Heil Caesar!

This review covers all three episodes of "Heil Caesar", not just the first.

This is a version of Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, set in an modern democratic state on the verge of descending into fascism. The script is however not Shakespeare's, but has been completely rewritten into modern English with major changes in the plot.

This may seem completely barmy (wby do away with Shakespeare's wonderful language) but actually it works brilliantly. The production reminds me of some Shakespeare productions I have seen in languages other than English, which often seem to be liberated by not having to adhere to the text. Many of the changes relate to modern (1973) technology (for example Brutus is turned against Caesar by a "photostat" as Cassius calls it), or one episode where various torture methods are discussed in the presence of the victim. The overall atmosphere is chilling and I strongly recommend this series to anyone interested in the original play. The acting, especially that of Anthony Bate (Brutus) is magnificent.

I've seen this twice, once a long time ago at school, recently when I discovered someone had kindly put the series on Youtube. BBC, please release this on DVD.