Continued from "The Restored Cleopatra", page 11 - The scene has just dissolved from Cleopatra's bedroom and Caesar's surrender to her "bewitchment", to Cleopatra's library. It is day. Cleopatra is posing for the sculptor, Archesilaus. With his back to the sculptor, conversing with Cleopatra in a low tone, is Apollodorus.

Her attention is attracted by Eiras who enters...

Eiras leaves. Cleopatra exchanges a brief look with Apollodorus - then turns to Archesilaus.

Sosigenes ushers Titus into the room. He is a venerable old man; he carries a folder of documents. He is fearful and nervous...

He has been putting away his tools. Apollodorus now takes him out. Cleopatra is alone with Sosigenes and Titus. The old man places his folder on the table, bursts out agitatedly:

 Shaking, Titus buries his face in his hands. Cleopatra and Sosigenes exchange somber looks. [With this scene, and Titus' obvious fear, we learn that apparent great pressure has been placed upon him from the Senators, who are outraged at Cleopatra's intrusion into their financial affairs, and, perhaps even more, at Titus' role in facilitating the arrangements. The "somber looks" exchanged between Cleopatra and Sosigenes, let us know they, too, are concerned about possible ramifications. This will make the next appearance of Titus crystal clear.]

Titus looks up, gets to his feet and bows. He hurries out, leaving behind him his papers. Cleopatra crosses to the folder. She leafs through it absently...

Caesarion bursts in, followed by Charmian. He bows low to his mother.

She takes Caesarion by the hand and goes out with him. Sosigenes crosses to the statue of Cleopatra. He eyes it somberly.

The scene dissolves to the Atrium of Cleopatra's villa at night. Cleopatra is hostess to a meeting between a dozen Roman Senators, Caesar, and Antony. Caesar presents his desire to no longer require the approval of the Senate for every decision he makes. He is tired of, "...coming before the Senate each day, like a schoolboy with his lessons - now passing, now failing...". [During this scene, in defending his need for making decisions without the need of approval from the Senate, Caesar reminds Brutus that, "...Antony was hot to separate you from your head - with just cause. It was by my command - my dictate, if you will - that you stand here tonight dribbling virtue out of the corners of your mouth!" This is a reference to a situation discussed in the original first scene of the film. See page 1 for that dialog. After being rewritten and refilmed, the scene that opens the film as we see it, does not include this reference to Brutus.] He concludes the meeting by stating, "And now I want you to do as I say. You will appoint me Emperor of Rome." The Senators rise in anger. Caesar tells them there is no need to resume their seats, and they leave. Antony addresses Cleopatra. They have a brief discussion, then he leaves. Cleopatra enters her bedroom, with a replica of the Temple of Isis adjoining it. Eiras is waiting to undress her. Cleopatra requests Eiras to have the High Priestess come at once. Eiras leaves and Cleopatra removes her ornamentation. She crosses to open the doors of the temple and enters. She kneels before Isis and awaits the coming of the High Priestess. [To date, the Trivette Collection has not acquired photographic evidence this portion of the scene was filmed. It is entirely possible this segment was scratched.] The scene dissolves to the Temple of Venus Genetrix at day. There, standing beneath the completed statue of Cleopatra are Cassius, Brutus, Decimus and Cimber. They make note that an empty space has been left beside the statue of Cleopatra. Cassius warns, "When the God Caesar stands beside the Goddess Cleopatra, then Rome will crawl before them both." Decimus adds that Caesar's sickness grows worse. Cassius reminds Brutus that when Rome thinks upon the honor of Rome, they think of Brutus, then pleads with him to, "...save Rome from Caesar!" The scene dissolves to the garden of Cleopatra's villa where Caesar is instructing Caesarion on the finer points of being a ruler. Cleopatra is watching from her library, and is touched by Caesar's adoration of his son.

[The order of the scenes on this page are as they are written in the script. When we watch the film as it is, there is a very odd edit for this portion of the story. As we see in the film, there is a dissolve from the end of Cleopatra's procession to the garden of her villa, where Caesar is spending time with Caesarion; it is day. From there we go to the Senate meeting in Cleopatra's villa (which, according to the script, is on a previous night), then BACK to resume the garden scene with Antony's arrival!?! The reason for this strange edit is not clear.]

Antony arrives and Caesar enters the villa with him. They join Cleopatra and enter into a discussion about the empty gesture the Senate has offered Caesar. Caesar wants to refuse the "title", but Cleopatra urges him to take it, and then,  "...take a little, then a little more, until finally you have it all!"  Antony agrees with the strategy. Caesar comes to see it himself. Suddenly, Charmian screams from the garden. The dead body of Titus has been thrown over the wall. When Caesar asks why would anyone kill him, Cleopatra says only, "Obviously I am being warned. Perhaps I am next." [Without knowing of Cleopatra's arrangements with Titus, the resultant outrage of the Senators, and Titus' great fear of retribution, this scene makes little, if any, sense. We are left to wonder, "warned"?, about what? Why? Without this sub-plot, we only know the animosity much of the Senate had toward Cleopatra was due to her liaison with Caesar.] The threat to Cleopatra and his son acts as a wake-up call to Caesar. He inquires of Antony about the size of Lepidus' army, and concludes that they shall dine with him that night. He will talk of armies and battlefields and, "...lists of men to die." The scene dissolves to a fearsome thunderstorm at night, and then to the house of Brutus. The conspirators listen to Metellus Cimber, who reports to them about the dinner with Lepidus.

An instant of silence. All eyes are now on Brutus. Slowly he sinks to a chair, covers his face with his hands...

[With this scene, we learn exactly why the Senators conspire to assassinate Caesar. With the information that he will march upon Rome with, "...an army such as the world has never known", they feel justified, even duty-bound, to, "...save Rome from Caesar." Without this information, we are left with a feeling that Caesar's ego, and his demand to be crowned Emperor of Rome, was the reason he was killed.]

The film continues uncut. Caesar stops by to see Cleopatra on his way to the Senate on the "Ides of March". When he leaves, she enters her villa and sees the High Priestess standing at the temple. Entering the temple, Cleopatra kneels before Isis and the High Priestess begins her divination. In the fire, and through the High Priestess' incantations, Cleopatra "sees" the assassination of Caesar as it happens. Seeing Caesar assassinated, she collapses to the floor. [This is the third use of the "fire incantation", and this time we are shown its power and magic are crystal clear.] There is a long dissolve to Caesar's funeral and Antony's eulogy. Here, Mankiewicz writes in the script: "In my opinion we simply cannot risk composing a funeral oration for Antony. It would not only make a critic out of every schoolboy in the English-speaking world, [a possible concern of a comparison to Shakespeare's, "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears..."], but threaten the very climax of the first half of our film. Therefore, we open this scene just after Antony has swayed the crowd over to Caesar."

For Antony's last words - which we do not hear over the roar of the mob - the following:

With his sword, he snatches the robe from Caesar's body.

The crowd's roar drowns out his voice. All alone, high above the Forum and the flames that cremate Caesar, sagged against a wooden girder, gazing dully down at the scene - is Flavius. The lonely little figure sinks to his knees. He sobs as though his heart would break.

With Caesar, and Cleopatra's plans with him, dead, she knows it would be death to her and her son if they remained in Rome. As her scuttle boat is being loaded for her trip back to Egypt, Antony arrives and promises to present Caesarion's case as being heir to Caesar before the Roman Senate. Cleopatra knows the Senate will see the gesture as nothing but a joke, but thanks him for his offer. Antony offers to come to Alexandria and talk more with her, "...tonight if I could...". Cleopatra boards her boat and he watches it move off into the water. The script adds: "This silent farewell should recall sharply Caesar's departure from Alexandria." On her boat, Cleopatra adjusts Pompey's ring, hanging around Caesarion's neck since Caesar gave it to him, and smiles faintly. [Perhaps her dream isn't dead, after all?] The boat fades into the darkness.