Julius Caesar
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Movie Reviews of Julius Caesar
Movie Review: A classic
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a classic! The is by far one of Marlon Brando's best performances.Movie Review: Bardolotry vs. Brandolotry
Summary: 4 Stars
Marlin Brando as Antony unquestionably dominates this production of Julius Caesar. Although James Mason as Brutus, is equally strong and has more lines, Brando's Hollywood aura shines more brightly. Directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, Mason and Brando together nearly succeed in making the jump from a traditional, theatrical presentation on film of Shakespeare to a movie with the values expected by today's audiences. Examples of recent successes are Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet and Trevor Nunn's "Antony and Cleopatra."
John Gielgud as Cassius, brooding mastermind of the plot to assassinate Caesar, illustrates perfectly the difference. Gielgud's every syllable, down to his slightly rolled letter "r"s, and his nuanced facial expressions and gestures, exhibit theatrical perfection. Gielgud earns perfect marks as a Shakespearean stage actor. However, movies unfurl on Hollywood sets, not a stage, and they ask audiences to suspend more of their disbelief than do plays. Brando and Mason, better than all the other fine actors in this movie, understand the difference and give film performances that are as natural and convincing as Gielgud's theatrical performance is impressive.
The question of tyranny was certainly present in Shakespeare's experience of Elizabethan monarchy and intrigue in the late 1600s. Awareness of the abuse of power must have been more present to audiences in 1953, when the film came out than now for today's carefree consumers. Then, fascist dreams of world domination had been recently put to sleep by the allies in World War II. Mankiewicz's massive roman architecture, the trappings of a propaganda-state, the heavy orchestral score, the ever-present imperial guard, and putting to silence of dissenters, signify despotism.
Seen from a distance, there is something both ridiculous and frightening about people with too much power. Caesar is supremely self-important, "constant as the northern star," but soon dies bleeding at the foot of Pompey's monument, his most famous conquest. Louis Calhern, as Caesar, comes across nicely as a pompous windbag, ultimately deflated by the conspirators' daggers. But Caesar is not just another man, who would have better listened to his wife Calpurnia's plea to stay home on the Ides of March. He occupies an office of state with absolute power and many subordinates who depend on him for their influence. Imperial Rome had perfected the bureaucratic art of using a power-elite to control the masses.
The central moral question of the play, personified in Brutus, is how to defend the assassination? There is wonderful irony in Brutus' blind confidence that Caesar's growing power justified the murder "as a serpent's egg which, hatch'd would, as his kind, grow mischievous, and kill him in the shell." As with Caesar, Brutus should have listened to his wife Portia's pleas. However he could not see past the deed to an inevitable power vacuum and civil war. Cassius too easily eggs him into action with the comment, grossly wrong in retrospect, that "the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."
It is the stars, the forces of history (Caesar's will), that finally kill Brutus and Cassius. There is more grim irony in that Antony, coldly manipulates the chaotic aftermath to take control with Caesar's son Octavius. Antony pursues the killers and is the instrument of vengeance. Although not in this play (see "Antony and Cleopatra"), Octavius later turns on Antony and becomes the absolute ruler of the roman empire. At journey's end we are back where we started. While Shakespeare doesn't judge his characters, he might be saying that Brutus should have thought more deeply. What follows assassination is worse than what precedes it.
A flaw in Mankiewicz's film is the absence of humor. In all Shakespeare's tragedies, no matter how black, humor is a foil to the drama. There is ample opportunity for humor in Julius Caesar, but little in the production. Shakespeare's jokes in the initial street scene with the cobbler, "mender of soles," cannot be totally ignored, but Mankiewicz comes close. Casca's description of Caesar refusing the crown could be very funny (and is so in Heston-Robards film). When planning the assassination the conspirator's hilariously conform to Brutus' every whim. Time after time Brutus dismisses Cassius' better judgement, to the point where audiences must laugh, if only the director will permit it. Shakespeare's sexual comedy is present here as in all his plays, but is completely left out. Even in the puritanical 1950s it must have been possible to include some sexual innuendo in films. This is a very good movie, but it could have been even better.
Movie Review: Mankiewicz fills the screen with vitality on the plains of Shakespeare's imagination...
Summary: 4 Stars
William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer of all time... His plays, written in the 16th and early 17th centuries for a small repertory theater, are today performed more often and in more countries than ever before...
"Julius Caesar" is rich in its insights, the struggle for political power, the embellishment of the mind, and the characters of men...
Joseph L. Mankiewicz captures Shakespeare's characters in elegant visuals projecting the beauty of the language, producing civilized entertainment... Its message fills the screen with vitality on the plains of Shakespeare's imagination...
The film is set in Rome 44 B.C. The city is rich with the privileges of its empire, much of it caused by the pretentious Caesar (Louis Calhern) appointing himself dictator... Caesar's greater character flaw, thinking that he is far above others and somehow invincible...
Loyal to Caesar is Mark Antony (Marlon Brando), a brave, intelligent, pleasure-loving cunning man - a character with many hidden traits, misunderstood by all...
Mark Anthony looks at life as a game in which he had a signified part to play... He seems slow to emerge, until he is forced to show his true potential... He is devoted and prefers to be dependent upon Caesar... He wants the crown of emperor to be given to him, so all conflicts could be avoided...
But Brutus (James Mason), an old friend of Caesar, is torn between his personal feelings and his integrity and idealism where the Romans would possess peace, liberty and freedom...
The scrupulous, unselfish Brutus resents Caesar's ambition as absolute ruler... Being very honorable, but very naive, he underestimates Mark Antony, perceiving him as a person who didn't always take life seriously and therefore - he is not a cautious thinker...
The story begins on a festival day as Caesar and his entourage make their way to the stadium... On the way, a blind beggar warns Caesar of 'The Ides of March' (On the middle of the month, the daggers came from every side...) but he is ignored...
In the stadium, the sarcastic Cassius (John Gielgud) sees Brutus as the influential Roman able to unite the nobles in the conspiracy... He implores him to join his cause... For him, Caesar has become too powerful and too popular... He must be removed from power...
Cassius is the most significant character for his ability to perceive the true motives of the characters... He thinks the nobility of Rome is responsible for the government of Rome... Brutus, the back-bone of the plan, agrees to the plot, but refuses Cassius's proposal to slain Mark Antony...
After the conspirators have left, Brutus' wife Portia (Deborah Kerr) asks to know what it is that worries him...
Caesar's wife, Calpurnia (Greer Garson) begs her husband to stay home and not to go to the Senate, for fear of danger... As a superstitious woman she was convinced that some falling meteors are warnings of her husband's death... But Caesar believes his friends have assembled to offer him the crown of emperor... So he moves forward, leaving unopened letter which lists the conspirators...
Movie Review: As relevant today as ever
Summary: 4 Stars
What is at stake here is the kind of government that we, people, want to give ourselves. It's been the same choice since the end of the Roman Republic. Here we have two factions, both are excellent demagogues, both play on the mobs appetites and weaknesses. The heart of the film (or play) is the speeches of Brutus (the Conservative), and of Antony (the Liberal). The interesting thing for the viewer is that we are at the same time part of the mob, who listens intently while at the side of Caesar's corpse, and have the extraordinary advantage of witnessing from closer range the hidden expressions in Antony's face: his true thoughts and intentions. So we are able to distinguish two facts about both orators that will help us balance our vote on one or the other candidates. And these 2 things are: First, Brutus is honest towards his party and to the people. You may agree or disagree -actually, the mob agrees with him concerning the necessary death of the ambitious Caesar-; but he is an honest man, and so Antony, in a side, admits that he is honest. The second thing we discover is that Antony is a deceiver, a deceiver towards Brutus by not fulfilling his word of honor and arousing the populace against Brutus; and a demagogue towards the mob.
It always ends the same way: the demagogues wins the day. Sounds familiar? I remember when years ago in Perú the foreign candidate, Fujimori won the election against Vargas Llosa, the famous writer. Fujimori stole all the money he laid his eyes on, and when he was found out he left for Japan and solicited -and obtained- assylum (thanks to his Japannese origin).
It is true that in this film both parties are corrupt, and only look after their own greedy interests. But some times an honorable man shows up, and begs, cries out for a chance. This is the story of Brutus: the honorable man of all times.
"Not that I loved Caesar less
but that I loved Rome more."
"Had you rather Caesar were living,
and die as slaves?"
"Who is here so vile that will not love his country?
If any, speak, for him have I offended."
The only perfect Kingdom is the one our Lord will bring in His second coming. Amen.
The 4 stars are because in the second part of the film the interest decreases notably.
Movie Review: Brando, one of the most important actor of Hollywood
Summary: 4 Stars
Good movie, but really "shakespearian". There's very long sentences and it's not easy to follow when your english is not native language (even with the subtitles). Also, there is no appearance or mention of Cleopatra, "girlfriend" of Julius and (after) Mark Anthony.
But the performance of Brando is exceptionnal. When Mark Anthony speak to the people after Brutus speech, we understand easily why Brando is considered as one of the most important actor of Hollywood history.
Ce film est une adaptation de la pièce de théâtre de Shakespeare. Les protagonistes y vont de longues tirades qui peuvent éprouver votre attention (même si votre anglais est impeccable). Cléopâtre a été complètement occulté: il est probable qu'elle ne se retouve pas non plus dans la pièce de William.
Marlon Brando démontre sans contestation possible qu'il est un grand acteur. Lors du discours après les justifications de Brutus, Brando n'est plus un acteur: il est Marc Antoine lui-même.
Ne pas regarder comme simple divertissement