Carry On Cleo (1964)

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General		Extras
Category	Comedy	None
Rating
Year Of Production	1964
Running Time	88:02 (Case: 87)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Gerald Thomas
Studio Distributor	Universal Pictures Home Video	Starring	Sidney James Kenneth Williams Kenneth Connor Charles Hawtrey Jim Dale Joan Sims Amanda Barrie
Case	?
RPI	$17.50	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.66:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.66:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    "Whilst the characters and events in this story are based on actual characters and events, certain liberties have been taken with Cleopatra."

    Carry on Cleo was the tenth of the Carry On films and one of the best.

    The action takes place during the 1st Century BC. Julius Caesar (Kenneth Williams) and Marc Antony (Sid James) have spent 3 years attempting to conquer Britain. Returning to Rome, they bring home a number of captives, including Horsa (Jim Dale) and Hengist Pod (Kenneth Connor) - his wife's name is Senna...

    Due to a series of misunderstandings, Hengist is appointed head of the Praetorian Guard to protect Caesar against the ever-present threat of assassination. As Caesar famously says: "Infamy. Infamy. They've all got it in for me". Meanwhile, Cleopatra (Amanda Barrie) and her poisonous asp pose a threat to Rome, so Caesar travels to Egypt to confront her.

    Like all Carry On films, the humour is pretty obvious and much of it consists of double-entendres. What sets Carry On Cleo apart from the rest is the storyline, which can stand up by itself, and the production design. Cleo is a send-up of the mammoth film Cleopatra, released in the previous year. The producers managed to get permission to film on the leftover sets and use some of the many costumes for Cleopatra, so the film looks as if a lot of money had been spent on it.

    The performances are also better than average for this series. Kenneth Williams is hilarious as a campy Caesar, and Warren Mitchell stands out in a small role as the slave trader Spencius, of Marcus et Spencius. Joan Sims only has a small amount of screen time as Caesar's shrewish wife Calpurnia, but she is impressive when she appears. Charles Hawtrey has some funny lines as her father, Seneca, and after one of his lines Sims is barely able to suppress a snigger. Jon Pertwee, Michael Ward, Sheila Hancock and Brian Oulton round out the cast. There is also an amusing narration by E.V.H. Emmett, who had voiced the Gaumont British News newsreels in the 1930s and 1940s.

    Every Carry On film was directed by Gerald Thomas, and this one is directed in his usual efficient fashion. The gags come thick and fast, and I found myself laughing out loud several times. This film is pretty enjoyable and the ninety minutes go by quickly.

Video

    The film is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, but is not 16x9 enhanced, which is disappointing.

    The transfer is quite sharp and clear. The action takes place in daylight and on brightly lit sets, so there is no issue with shadow detail.

    Colour registration is accurate and lifelike.

    There is considerable film grain present, and at times it is distracting. There are a number of faint scratches present throughout much of the running time, as well as small white spots and flecks, though the latter are quite mild.

    There are no subtitles on this single-layered disc.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There is a single audio track in English Dolby Digital 2.0.

    Dialogue is very easy to understand. Every punchline is delivered clearly and plenty of time is left after each joke to allow the audience to finish laughing before the next line.

    There were no problems detected with the audio transfer.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    No extras are provided, not even a trailer.

    This film is available in Region 1 as part of a two-disc set, paired with Carry On Jack. In comparison to the Region 1 disc, the Region 4 misses out on:

• enhanced transfer for 16x9 displays
• theatrical trailer

    The Region 1 misses out on:

• nothing

    This film is also available on a Region 2 disc, but I have not been able to track down any reliable information about this release. On the basis of the enhanced transfer, the Region 1 is the winner here, although the film it is paired with is one of the lesser films in the series.

    One of the best of the Carry Ons, this is worth owning especially at the low price. The absence of 16x9 enhancement is disappointing, but otherwise this DVD is recommendable.

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is very good.

    There are no extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall