Cleopatra

At a time when slasher movies are done tongue-in-cheek, this straight-faced made-for-TV costume epic on the life of Cleopatra is an anachronistic hoot. The spectacle is, by network TV standards, lavish, the dialogue palpably purple ("I am Egypt," Cleo purrs to Julius, "and Egypt is yours for one night only") and the sex and sin more graphic than in Elizabeth Taylor's day. Anyone who thought that newcomer Leonor Varela could rule the screen as 20-year-old queen Cleopatra was certainly in de-Nile. But Timothy Dalton and Billy Zane seem to be having a grand time as Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. For what it's worth, this has received several technical Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Hairstyling. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, those who like this sort of thing, will find this the sort of thing they like. At this price, a strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (K. Lee Benson)