Asterix and Cleopatra (film)
Encyclopedia
Asterix and Cleopatra is a Belgian/French animated film released in 1968
; it is the second Asterix adventure to be made into a feature film. Overseen by Asterix creators Goscinny and Uderzo (who had no involvement in the production of the first film Asterix the Gaul
), the film is noticeably more polished than its prequel, featuring far superior animation and soundtrack.
Asterix and Cleopatra is practically a musical, featuring three individual song sequences and a more varied score than the earlier film. Elements of satire
and surreal humour
(such as Cleopatra's singing lion and the engraving of Santa Claus
on the pyramid wall) are prominent throughout.
over his lack of faith in the Egypt
ian people, Queen Cleopatra enters into a bet claiming that she can have a magnificent palace constructed for him in Alexandria
within three months. She gives this enormous task to her best architect
Edifis (despite his shortcomings), informing him that he will be covered with gold if he succeeds or thrown to the crocodiles if he fails. Daunted and distraught, believing the task to be insurmountable without some sort of magic, Edifis travels to Gaul
to seek help from the famous druid
Getafix.
Getafix agrees to return to Egypt with Edifis, while Asterix
and Obelix
insist on accompanying them. Obelix further insists that Dogmatix
be allowed to join the voyage and smuggles him along despite objections from Asterix. En route to Egypt, Edifis' ship is met by a gang of pirates. Poetic justice rules the day as the pirate ship is boarded by Asterix and Obelix, who scuttle it after a largely one-sided fight. Upon reaching Egypt, it becomes clear that Edifis is not a particularly gifted architect; in Cleopatra's words his buildings are “the laughing stock of those who don't live in them”. His scheming rival Artifis proposes that they collaborate in order to build Caesar's palace on time and divide the reward between them; the catch being that Edifis alone be thrown to the crocodiles should they fail. Edifis refuses and Artifis swears vengeance, angered further by the injuries he sustains while negotiating Edifis' house (which later collapses altogether).
Artifis raises tensions amongst the construction workers by convincing them that they are being exploited by Edifis and encourages them to strike. To win them over and enhance their productivity, Getafix gives the workers his magic potion which enables them to continue effortlessly with the construction of the palace. Getafix refuses to give any to Obelix, much to his disgruntlement. Building progress becomes so rapid that the labourers exhaust their supplies of stone; Artifis has bribed the supplier to dump the subsequent shipment into the Nile
and the Gauls are forced to escort a fleet of ships to fetch more. Sightseeing en route, the trio visit the Pyramids at Giza. In his attempt to scale the Sphinx
, Obelix provides an outlandish hypothesis as to how the monument came to be without a nose. The Gauls are intercepted by Artifis' sidekick Krukhut, who poses as a guide with the intention of getting the Gauls lost during a tour of the Great Pyramid
. Trapped deep within the pyramid, Getafix gives Obelix his first taste of magic potion, presumably to give him the strength to break them out. The Gauls fail to negotiate the maze, but eventually escape after being heroically tracked by Dogmatix. Undeterred, Artifis and Krukhut make a further attempt to prevent the stone reaching its destination by hiring the same gang of pirates seen earlier in the film to attack the fleet on its return to Alexandria. A short second encounter with the pirates alleviates Obelix's boredom, despite their cowardly attempt at retreat. In a final effort to stop the three Gauls, Artifis frames them for an attempt to poison Cleopatra with the gift of a cake made from such ingredients as arsenic
, strychnine
and vitriol. Asterix, Obelix and Getafix are thrown into the dungeon
after the Queen's taster becomes ill from eating the cake. Fortunately, Getafix carries an antidote
that enables them to eat the remainder of the cake (giving the impression that it was in fact harmless) as well as curing the taster. The Gauls are pardoned and catch Artifis and Krukhut; their punishment is to work for Edifis as labourers.
Cleopatra gloats over the likelihood of winning her bet to Caesar, who fears he will lose face with her should she get the better of him and instructs his spy to infiltrate the building site. Learning that the Gauls and their magic potion are involved, Caesar orders his three mercenaries
to kidnap Getafix and imprison him. Two of the mercenaries are caught by Asterix and Obelix, who learn of what has happened to Getafix and promptly free him. In desperation, Caesar holds the construction site under siege
and bombards the unfinished palace with boulders. Cleopatra intervenes, forcing Caesar to lift the siege and despite the damage, the palace is completed on schedule. Edifis is honoured and the Gauls are escorted home aboard Cleopatra's luxury ship, much to the displeasure of the sacred crocodiles.
1968 in film
The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
; it is the second Asterix adventure to be made into a feature film. Overseen by Asterix creators Goscinny and Uderzo (who had no involvement in the production of the first film Asterix the Gaul
Asterix the Gaul (film)
Asterix the Gaul is a 1967 Belgian/French animated film, based on the comic book of the same name, which was the first book in the highly popular comic series Asterix by Goscinny and Uderzo. The film sticks to the book's plot very closely....
), the film is noticeably more polished than its prequel, featuring far superior animation and soundtrack.
Asterix and Cleopatra is practically a musical, featuring three individual song sequences and a more varied score than the earlier film. Elements of satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
and surreal humour
Surreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
(such as Cleopatra's singing lion and the engraving of Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
on the pyramid wall) are prominent throughout.
Plot
After a heated argument with Julius CaesarJulius 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....
over his lack of faith in the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian people, Queen Cleopatra enters into a bet claiming that she can have a magnificent palace constructed for him in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
within three months. She gives this enormous task to her best architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Edifis (despite his shortcomings), informing him that he will be covered with gold if he succeeds or thrown to the crocodiles if he fails. Daunted and distraught, believing the task to be insurmountable without some sort of magic, Edifis travels to Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
to seek help from the famous druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
Getafix.
Getafix agrees to return to Egypt with Edifis, while Asterix
Asterix
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959...
and Obelix
Obelix
Obelix is a fictional character from the French comic book series Asterix. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his fatness, the menhirs he carries around on his back and his superhuman strength...
insist on accompanying them. Obelix further insists that Dogmatix
Dogmatix
Dogmatix is a fictional character, a tiny white dog who belongs to Obelix in the Asterix comics. Dogmatix is a pun on the words dog and dogmatic. In the original French his name is Idéfix, itself a pun on the French expression idée fixe meaning an obsession...
be allowed to join the voyage and smuggles him along despite objections from Asterix. En route to Egypt, Edifis' ship is met by a gang of pirates. Poetic justice rules the day as the pirate ship is boarded by Asterix and Obelix, who scuttle it after a largely one-sided fight. Upon reaching Egypt, it becomes clear that Edifis is not a particularly gifted architect; in Cleopatra's words his buildings are “the laughing stock of those who don't live in them”. His scheming rival Artifis proposes that they collaborate in order to build Caesar's palace on time and divide the reward between them; the catch being that Edifis alone be thrown to the crocodiles should they fail. Edifis refuses and Artifis swears vengeance, angered further by the injuries he sustains while negotiating Edifis' house (which later collapses altogether).
Artifis raises tensions amongst the construction workers by convincing them that they are being exploited by Edifis and encourages them to strike. To win them over and enhance their productivity, Getafix gives the workers his magic potion which enables them to continue effortlessly with the construction of the palace. Getafix refuses to give any to Obelix, much to his disgruntlement. Building progress becomes so rapid that the labourers exhaust their supplies of stone; Artifis has bribed the supplier to dump the subsequent shipment into the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
and the Gauls are forced to escort a fleet of ships to fetch more. Sightseeing en route, the trio visit the Pyramids at Giza. In his attempt to scale the Sphinx
Sphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
, Obelix provides an outlandish hypothesis as to how the monument came to be without a nose. The Gauls are intercepted by Artifis' sidekick Krukhut, who poses as a guide with the intention of getting the Gauls lost during a tour of the Great Pyramid
Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact...
. Trapped deep within the pyramid, Getafix gives Obelix his first taste of magic potion, presumably to give him the strength to break them out. The Gauls fail to negotiate the maze, but eventually escape after being heroically tracked by Dogmatix. Undeterred, Artifis and Krukhut make a further attempt to prevent the stone reaching its destination by hiring the same gang of pirates seen earlier in the film to attack the fleet on its return to Alexandria. A short second encounter with the pirates alleviates Obelix's boredom, despite their cowardly attempt at retreat. In a final effort to stop the three Gauls, Artifis frames them for an attempt to poison Cleopatra with the gift of a cake made from such ingredients as arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
, strychnine
Strychnine
Strychnine is a highly toxic , colorless crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine causes muscular convulsions and eventually death through asphyxia or sheer exhaustion...
and vitriol. Asterix, Obelix and Getafix are thrown into the dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
after the Queen's taster becomes ill from eating the cake. Fortunately, Getafix carries an antidote
Antidote
An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek αντιδιδοναι antididonai, "given against"....
that enables them to eat the remainder of the cake (giving the impression that it was in fact harmless) as well as curing the taster. The Gauls are pardoned and catch Artifis and Krukhut; their punishment is to work for Edifis as labourers.
Cleopatra gloats over the likelihood of winning her bet to Caesar, who fears he will lose face with her should she get the better of him and instructs his spy to infiltrate the building site. Learning that the Gauls and their magic potion are involved, Caesar orders his three mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
to kidnap Getafix and imprison him. Two of the mercenaries are caught by Asterix and Obelix, who learn of what has happened to Getafix and promptly free him. In desperation, Caesar holds the construction site under siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
and bombards the unfinished palace with boulders. Cleopatra intervenes, forcing Caesar to lift the siege and despite the damage, the palace is completed on schedule. Edifis is honoured and the Gauls are escorted home aboard Cleopatra's luxury ship, much to the displeasure of the sacred crocodiles.
English Cast
- Lee PayantLee PayantLee Payant , was an actor and film director perhaps best known for voicing the title role of the 1960s TV serial The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe in English....
- Asterix - Hal Brav - Obelix
- Jean Fontaine
- John Primm
- Alexander A. Klimenko
- Anthony StuartAnthony StuartAnthony Mark Stuart is a former Australian, New South Wales, and Canberran cricketer.Stuart played in three One Day Internationals in the 1996–97 Carlton & United One Day triangular series between Australia, Pakistan, and the West Indies, taking eight wickets at an average of 13.62, including a...
- Ed Marcus
- George Birt