Carry On Cleo
Encyclopedia
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". 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.
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.
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".
Carry on Cleo was filmed between 13 and 28 July 1964.
Interiors:
Carry On films
The Carry On films are a series of low-budget British comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. They are an energetic mix of parody, farce, slapstick and double entendres....
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". Regulars Sid James
Sid James
Sid James was an English-based South African actor and comedian. He made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona...
, Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
, Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
, Charles Hawtrey
Charles Hawtrey (film actor)
George Frederick Joffre Hartree , known as Charles Hawtrey, was an English comedy actor and musician.Beginning at a young age as a boy soprano, he made several records before moving on to the radio...
and Jim Dale
Jim Dale
Jim Dale, MBE is an English actor, voice artist, singer and songwriter. He is best known in the United Kingdom for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing...
are all present and correct. Connor was making his last appearance until his return in Carry On Up The Jungle
Carry On Up the Jungle
Carry On Up the Jungle is the nineteenth Carry On film, released in 1970. The film marked Frankie Howerd's second and final appearance in the series. He stars alongside regular players Sid James, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Terry Scott and Bernard Bresslaw. Kenneth Williams is unusually absent...
six years later. Joan Sims
Joan Sims
Joan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
was returning to the series for the first time since Carry On Regardless
Carry On Regardless
Carry on Regardless was the fifth in the series of Carry On films to be made. It was released in 1961. By now a fairly regular team was established with Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Kenneth Williams all having appeared in previous entries. Hattie Jacques - who was...
three years earlier. Sims would now appear in every Carry On up to Carry On Emmannuelle
Carry On Emmannuelle
Carry On Emmannuelle is the 30th Carry On film, and was released in 1978. This was the last Carry On film to be made until Carry On Columbus in 1992. The film was to be the final Carry On for many regulars including Kenneth Williams , Kenneth Connor , Joan Sims and Peter Butterworth...
in 1978, making her the most prolific actress in the series. The title role is played by Amanda Barrie
Amanda Barrie
Amanda Barrie is an English actress.-Career:Born as Shirley Anne Broadbent, Barrie attended St Anne's College, St Anne's on Sea. She then trained at the Arts Educational School in London and later at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School...
in her second and final Carry On. Along with Carry On Sergeant
Carry On Sergeant
Carry On Sergeant is the first Carry On film. Its first public screening was on 1 August 1958 at Screen One, London. Actors in this film who went on to be part of the regular team in the series were Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Kenneth Connor and Terry Scott...
and Carry On Screaming
Carry On Screaming
Carry On Screaming! is the twelfth Carry On film and was released in 1966. It was the last of the series to be distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated before the series moved to The Rank Organisation. It was originally rated in the UK as an 'A' , it is currently rated 'PG'...
, its original posters were reproduced by the Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
on stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Carry On series in June 2008.
Plot
The RomansRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
have invaded Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. 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
Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
) and the fearless warrior Horsa (Jim Dale
Jim Dale
Jim Dale, MBE is an English actor, voice artist, singer and songwriter. He is best known in the United Kingdom for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing...
), 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
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
(Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
) 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
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
(Sid James
Sid James
Sid James was an English-based South African actor and comedian. He made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona...
), Caesar's best friend, is sent to Egypt to negotiate an alliance, but becomes besotted with the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra (Amanda Barrie
Amanda Barrie
Amanda Barrie is an English actress.-Career:Born as Shirley Anne Broadbent, Barrie attended St Anne's College, St Anne's on Sea. She then trained at the Arts Educational School in London and later at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School...
). 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.
Background notes
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.However, it was not an original Carry On joke at all: scriptwriter Talbot Rothwell
Talbot Rothwell
Talbot Nelson Conn Rothwell, OBE was an English screenwriter.Rothwell was born in Bromley, Kent, England. He had a variety of jobs during his early life: town clerk, police officer, and Royal Air Force pilot....
requested the use of the gag from its creators, Frank Muir
Frank Muir
Frank Herbert Muir was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wrote BBC radio's Take It From Here for over 10 years, and then appeared on BBC radio...
and Denis Norden
Denis Norden
Denis Mostyn Norden CBE is a former English comedy writer and television presenter. After an early career working in cinemas, he began scriptwriting during World War II. From 1948 to 1959, he co-wrote the successful BBC Radio comedy programme Take It from Here with Frank Muir...
, who had written it for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio comedy show Take It From Here
Take It From Here
Take It From Here was a British radio comedy programme broadcast by the BBC between 1948 and 1960. It was written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, and starred Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley and Joy Nichols...
.
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
Venus (mythology)
Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
, apparently creating the Venus de Milo
Venus de Milo
Aphrodite of Milos , better known as the Venus de Milo, is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Created at some time between 130 and 100 BC, it is believed to depict Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love and beauty. It is a marble sculpture, slightly...
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
Macbeth (character)
Macbeth is the title character in William Shakespeare's Macbeth . The character is based on the historical king Macbeth of Scotland, and is derived largely from the account in Holinshed's Chronicles , a history of Britain. Macbeth is a Scottish noble and a valiant military man. He is portrayed...
.
The costumes and sets used in the film were actually taken from Cleopatra
Cleopatra (1963 film)
Cleopatra is a 1963 British-American-Swiss epic drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Maria Franzero. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy...
starring Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
and Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
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
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
", and that "Whilst the characters and events in this story are based on actual characters and events, certain liberties have been taken with Cleopatra".
Carry on Cleo was filmed between 13 and 28 July 1964.
Cast
- Sid JamesSid JamesSid James was an English-based South African actor and comedian. He made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona...
as Mark AntonyMark AntonyMarcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar... - Kenneth WilliamsKenneth WilliamsKenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
as Julius CaesarJulius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.... - Charles HawtreyCharles Hawtrey (film actor)George Frederick Joffre Hartree , known as Charles Hawtrey, was an English comedy actor and musician.Beginning at a young age as a boy soprano, he made several records before moving on to the radio...
as SenecaSeneca the ElderLucius or Marcus Annaeus Seneca, known as Seneca the Elder and Seneca the Rhetorician , was a Roman rhetorician and writer, born of a wealthy equestrian family of Cordoba, Hispania... - Kenneth ConnorKenneth ConnorKenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
as Hengist Pod - Joan SimsJoan SimsJoan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
as CalpurniaCalpurnia PisonisCalpurnia Pisonis , daughter of Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, sister of Lucius Calpurnius Piso, "the Pontifex", was a Roman woman and the third and last wife of Julius Caesar. Calpurnia was the great-granddaughter of a lieutenant of Lucius Cassius Longinus, whose name was Lucius Piso... - Jim DaleJim DaleJim Dale, MBE is an English actor, voice artist, singer and songwriter. He is best known in the United Kingdom for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing...
as Horsa - Amanda BarrieAmanda BarrieAmanda Barrie is an English actress.-Career:Born as Shirley Anne Broadbent, Barrie attended St Anne's College, St Anne's on Sea. She then trained at the Arts Educational School in London and later at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School...
as Cleopatra - Victor MaddernVictor MaddernVictor Jack Maddern was an English actor.Born in Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex, Maddern was one of large group of dependable supporting actors that British film produced over the years....
as Sergeant Major - Julie StevensJulie Stevens (British actress)Julie Stevens is an English actress, best known in Britain for her appearances on children's television. She married actor John White in 1961....
as Gloria - Sheila HancockSheila HancockSheila Cameron Hancock, CBE is an English actress and author.-Early life:Sheila Hancock was born in Blackgang on the Isle of Wight, the daughter of Ivy Louise and Enrico Cameron Hancock, who was a publican. Her sister Billie is seven years older...
as Senna Pod - Jon PertweeJon PertweeJohn Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
as Soothsayer - Brian OultonBrian OultonBrian Oulton was an English character actor.Born in Liverpool, he made his acting debut in 1939 as a lead actor...
as Brutus - Michael WardMichael Ward (actor)Michael Ward was an English character actor who appeared in nearly eighty films between 1947 and 1978.-Early life:...
as Archimedes - Francis de WolffFrancis de WolffFrancis de Wolff was an English character actor. Large, bearded, and beetle-browed, he was often cast as villains in both film and television....
as Agrippa - Tom Clegg as Sosages
- Tanya Binning as Virginia
- David Davenport as Bilius
- Peter GilmorePeter GilmorePeter Gilmore is a British actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin in the BBC Television period drama The Onedin Line. He also had roles in eleven Carry On films, and played the heroic lead in the adventure film Warlords of Atlantis...
as Galley master - Ian Wilson as Messenger
- Norman MitchellNorman MitchellNorman Mitchell was an English television, stage and film actor.Born in Sheffield, his father was a mining engineer and his mother a concert singer. He attended Carterknowle Grammar School and the University of Sheffield, before appearing in repertory theatre and with the Royal Shakespeare Company...
as Heckler
- Brian RawlinsonBrian RawlinsonBrian Rawlinson was an English actor and writer who was prolific in films and TV from the 1950s....
as Hessian driver - Gertan KlauberGertan KlauberGeorge Gertan Klauber was a British character actor.He played small roles in many of the Carry On films, and appeared as mad king George III in Blackadder the Third....
as Marcus - Warren MitchellWarren MitchellWarren Mitchell is an English actor who rose to initial prominence in the role of bigoted cockney Alf Garnett in the BBC television sitcom Till Death Us Do Part , and its sequels Till Death... and In Sickness and in Health , all of which were written by Johnny Speight...
as Spencius - Peter Jesson as Companion
- Michael NightingaleMichael Nightingale-Selected filmography:* The Man Who Watched Trains Go By * Man in the Shadow * Ice-Cold in Alex * The Stranglers of Bombay * Watch Your Stern * The Young Jacobites * The Silent Weapon...
as Caveman - Judi Johnson as Gloria's bridesmaid
- Thelma Taylor as Seneca's servant
- Sally DouglasSally DouglasSally Douglas was a glamorous British supporting actress of the 1960s and 70s.She appeared in over 30 films and television series that were mostly comedies....
as Antony's dusky maiden - Wanda VenthamWanda VenthamWanda Ventham is an English actress, mainly on television. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama....
as Pretty bidder - Peggy Ann CliffordPeggy Ann CliffordPeggy Ann Clifford is an English film and television actress with a lengthy career, including Kind Hearts and Coronets and The Time of His Life .-Selected filmography:* One Exciting Night...
as Willa Claudia - Mark Hardy as Guard at Caesar's palace
- E.V.H. EmmettE.V.H. EmmettE.V.H. Emmett was a British newsreader. Though his main job was as a commentator for Gaumont British News, he was frequently used as a narrator in the films of the 1930s, 40s and 50s...
as Narrator - Christine Rodgers as Hand maiden
- Gloria Best as Hand maiden
- Virginia Tyler as Hand maiden
- Gloria Johnson as Vestal Virgin
- Joanna Ford as Vestal Virgin
- Donna White as Vestal Virgin
- Jane LumbJane LumbJane Lumb was a fashion model and actress in the 1960s.Lumb was well known for appearing in series of advertisements for Fry's Turkish Delight.-Background:...
as Vestal Virgin - Vicki Smith as Vestal Virgin
Crew
- Screenplay - Talbot RothwellTalbot RothwellTalbot Nelson Conn Rothwell, OBE was an English screenwriter.Rothwell was born in Bromley, Kent, England. He had a variety of jobs during his early life: town clerk, police officer, and Royal Air Force pilot....
- Music - Eric Rogers
- Associate Producer - Frank Bevis
- Art Director - Bert Davey
- Director of Photography - Alan HumeAlan HumeAlan Hume, B.S.C. was a British cinematographer.Hume started work at Denham Film Studios in 1942, and in the late 1940s he worked for Cineguild production company....
- Editor - Archie Ludski
- Camera Operator - Godfrey Godar
- Assistant Director - Peter Bolton
- Unit Manager - Donald Toms
- Continuity - Olga Brook
- Make-up - Geoffrey Rodway
- Sound Editor - Christopher Lancaster
- Sound Recordists - Bill DanielsBill DanielsRobert W. "Bill" Daniels was a pioneer in the cable television industry, commonly known as the "Father of Cable Television". He was an owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and a founder of the United States Football League ....
& Gordon K McCallum - Hairdressing - Ann Fordyce
- Costume Designer - Julie HarrisJulie HarrisJulia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
- Producer - Peter RogersPeter RogersPeter Rogers was a British film producer.Rogers began his career as a journalist for his local paper before graduating to scriptwriting religious informational films...
- Director - Gerald ThomasGerald ThomasGerald Thomas was an English film director, born in Hull.-Early life:Thomas was training in medicine when the Second World War began. He then served in the British army during the war, in Europe and the Middle East...
Filming and locations
- Filming dates – 13 July-28 August 1964
Interiors:
- Pinewood StudiosPinewood StudiosPinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
, Buckinghamshire