How Cecil B. DeMille used a fake snake to film Cleopatra's iconic death scene
In short: When Claudette Colbert refused to film her final scene with a snake, director Cecil B. DeMille orchestrated a clever deception. He walked onto the set draped in a massive boa constrictor to terrify his star, only to reveal a tiny, harmless asp, finally securing the performance he needed for his epic.
Released in 1934, Cecil B. DeMille’s Cleopatra was a massive undertaking that defined the pre-Code era of Hollywood. Produced by Paramount Pictures, the film required 250,000 square feet of set space and employed over 5,000 people. DeMille, who aimed to humanize historical figures he felt were often portrayed as mere caricatures, relied on extensive research led by screenwriter Jeanie MacPherson. The production was marked by lavish Art Deco aesthetics, including a famous barge set featuring an arch of 600 ostrich feathers.
The casting process was equally dramatic. DeMille discovered Henry Wilcoxon, his eventual Mark Antony, by chance while waiting in a projection booth and hearing his voice. Warren William was selected as Julius Caesar for his Roman profile, while Claudette Colbert was DeMille’s first choice for the title role. Despite Colbert’s appendicitis and her well-known fear of snakes, she delivered a performance that critics praised for its confidence and charm. The film’s visual splendor, captured by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Victor Milner, remains a hallmark of DeMille’s career.
While the film was a commercial success, setting an annual record with over 110,000 admissions in its first week at the Paramount Theatre, critical reception was mixed. Reviewers like John Mosher of The New Yorker found the dialogue lacking, though many lauded the film’s visual ambition. DeMille’s insistence on historical authenticity—or his version of it—extended to his rejection of Shakespeare’s play in favor of Arthur Weigall’s biography. Today, the film stands as a testament to DeMille’s ability to blend grand spectacle with intimate, often manipulative, directorial techniques.
The production’s legacy is tied to the transition of the Motion Picture Production Code, which began rigid enforcement shortly before the film’s premiere. DeMille managed to include risqué imagery, such as the opening shot of a strategically lit maidservant, that would have been impossible in later years. From the four tons of armor cast for the soldiers to the 55 gallons of body makeup used on extras, every detail was designed to create an authentic screen document that would finally solve the historical riddle of Cleopatra’s desertion at the Battle of Actium.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Cleopatra (1934 film)
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