt and golden breast plate of Marc Anthony, he also gets to blast the immortal line "BLIMUS!!". Scriptwriting doesn't get any sharper, from start to finish Talbot Rothwell's script glitters. In the part of Cleopatra, Amanda Barrie gives us a good view of her ripples as she floats gracefully in asses milk. Whilst batting her extended eyelashes she asks "Do'st thou like what thou see'st?". Well I certainly do'st. The film is a pleasure to watch, there is never a dull moment as the plot flips furiously between the plight of the cowardly Hengist Pod and heroic Horsa escaping roman enslavement (Kenneth Connor & Jim Dale buckling a fine swash together), and the drama of Julius Caesar's last days of power (Kenneth Williams camping it up to the nines as usual). The story threads intertwine and build to a hilarious climactic chase scene involving a Shakespearian identity swap and a hulking Egyptian guard by the name of 'Sosages'. If contemporary British film-makers would return to taking the mickey instead of sitting passively in Hollywood's thrall, we might see a few more gems like this in the future.

Perhaps the best of the entire CARRY ON cycle, notable for its reuse of the sets and costumes originally conceived for Joseph L. Mankiewicz's monumental folly CLEOPPATRA (1963), CARRY ON CLEO contains its fair share of innuendo - so thick and intricate, in fact, that viewers can only tease out the brilliance of Talbot Rothwell's script after repeated viewings.

Yet perhaps uniquely among the cycle, this film contains memorable performances too. Amanda Barrie has never been more seductive as Cleopatra she she lolls in her bath of asses' milk tempting Mark Antony (Sidney James) to join her. She remains gloriously empty- headed when faced with any schemes to enact, but certainly knows how to deal with men, especially the duffer Julius Caesar (Kenneth Williams). It is only when she gives Briton Hengist Pod (Kenneth Connor) a love-potion, transforming him from a mouse into a sexual Lothario that she meets her match.

What perhaps distinguishes this film, however, is its metatheatrical awareness. Director Gerald Thomas makes no bones about tracing its origins in music-hall and variety; jokes are delivered as separate lines direct to camera with little concern for dramatic verisimilitude. The cast have no need to; they know that the viewers are waiting for the next innuendo, and they are prepared to glance briefly at the camera before delivering it, taking us into their confidence as they do so.

This makes for both a liberating yet a lasting experience; we feel that we are somehow complicit with the actors in a ritual that we all know and love. It doesn't really matter what the film's subject might be; as if going to pantomime or a variety show, we are there to see our favorite actors doing what they are best at, and participating in a community experience of cathartic laughter. It is this unique quality, shared only by a few films (others might include Abbott and Costello or the Marx Brothers) that invests them with their timeless qualities.

A true classic.

Carry on Cleo is arguably one of the greatest of the Carry on films. It puts so many big budget films, notably Cleopatra, to shame.

It is a visual delight, admittedly it used the scenes from the bid budget flop, but I'd argue they made equally good use here. Awesome costumes, some truly incredible sets. However this film contains style, and substance.

Most of the regulars are here, notable faces missing include Barbara Windsor and Hattie Jacques.

Amanda Barrie gets her biggest Carry on role, she's excellent, and looks amazing, perhaps a more convincing Queen than Taylor was.

They're all amazing, but Kenneth Williams is truly at his best here, he is utterly hilarious, and perhaps gets the best of lines, who will ever forget Infamy, Infamy....

Well over half a century old, and still awesome. 9/10.

A pretty "unofficial" tale of the intrigues between Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius.

Hit-or-miss but frequently hilarious spoof of Joseph L. Mankiewicz' infamous super-epic "Cleopatra", that generates far more amusement than the original. The pace is hectic, the writing unusually clever and most of the actors caught somewhere near their best. Some dull spots, but the whole enterprise remains cheerful and sprightly.