CLEOPATRA (1934)

I'm sure Cecil B. DeMille's 1934 epic CLEOPATRA is about as historically accurate as STARSHIP TROOPERS, but I enjoyed it. It opens with Cleopatra tied up and taken out into the desert where she's dumped off and told that if she returns she will be killed. That's not stopping her though, because she knows that Caesar is coming, so she uses all her charms to seduce him. Naturally this doesn't sit pretty with Caesar's wife back home so all kinds of stuff pops off.

Fans of older cinema will enjoy the spectacle of it all (the costumes, the crowd scenes, the sets, Claudette Colbert vamping it up), but without any nudity, excessive violence or CG effects I think modern audiences would probably find it to be a bore.

If you need me I'll be in my room watching "Rome".

Henry Wilcoxon was in the movie business for over 50 years! He even showed up in CADDYSHACK!!!

FOUR FRIGHTENED PEOPLE (1934)

Bubonic plague breaks out on a ship, so four of the passengers (a journalist, a teacher, a chemist and the wife of a politician) steal a lifeboat and head for a nearby island. Once there, they're informed by a native that the only way to civilization is to walk to the other side of the island. A four or five day journey through the jungle...and he would gladly show them the way. Unfortunately, this guy is an idiot and not only did he neglect to tell them there's hostile tribes in the jungle (not to mention a lot of icky creatures), he gets them fucking lost! So now they're wandering around aimlessly in circles. Not to fear though, because as the clothes slowly fall of of the mousy teacher (Colbert), the two guys suddenly realize that once she lets her hair down and looses the cheaters...that she's really hot! So now with romance in the air, the two guys joust over the affections of the fair maiden as cobras hiss and natives fling arrows through the necks of other natives.

For an early sound adventure/drama, FOUR FRIGHTENED PEOPLE is alright. It's a little too melodramatic, but it's still an entertaining watch. I was particularly impressed that it was filmed entirely on location. I found myself thinking about how I would love to see a behind the scenes feature showing the film crew lugging around those old gigantic cameras through the jungle.

If you're into classic cinema, then FFP is a good watch. It won't change your life or anything, but it's a solid film. Recommended. I am curious now as to what is the earliest movie to feature a hot chick "hidden" behind spectacles, pulled up hair and unflattering clothes?

I like how the Morse Code message was animated out on the wires of the ship.