Claudette Colbert is the central figure in an opulent ode to sexual seduction, and her performance is a key element contributing to the reputation of DeMille's Cleopatra. The scene on the Royal Barge--Cleopatra's floating boudoir--is possibly DeMille's greatest tour-de-force. Here Cleopatra seduces Mark Antony (Henry Wilcoxon) aided by a cast of thousands, including slave girls, dressed as cat-skinned masochists or clad in seaweed, who perform rituals of sexual arousal with more than a hint of bestiality. Hans Dreier's sets are fantastic; Victor Milner won an Oscar for his camerawork; and the final, spectacular battle scene is ample explanation of why John Grierson called DeMille the "Napoleon of Movies."