Julius Caesar

I am puzzled by the extremely low ratings of Julius Caesar (2012) here at imdb, especially since at kanopy the viewers have raved about it (also at Amazon, where it is available from Prime video). And justly so, in my opinion. Yes, Shakespeare appropriated stories about ancient Rome, so of course the question arises: who should play the roles, given that there are no ancient Romans around anymore?

In this production, the problem is solved by setting the entire play in a modern, post-colonial African country, with only black actors as the cast. Most of the acting was excellent and the scenes were somehow made to match the original text. I am impressed and encourage potential viewers to ignore the cranks.

Julius Caesar

There have been many modern adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, with varying results. This version of Julius Caesar is by far one of the best. The setting is a small, dictatorial African country, the players are African-American, and the finished product is remarkable. In even the most successful modern adaptation, the delivery tends to be a mind-numbing drone of Shakespearean of the lines with little thought to the cadence of natural speech. Most of the time, these modern adaptations seem unnatural and forced. Here, the natural delivery of the play gives new meaning to the play itself, allowing the viewer to see the dynamics of the conflict between the players. Julius Caesar is a remarkable Shakespearean play in that the main character is killed off relatively early, and while the remainder of the play centers on his assassins, Caesar always remains on the assassins' mind. This quality of the play is clearly demonstrated by this version of the play. The acting is top-notch, and its setting in a Central African country divided with internal strife give new meaning to the play. The acting and delivery of the play will keep you engaged for the duration.

This was beautifully well-done. Adapted for the screen, there are reminders throughout that you are watching what was originally a play. It could have been jarring, but instead I found it meaningful.

Paterson Joseph's emotional range gives so much depth to Brutus's internal conflict. Portia can very easily become "the hysterical woman," but Adjoa Andoh gave her strength and dignity amidst her frustration and despair. Giving the final scene with Brutus to Lucius, elevated their relationship to something very meaningful. Simon Manyonda won a much-deserved award for his role as Lucius.

I watched this twice, once before and after reading the book "The Racial Contract." It wasn't until the second time that I really began to understand the significance of Black actors speaking Shakespeare's words about what it means to be a citizen and free.

This is an *incredible* adaptation. One of the finest filmed Shakespeare's I have had the privilege of watching. (And I've seen a few.)

I can only assume that the haters are purists who don't like when people deviate from the original staging. I, however, love a modern lens and in turn loved it. Classics get stale when done to death with no creativity. This adaptation brings it in spades.

This production takes place in South Africa immediately post-apartheid. The political upheaval makes a surprising, but apt parallel to a tumultuous Post-Pompey Rome. Again and again Director Gregory Doran flirts with injecting Rome into South Africa and South Africa into Rome. The wardrobe is military garb and period appropriate fabrics but we see a tribal take on the toga in one pivotal scene, The soothsayer is a show-stopping tribal wiseman, and the timeless concept of the village square is surrounded by a 20th century town suffering economic collapse.

Most notably of all- the *performances.* If this film had been black-box I would have watched with rapt attention. There are no stoic soliloquies. No level headed asides. The classic monologues are uplifted by open rage and sorrow, and Brutus flirts casually with madness as the consequences of his actions crash over him.

If you can find it in your heart to fall in love with a creative retelling of a classic, I cannot recommend this loudly enough.

Cheap way to get publicity: make something European set in Africa. Make as much controversy as possible.

And ironically, this ends up being kind of r@cist. Why not put some original content based on actual African history? That would be refreshing. Some nuanced story with different story structure than the usual Greco-Roman plays.

But no, let's rehash Julius Caesar one more time to save actual creative work.

BBC is just a shadow of its past.