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Cleopatra

Name: Cleopatra
Director: Michel Auder
Released: 1970
Duration: 155 min

Representation Score

6.3/10

Good

1970

Director

Michel Auder

Runtime

155 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Michel Auder’s *Cleopatra* serves as a radical deconstruction of the Hollywood epic. By using the Warholian ensemble, the film replaces polished, traditional storytelling with improvisational, queer-coded performances that challenge conventional cinematic structures. The work effectively critiques culture by subverting celebrity hierarchies and capitalist media norms. It shifts the focus from idealized gender spectacles to a more fragmented, experimental mode of expression. However, the film lacks clear evidence of racial diversity within its core ensemble. While it questions the 'authenticity' of historical depictions through a meta-textual lens, the actual ethnic diversity of the cast remains unverified.

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Category Breakdown

Does Cleopatra have LGBTQ+ representation?

Good

The film includes well-known figures from the underground queer scene, such as Taylor Mead and Ondine. Their involvement highlights the film's connection to non-traditional gender identities and fluid expressions.

How does Cleopatra portray gender?

Good

Michel Auder challenges the 'Great Woman' cliché by breaking down the hyper-feminine spectacle of the 1963 epic. Performers dismantle traditional feminine roles through fragmented, improvisational portrayals.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Cleopatra?

Fair

The cast mainly comprises members of the Warhol ensemble, with no clear indication of non-white representation. However, the film questions traditional Hollywood standards by removing conventional ethnic markers from historical identity.

How does Cleopatra represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film critiques capitalist media structures by repurposing high-budget Hollywood products for low-budget artistic experiments. It also rejects traditional Western hierarchies by focusing on an ensemble rather than a single star.

Does Cleopatra include disability representation?

Minimal

There is insufficient evidence to determine how disabilities or neurodivergence are portrayed. Avant-garde performances might suggest non-traditional forms of expression, but there is no specific data available.

Present on Screen

Strong queer presence through the inclusion of underground icons like Taylor Mead and Ondine.
Effective deconstruction of traditional Hollywood gender clichés and hyper-feminine spectacles.
Subversive cultural critique that rejects capitalist media structures and celebrity hierarchies.

Limited or Absent

Lack of clear evidence regarding racial and ethnic diversity within the ensemble.
Insufficient information to assess the representation of disabilities or neurodivergence.

Official Synopsis

Cleopatra situates itself in the same relationship to Hollywood as the Warhol/Morrisey films of the period. It corresponds to Joseph Mankiewicz's 1963 Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton which Auder's cast watched and used as the starting point for scene by scene improvisation Auder drew his cast from Warhol's ensemble – including not only Viva and Louis Waldon, but also Taylor Mead, Ondine, Andrea Feldman, Gerard Melanga and others.

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