CLEOPATRA (1965) Dir: Joseph Mankiewicz.
Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Production Design: John DeCuir
Special photographic effects: L.B. Abbott
Matte painting supervisor: Emil Kosa Jr
Second unit director: Ray Kellogg.
The movie was awarded with the oscar for special effects, received by
Emile
Kosa Jr, head of the matte painting department at T.C. Fox.
Cleopatra also won the oscars for Cinematography, art direction, and
costume design.
This is a panorama view of Alexandria set contructed at Cinecitta Studios, with a matte painted.
A huge glass shot painted in two sheet of glass by Emil Kosa Jr. The
horse statue hides the edge of the two sheets of glass.
At 1958 T.C.Fox started production of Cleopatra with an initial
budget of 2 million dollars. Robert Mamoulian was assigned to direct the
movie, and John De Cuir begun building Alexandria in Hollywood. Fox production
chief, Buddy Adler, orders the unit to England.
Alexandria set are now built at Pinewood studios. By now the budget
has risen to 6 million.
Alexandria set at England.
Liz Taylor suffers in the English climate. Mamoulian quits, Joseph Mankiewicz
takes over. Liz taylor is rushed to Hospital with pneumonia, an emergency
tracheotomy is performed.
Fox orders the production moved back to California. for a summer
shooting.
Mankiewicz put pressure on the idea of shooting at Italy. Fox
agrees, and De Cuir is left with three months to build everything again
in Cinecitta, Rome. Meantime, Mankiewicz rewrites the script. The first
scene is shot at Rome in September 1961.
The new Alexandria set at Cinecitta, Rome.
Aereal view of Alexandria set.
At the end of 1961, some 20 million dollars has been poured into Cleopatra. July 1962, Mankiewicz is mentally and physically exhausted and rejoices when he shoots the final scenes in Egypt. Darryl F. Zanuck takes over the presidency of FOX. At October he views the rough cut which Joe Mankiewicz has edited in two months. Zanuck gives the editing to Elmo Williams. Mankiewicz is fired. Zanuck and Williams discover they cannot construct a finished print. In December 1962 Joseph Mankiewicz is rehired to shoot additional footage. Production team moved to Italy and Spain. Shooting continues until March 1963. Budget has risen to 40 million dollars.
Two more pics from the film, showing the miniature ships filmed at the
Sersen lake at Fox studios, under miniature cinematographer L.B.Abbott.
