Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Cleopatra Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal has released Director Cecil B. DeMille's epic golden age masterpiece 'Cleopatra' to Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer that has been 'digitally remastered and fully restored.' The movie looks great, sounds good all things considered, and the disc contains a handful of high quality legacy bonus materials. The film was previously released in the UK by Eureka Entertainment. While I do not have access to that disc, the supplements are identical. Screenshot comparisons reveal that this appears to be a new or different transfer, and there is a mild discrepancy between aspect ratios; this US disc is framed at 1.33:1 while the UK version is framed at 1.36:1.

Cleopatra Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cleopatra looks fantastic on Blu-ray. The image has undergone digital remastering and is fully restored, according to the packaging. The resultant image is splendid. Grain retention is obvious. It's beautifully organic, though some more sensitive and preferring a clean digital image may find it distracting, but for film lovers, it's a work of wonder, and the lack of smoothing and the retention of a more pure, filmic texture does wonders for the movie's feel and flow. Textural qualities are superb. The image reveals clothes, armor, stone, marble, and other complex wares with striking ease and clarity. The various fabrics of numerous, different textures -- sparkly see-through; leather; silky, flowing robes; velvety blankets -- are nicely differentiated. Likewise, armor and other metallic surfaces (or faux costume metal) are showcases for intimate textural variations and imperfections. Faces, hair, and skin textures are nicely revealing, ranging from wrinkled skin to Cleopatra's perfectly smooth and flawless face. Overall image clarity is superb, and only a few inherently softer-focus elements and corners are visible.

The image's grayscale is gorgeously adept at delivering enjoyably firm reproduction throughout the range, from well defined whites all the way down to deep and accurate blacks, with a nice differentiation along that path, revealing finely subtle and nuanced variations that present each element with beautiful tonal accuracy. Though it has obviously undergone a rather loving and careful restoration, there are some remnants of scratches, pops, and vertical lines, but such are generally reserved and inconsequential, with only the vertical lines ever really interfering with image integrity. The picture is framed at its original aspect ratio at 1.33:1, which places vertical "black bars" on either side of the 1.78:1 display. This is a beautiful image of a vintage early years film, and for one that's well over 80 years of age, it's an entirely striking presentation; fans couldn't have asked for much more.

Cleopatra Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cleopatra's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless (mono) soundtrack handles the film's meager sound needs well enough. Music doesn't enjoy much spread or much clarity. There's a muddled, cramped sound to it over the opening titles, and similar qualities carry through the entire track. The low end is crunchy, a good example coming during a parade scene in chapter six. There is a mild underlying hiss underneath. Dialogue, however, is well prioritized, detailed, and imaged to the middle (and most everything is imaged to the middle, for that matter). The track deals in the delivery of essentials-only; sound design is minimal, and the Blu-ray's reproduction of the film's soundtrack seems rather faithful to the 80-some-year-old source material.

Cleopatra Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Universal's release of Cleopatra contains a supplemental package that is identical to the aforementioned Eureka Entertainment disc released in the UK in 2012, though the Blu-ray.com review of that disc lists special features as presented in 1080p whereas they are in 480i on this disc. The only exclusion is a physical booklet. For a full supplemental review, please click here. For convenience, below is a list of what's included. This release does not include DVD or digital copies of the film.

• Claudette Colbert: Queen of Silver Screen (480i, 9:16).
• Cecil B. DeMille: Hollywood's Epic Director (480i, 10:01).
• Forbidden Film: The Production Code Era (480i, 9:46).
• Theatrical Trailer (480i, 4:14).
• Audio Commentary: With F.X. Feeney.

Cleopatra Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cleopatra doesn't get the acclaim as DeMille's best, and it's not even the most well-known Cleopatra film, but it's gorgeously assembled, finely performed, and boasts solid production values. It's a movie of large scope, scale, and elegance, certainly a gem of its time and it remains a wonderful watch many decades removed from its release. Universal's Blu-ray is terrific. It is identical in some ways to the Eureka Entertainment release from the UK. It does include the same supplements, minus a booklet. For US buyers, the video quality is spectacular and the audio is fine given the film's age and the sound design's constraints. Highly recommended.