I liked the way this movie took
great care to depict the elements of love, ambition, betrayal and loss, associated
with the relationship between rulers of Rome and Egypt during Cleopatra’s reign, however,
I found that we were left wondering more about the politics involved in the
transformation of Rome from Republic to Empire. I also found that Caesar’s character was well
developed, with attention drawn to his wit, unpredictability and diplomacy on
his arrival to Egypt when Ptolmey and Pothinus had Cleopatra deposed, from the
time of his entrance through the marketplace until his departure leaving
Cleopatra back on the throne and her enemies well taken care of. By acting out
some strategies that the Romans used in battle, such as the formation of the turtle
to advance their troops when defending the Moon Gate, we could appreciate
Caesar’s capabilities as an astute general as well as a smooth politician.
Rome
benefited from Egypt and Hispania in much the same way: both of these colonies
provided wheat, food and minerals needed by Rome to feed its soldiers and
people and finance its expansion.
I found
that the movie well represented Cleopatra’s role as ruler of Egypt. She was
well respected and protected by her people once her sovereignty was
re-established by Caesar. In contrast, Octavia’s role as diplomat to the Senate
was somewhat undeveloped. In the movie we saw how her brother Octavian used
her as a pawn to bring back Mark Anthony from Egypt, force his alliance to
Rome, and curb Cleopatra’s ambitions for herself and her son Caesarion.
The portrayal
of the Battle of Actium clearly illustrated Mark Anthony’s dependency on
Cleopatra as well his feeble attempt to fulfill her dream of following in
Alexander the Great’s footsteps. It also depicted Mark Anthony and Octavian as cowards:
the first for abandoning his men to follow a fleeing Cleopatra, and the latter
for relying on Agrippa and his men to fight in his place. The defeat of Mark
Anthony due to his inferior ships and betrayal by one of his generals, Dellius,
whom he had relieved of his duties at Actium and the desertion of his land army in
a subsequent battle explained how Octavian rose to power; however, it is still
unclear how the Roman Senate accepted the resulting transition from Republic to
Empire under Octavian, when the senators had previously assassinated Caesar to
prevent a similar transformation in Roman politics from occurring under a more
deserving general as Emperor.
