21 thoughts on “MCM: Billy Zane

  1. Don’t bother watching “Cleopatra”. It was supposedly based on The Memoirs of Cleopatra, which I recommend. But once again, the movie makers turned her into just another brainless sexpot. I get enraged just thinking about it. (Being an Egyptomaniac, I clearly have issues).

    1. Cleopatra VII was a brilliant politician who pursued her own interests and Egypt’s. Her appeal, and she apparently had plenty, lay in her well educated intelligence and her wealth and power. She may have had feelings for Caesar and Mark Anthony but the political advantage of her liaisons, for both parties, are obvious.

  2. You are absolutely right, Cleopatra’s costume looks BAD. The shape isn’t hopeless but the fabric is obviously modern, lame? And the dangle earrings are Too Much. In fact it is questionable whether Cleopatra VII ever worn egyptian costume in RL as opposed to conventialized reliefs on temples. Culturally she was very Greek though she reached out to the native population more than any of her predecessors.

  3. Memphis Belle is my favorite BZ movie — and the first time I noticed him. He looks SO good in that WWII era US Army uniform!!! (across multiple movies, apparently)

  4. Oh my goodness, teenage me had a crush on Billy Zane in Memphis Belle, he was so beautiful. He never seems to play sympathetic characters, it seems, must be that saturnine look. I’m with you – Rose was crazy: Cal was a million times hotter than Jack.

    1. I agree with you. I have a weakness for dark and sultry men and never was attracted to de Caprio.

  5. Gosh, he doesn’t half look like Marlon Brando when he’s bald and not necessarily in a good way

  6. He leaves me cold, and I thought casting him in “Orlando” was an attempt to make the film more appealing to American audiences.

  7. He looks really good with a beard. I’ll always be niffed that they cut the scene in Titanic when he was looking for Rose after they were rescued. It gave his character a little more depth and sympathy.

  8. Ok, before commenting on his Frock Flicks, I gotta say that I squealed when Kendra mentioned Only You in the intro to this post. That is one of my favorite “modern” romance movies, and I feel it is criminally underrated and unknown. Billy Zane’s role was so much fun!! OK, back to Billy Zane’s Frock Flicks…I’m one of twenty people who saw The Phantom when it came out and one of ten who really enjoyed it (along with the other “old-fashioned” movies of the time The Rocketeer and The Shadow). I’m tempted to say that one’s my favorite–but Titanic and Tombstone are just so much better movies overall. So…it’s hard to pick a favorite for this MCM. He’s still swoon-worthy and there’s so much here to see. Timothy Dalton as Caesar (I presume) looks like reason enough to watch Cleopatra. (Is just me, or is anyone else getting Alicia Keys vibes from the actress who plays Cleopatra? I know she isn’t Alicia Keys.) And the costumes for Samson look hilarious–like something for a school or church play!! Thanks for this MCM!

    1. Oh, and The Phantom is set in the late 30s not the 50s. Probably prompted by your Titanic post, a while ago I watched an analysis on YouTube called “The Phantom Retrospective” by Midnight’s Edge in which the setting was revealed to be 1938. It’s definitely not a movie for everyone–one reason why it was an abysmal box office failure. Poor Billy!

      1. Also, thank you for linking to “the V and wines” article! I say “amen” and “hallelujah” to the whole thing! Ok, I’m going to stop replying to this MCM post!

  9. A sort of explanation for Bloodrayne: (emphasis on explanation, not excuse) it’s based on a sort of mid-range early 2000s third person shooter game. It was also directed by Uwe Boll, who is infamous for making shitty movie adaptations of video games.

  10. I named one of my cats after his character in Orlando: Shelmerdine. That’s how much I loved him back in the 90s. And when did I fall in love with him? Three words. John. Justice. Wheeler.

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