Julius Caesar

The 24 year old Jeffrey Hunter made his screen debut in this film adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar'. Despite the fact that Charlton Heston is in it, I don't think that there is much that you can bring to the story on the screen. I think focusing on Cleopatra and her relationship with both Caesar and Mark Antony is far more interesting.

Back in the 1930s, a reporter named Wallace Irwin wrote a hard-boiled mystery novel spoof called THE JULIUS CAESAR MURDER CASE, in which Caesar and his cronies behaved and talked like cut-throat gangsters...which, when you think about it, they were. I kept thinking of Irwin's novel as I watched this black-and-white low-budget oddity from 1950, which was filmed in Chicago at various sites that double quite well for ancient Rome. The look is ancient, but the actor's accents could be straight out of an old James Cagney or Edward G.Robinson gangster movie. With that in mind, this movie provides yet another interesting take on one of the best plays ever written: Shakespeare's Caesar is the first and greatest Godfather of them all.

This movie marks the first of many appearances in loincloth by Charlton Heston (aged 25), who reprised the role of Antony in the 1970s all-star version, and again played Antony in his own movie adaptation of ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. The role fits him like a glove.

There's also a small appearance by Jeffrey Hunter, who speaks a few lines and has some close-ups as a plebeian in the crowd reacting to the speeches by Brutus and Antony.

All in all, a worthwhile curiosity for anyone interested in pioneering independent film, Shakespeare movies, or the career of Charlton Heston.

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I couldn't make it through this butchered version of the play. Films of Shakespeare's plays are bound to have cuts but the cuts here have been done poorly, leading to a choppy version.

The cinematography is at some times interesting (as Brutus makes his funeral oration, we get a close-up of his bloody hands) and sometimes bizarre (as he does part of the oration, the camera shoots him upwards). There are a ridiculous amount of close-ups, probably to make the most of Cassius' creepy face.

David Bardley as Brutus is just bland. He's more like a Roderigo from Othello than a noble Roman. Completely ordinary and uncharismatic.

Charlton Heston probably fares best, although all his dignity goes out the window at the start, where he has to walk about in a baggy thong looking like Caesar's rent boy. He makes the funeral speech a little too ironic. Antony may be cleverer than he appears but he's not a total meanie.

All in all, don't bother watching this Caesar.

Charlton Heston was my main reason for watching this 1950 production of 'Julius Caesar'. Here playing Marc Antony at a very young age (mid-20s), a role that he would play again in the 1970 film to even better effect. It is also worth a one time peek if you are someone trying to see all the films and productions available of 'Julius Caesar' (not one of my favourite William Shakespeare plays but still very good), which was another reason for watching.

Sadly, this 1950 production ended up not being very good. At all. Actually feel very bad about saying this, as there are so many fine Shakespeare adaptations out there (with the best film version of 'Julius Caesar' being the 1953 one with Marlon Brando) and it takes me a lot to outright dislike one. Sadly that was the case here, which gets my vote as the worst version of the play personally seen. Despite finding major faults with the 1970 film and still not caring for it, this version made me appreciate it a little more.

Redeeming qualities are few. The best thing about it is Heston, who brings a lot of charisma and authority to Antony and gives it his all without trying too hard.

Also thought that to a lesser extent some of the camera work is clever.

Unfortunately, that's pretty much it. The rest of the cast fail to make their characters complex and their portrayals range between one dimensional to completely bland. David Bradley's Brutus is one of the latter's biggest offenders, though he is better than Jason Robards in the 1970 film. The camera work has its moments, but a vast majority of it is far too reliant on claustrophobic close ups and shot with a very primitive look that more than shows its age. The low budget does show in the opposite of lavish costumes and sets.

Very few of the characters are interesting, only Marc Antony and that was down to how Heston played him. The staging is static and stagy throughout, the action not feeling opened up enough. The climax, difficult to get right and seldom nailed, is both silly and dull. Shakespeare's dialogue is wonderful but only shines when Heston delivers it, it's very reading the lines and not much more elsewhere. There are numerous cuts and not for the better, the cuts also affect the cohesiveness of the drama and makes the drama and the dialogue feel very choppy.

Concluding, pretty weak curio and for Heston only pretty much. 3/10