SERPENT OF THE NILE (1953)

To set the scene, we begin with what amounts to a tableau of the assassination of Julius Caesar, then travel to Macedonia where the forces of Brutus and Cassius are being defeated by Mark Antony (Raymond Burr), loyal to Rome. On the battlefield, Lucilius (William Lundigan), a captain in the army of Cassius, discovers Cassius dead by suicide and, realizing defeat is near, poses as Brutus to be captured by Antony, allowing Brutus to escape. But Antony recognizes Lucilius and spares his life. When word arrives that Brutus has also killed himself, a disillusioned Lucilius joins up with Antony, becoming a trusted associate. At Tarsus, they meet with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt (Rhonda Fleming) who arrives on a barge complete with exotic dancers and an elaborate feast. Cleopatra recognizes Lucilius from his days serving Julius Caesar (with whom she had a son). An uneasy triumvirate develops, not quite romantic but not just political either. An unsuccessful assassination attempt against Cleopatra is carried out by a man who claims that the people are starving while the rich and mighty take all the food for themselves. Cleopatra says that her arch-enemy sister Arsinoe is behind the discontent and sends Lucilius to capture her and bring her back alive, but she conspires behind his back to have Arsinoe killed. Lucilius is confined to his rooms because he might have freed Arsinoe, but as history buffs know, when the Senate in Rome declares war on Egypt, Antony and Cleopatra aren't much longer for this world, leaving Lucilius alone.

This is a B-movie version of the famous historical story, though it looks pretty good, in bright Technicolor with colorful costumes, and is shot on sets left standing from the bigger-budgeted Rita Hayworth movie SALOME. Some viewers dislike the obvious corner-cutting, with artificial-looking matte paintings and underpopulated battle scenes—near the end, we are told by a narrator that one of the most significant battles of all time is about to occur, but on screen it lasts barely thirty seconds. (The few battle and fight scenes in the movie are all a bit sloppy.)  As far as the script goes, Cleopatra, whom I assume is the title character, is almost a supporting player with Antony and Lucilius getting more screen time. They have a bond which I wish I could describe as 'homoerotic,' but the juice just isn't there, partly due to the writing and partly due to the pedestrian acting. All three leads seem like they're either sleepwalking through their parts or rushing through them to get home for dinner. Despite my disparagement, I enjoyed this, if not quite as camp, as earnest mediocrity. I also have a soft spot for Lundigan (pictured with Fleming), who was always handsome and inoffensively lightweight, as he is here. Julie Newmar appears as a featured bikinied dancer, covered in gold paint, eleven years before Shirley Easton got that treatment in GOLDFINGER. Her dance is actually fairly sexy, and some might consider it the climax of the movie, though it occurs in the first half-hour. [TCM]