cast
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Mark Antony |
Sidney
James |
Julius Caesar |
Kenneth
Williams |
Seneca |
Charles
Hawtrey |
Henghis Podd |
Kenneth
Connor |
Horsa |
Jim Dale |
Capernica |
Joan Sims |
Cleopatra |
Amanda
Barrie |
Senna Podd |
Sheila
Hancock |
Soothsayer |
Jon
Pertwee |
Sergeant Major |
Victor
Maddern |
Gloria |
Julie
Stephens |
Galley Master |
Peter
Gilmore |
Companion |
Peter
Jesson |
Bridesmaid |
Judi
Johnson |
Antony's Maiden |
Sally
Douglas |
Willa Claudia |
Peggy Ann
Clifford |
Seneca's Servant |
Thelma
Taylor |
Agrippa |
Francis De
Wolff |
Spencius |
Warren
Mitchell |
Hessian Driver |
Brian
Rawlinson |
Messenger |
Ian Wilson |
Guard |
Mark Hardy |
Caveman |
Michael
Nightingale |
Archimedes |
Michael
Ward |
Brutus |
Brian
Oulton |
Virginia |
Tanya
Benning |
Sosages |
Tom Clegg |
Bilius |
David
Davenport |
Markus |
Gertan
Klauber |
Bidder |
Wanda
Ventham |
Narrator |
EVH Emmet |
Hand Maiden |
Christine
Rodgers |
Hand Maiden |
Gloria Best |
Hand Maiden |
Virginia Tyler |
Vestal Virgin |
Gloria
Johnson |
Vestal Virgin |
Joanna Ford |
Vestal Virgin |
Donna White |
Vestal Virgin |
Jane Lumb |
Vestal Virgin |
Vicki Smith |
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Screenplay |
Talbot Rothwell |
Producer |
Peter Rogers |
Director |
Gerald Thomas |
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plot
Ancient Briton, Hengist Pod makes his living as a wheel maker. Much to the
chagrin of his wife Senna, the wheels he produces are unconventionally
square, trade therefore is far from brisk. One day a new neighbour by the
name of Horsa moves in next door to the Pods. He is everything that
Hengist isn't: brave, intelligent, tall and good looking. Despite this the
two become firm friends after initially inventing a window frame from one
of Hengists square wheels.
One day, their settlement comes under attack from the invading Roman
Legion. The Britons put up a brave fight, but they're totally outnumbered
by the attacking force. Meanwhile Hengist has been dispatched to get help
from Boudicca's Army stationed in Carlisle. Travelling by bicycle
(naturally a square-wheeled one) he finds the going tough. Unfortunately
during his journey the bicycle breaks and he is forced to hitchhike, but
is unlucky enough to be captured by a Roman prison cart. Together with
Horsa and others from their settlement, he is sent to Rome.
Meanwhile Mark Antony, the leader of the invading Roman Army, pays a visit
to his friend and Emperor of Rome Julius Caesar to inform him of him of
his Army's progress. Unfortunately he finds Caesar at a lob ebb. He is
utterly sick of the inclement British weather and unhappy about the lack
of success of his Army. News reaches him however about possible treachery
in the Roman Senate, without further ado he is heading back to Rome.
Caesar, expecting a glorious welcoming parade is extremely dismayed when
his return is greeted with disdain. The cold shoulder continues with his
wife Calpurnia, who is feeling neglected due to her husband invading
overseas continents. She seems to be more displeased when Caesar offers
her Gloria, a British slave, bringing into question just what Julius has
been up to whilst he has been out conquering. It's at this point that
Calpurnias Father Senneca arrives to continue the less than enamoured
homecoming and warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March as there are plots
to assassinate him.
Hengist and Horsa find themselves at a slave market which is run by
brothers Marcus and Spencius. Horsa is bought by a large woman called
Willa Claudia and unfortunately has her initials (W.C.) branded on him.
Hengist is even more unfortunate, nobody wants him, so he appears to be
destined to become a lions dinner. Thankfully the two manage to escape
their captors and hide out in the Temple of Vesta. Shortly afterwards
Caesar arrives and smells something fishy about one of the vestal virgins.
Suddenly his bodyguard Bilius turns and tries to kill him. Coming to
Caesars aid, Horsa dispatches Bilius and the guards single-handedly and
manages to hide from Mark Antony and his men as they arrive. Hengist, who
has been knocked out in the fracas is given the credit for saving Caesars
life and is made a Centurion. Mark Antony however, remains unconvinced of
his fighting abilities.
Soon Mark Antony is heading towards Egypt under orders from Caesar to
depose Cleopatra and return Ptolemy to the throne. Unfortunately things
don't quite go to plan and he finds himself captivated by Cleopatra's
charm, so kills Ptolemy and leaves her on the throne. However, his
ambition is now taking over and he plots with Cleopatra and forms a plan
to overthrow Caesar and become the new Emperor of Rome.
Upon his return to Rome, Mark Antony advises Caesar that Cleopatra wants
to get to know Caesar better. So Caesar accompanied by Mark Antony,
Hengist, Gloria and Seneca, head to Egypt. Meanwhile Hengist is unaware
that Horsa has been recaptured and is now one of the galley slaves on the
ship that is currently rowing them to Egypt. Using his cunning, Horsa
manages to escape his shackles and after freeing the other prisoners
manages to overthrow the guards on the ship. Meanwhile Mark Antony has
arranged for the crew to kill Caesar and naturally Hengist is dispatched
to deal with the trouble. Terrified, he goes onto the deck to face what he
believes is certain death. Thankfully Horsa and the rest of the slaves
have killed the rebels and have now left the ship. Once again lucky
Hengist has been given all the credit, but due to an absence of crew, has
to row along with the others the rest of the journey.
After finally arriving at Cleopatra's palace, Caesar has an unsettling
encounter with a soothsayer who informs him that Cleopatra is going to
make an attempt on his life when he goes to her chamber that evening.
Self-preservation takes hold and Caesar changes clothes with Hengist,
hoping that he'll deal with any trouble. Of course Hengist is a bag of
nerves so has to take a potion that will overcome his fears of
impersonating Caesar and give him strength and courage. When he meets
Cleopatra later that evening he starts by accidentally knocking Mark
Antony out by jumping on the bed (who has been hiding under it). After
that he fights Cleopatra's bodyguard before rejoining Horsa, who realises
that Gloria is his lost love from Britain, and escape.
Back in Blighty, Horsa and Gloria are married whilst Hengist and his wife
go on to have several children. Caesar is not so lucky and is eventually
assonated by the Roman Senate. Meanwhile Mark Antony ends up settling for
domestic bliss with Cleopatra in Egypt. Lucky swine!
other information
Blimus! The
first attempt at a Classical mickey-take is a real belter. Carry On Cleo
tells the tale of Julius Caesar (Kenneth Williams) and his attempt to
dethrone Cleopatra of Egypt (Amanda Barrie) with the help of his best
friend Mark Anthony (Sid James). Talbot Rothwell is on top form taking
huge poetic licence with the historical accuracy (or inaccuracy) as Stone
Age man meets the Romans. There is even a reference to a plant-eating
brontosaurus eating a Stone-Age mother-in-law (no humans ever lived at the
time of dinosaurs). Furthermore, this is the first time we see the real
fun with character names. Bilius, Senna Pod, Markus Et Spencius and
Sosages can only be the products of an ingenious mind. This ingenuity is
born out in a cleverly worked story of lust and deceit recounting the
actual downfall of Caesar. There are welcome returns from Sid James and
Joan Sims and together with the other on-form cast members they act out
one of the best and oft-remembered films of the series. On the heels of
Spying, this picture has a hard act to follow, but it certainly doesn't
fail to impress.
Britain is under siege from the Romans. In the small settlement of Cockium
in Cornoviae (Mark Anthony: "What a mouthful!"), Hengist Pod (Kenneth
Connor playing a direct descendant of Horace Strong from Sergeant)
befriends his new neighbour Horsa (Jim Dale). As they discuss square
wheels and window frames a young man pulls his female friend by the hair,
leading to one of the coarsest lines of the film and indicating the
bawdier direction in which the Rothwell films were heading.
Horsa: "There's no prettier sight than a young couple courting."
Pod: "Yeah…..makes you want to get your club out and have a bash
yourself."
That line must have been a real handful for the censors!
Pod escapes the invading Roman Army only to flag down a prisoner wagon
when his bicycle breaks. His naïve gratitude as the Roman offers him a
lift is reflected in Hoarsa's despair: "Oh you silly…..Pod!"
On the Roman side we have Kenneth Williams as their imperial leader, whose
performance style is outlined in his very first line: "Ohhhh…I do feel
queer," as he then proceeds to mince his way through the entire film.
Blaming his cold, and his wilting laurels on the British weather, he
awaits Mark Anthony. On his arrival, Bilius greets the miserable soldier:
Bilius: "Hail Mark Anthony!"
Mark Anthony (downcast): "Hail, sleet, snow, thunder, lightning, the lot!"
Sid's look of infuriation and the gesturing hand together with deadpan
delivery are the key to the comic timing of this line and is executed so
perfectly that it remains one of my favourite lines of the film.
The relationship between Anthony and Caesar is very much like a husband
and wife team referring to each other as "Tony and Julie". Caesar idolises
Anthony and begs him to protect his position as Roman leader:
Caesar (imploringly)"You won't let them take it away from me, will you?"
Their relationship works far better than Caesar's real marriage to
Calpernia; Joan Sims, making a welcome return as the nagging, jealous wife
- a characterisation she is often noted for. Her father is played
effortlessly by Charles Hawtrey, wearing his trademark spectacles and
issuing plenty of sideways glances to keep the Hawtrey fans happy. He
glides through the film, reeling line after line of great scriptwriting,
maintaining a giggling grin throughout and appearing to thoroughly enjoy
himself. His character, Seneca predicts the downfall of Caesar with his
visionary wisdom:
Calpernia: "Seneca is well known throughout Rome as a great Sage."
Seneca: "Yes…..and I know my onions!"
With Williams also in his element it seems like a constant battle between
the two to out-mince each other. However, the script-adhering
'professionalism' of Hawtrey is not shared by Williams in one particular
scene. His speech to the Senate, in an ad-libbed Winston Churchill style,
has Brian Oulto
n as Brutus, looking in horror as he deviates from the originally
conceived style and then anxiously trying to suppress the laughter welling
up inside. He manages to keep it at bay……but only just! This unscripted
element is possibly the funniest moment in a very funny film. The reason
for Caesar's speech is to outline the threat posed by Ptolomy and
Cleopatra, which has caused rumblings in the Senate, especially concerning
Caesar's ability to lead their country during this crisis.
Meanwhile, Horsa and Pod are put through the sales ring. Having been sent
to large Willa Claudia (WC) and the Lions respectively, our British heroes
make their escape in fear. They hide in the Palace of Vesta, masquerading
as Eunuchs (Pod: "What have we got to lose?") only for Caesar to appear,
wishing to consult the Vestal Virgins, having since heard from Seneca that
his life was under threat. It is here that Bilius pulls out "his thing"
and chases the pleading Caesar:
Caesar: "Infamy…Infamy…..they've all got it in for me!"
Horsa defeats the attacking Army single-handedly, only to escape and leave
poor old Pod to claim the credit. He is instantly hailed as Caesar's
saviour and is made a Centurion.
Mark Anthony is sent to Egypt to dispose of Cleopatra and minimise the
threat to Rome, but having seen her in her bath of milk he decides that
killing Ptolomy and plotting Caesar's downfall instead would be a better
idea. Sid is in true lecherous form as he gently growls in satisfaction at
the sight before him. As the two "form an alliance" they plot a way to get
rid of Julius Caesar, who by now has been encouraged to Egypt by Mark
Anthony. This leads up to another of my favourite lines:
Cleopatra (showing her Asp): "One bite of this should be enough."
Mark Anthony (biting snake's head off): "You're right…one bite's enough
for anyone…that's shocking!"
Cleopatra is portrayed as a bimbo figure whose ability to lead the country
comes only second to her ability to charm the men. She arranges for Caesar
to meet her in her bedchamber so he can be assassinated there, but the
cowardliness of Caesar forces Pod to take his position. In true Carry On
style, the plan goes disastrously wrong as Horsa, once again comes to the
rescue and saves them. He has now managed to find his long lost love,
Gloria (Julie Stephens), and along with Caesar, Pod and Seneca they make
their escape. Hengist and Horsa have their happy homecoming, the Senate
finally get to kill Caesar, stabbed by his compatriots as in the original
story, and as for Mark Anthony and Cleopatra?
"Life was just one long Saturday night."
bloopers
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