Cleopatra

Parents need to know that at four hours in length, Joseph L. Mankiewicz's Cleopatra asks a lot of its viewers. Only the most ardent cinephile teens, perhaps already acquainted with the history of the production, are likely to enjoy going along for a ride that feels so sedate, mostly because it's so long. Battles include sword fighting. There are dead bodies, including part of a severed head, and some with small amounts of blood. There's some semi-nudity, with parts of bare buttocks and breasts, including a dancer with pasties. Otherwise sexual content mostly includes a dozen or so kisses. Heavy on politics and strategy, one of literature's greatest love triangles is demonstrated from a perspective best appreciated by viewers who've endured long-term relationships themselves, and who are capable of patiently waiting for events and emotions to unfold.