Julius Caesar

I don't know why they put Jason Robards in the starring role as Brutus. He is so flat, so emotionless and so miscast, it seriously mars the entire film. How the director couldn't once say "Jason! This is Shakespeare! Step it up a bit!"

No one likes anyone that chews the scenery but Robards is the other end of the spectrum. He sounds like someone giving the morning farm report reciting Shakespeare.

The saving grace of this film is Charlton Heston. It is obvious, he is too old for the role, but his mere presence and performance make up for his age and the flatness in the rest of the production. His "Friends, Romans, Countryman," speech is the finest performance of that speech you will ever witness. It is worth watching this film, simply to witness Heston outshine everyone else in the cast. and make this film worth the watch for his performance alone.

It is sad. I think what this film could have been, had a better actor been given Brutus, but alas, that is not the case. Fast forward through the rest of the film and just enjoy Heston!

When it comes to cinematically pulling anything off that has its basis in the world of William Shakespeare, the task can frequently be enormous. In general, Orson Welles and Lord Laurence Olivier (but call him Larry) are the two men most identified with successes at the Bard's work, on both sides of the camera; then there's Franco Zeffirelli (especially with his classic 1968 film version of ROMEO AND JULIET), and the later adaptations of Kenneth Branagh. And much more controversially, there is director Roman Polanski's extremely violent 1971 take on MACBETH, which was as close as The Bard came to outright horror.

And then there's the political/historical tragedy that is JULIUS CAESAR.

The 1953 version, adapted for the screen and directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, was and still is considered one of the best of the Bard's adaptations ever to make it to the screen. And then in 1969, an enterprising and young Canadian producer named Peter Snell decided to mount a new adaptation of this work. The result was, by all accounts, one that arguably fell into the shadow of Mankiewicz's version, which after all had Marlon Brando as Marc Antony; Louis Calhern as Caesar; and Sir John Gielgud as Cassisus, one of the conspirators. Indeed, many consider this film wildly erratic for various reasons, including one quixotic bit of casting that didn't come off. Still, the play is the thing, as the old saying goes.

For this go-around at JULIUS CAESAR, the film is helmed by English director Stuart Burge, who did a yeoman adaptation of the Bard's OTHELLO in 1965, with Robert Furnival faithfully adapting the play to good effect. And you have, in the main, a great cast. Gielgud appears here in the title role, and he does a superlative job. Charlton Heston does a solid turn as Marc Antony (although in his journals he admits that's not such a big trick, since, in his view, if you can't do Marc Antony, you probably shouldn't be doing The Bard in the first place). The film also benefits from the turns given by Richard Chamberlain (as Octavius Caesar), Robert Vaughn (as Casca), Christopher Lee (as Artemidorus), Richard Johnson (as Cassius), Diana Rigg (as Portia), and Jill Bennett (as Calpurnia).

The thing, though, is that a lot of the focus of the play, and subsequently the film, is not so much on Caesar as much as it is on Marcus Brutus, the man torn between his allegiance to Caesar and a need to save the Roman Republic from Caesar's machinations. It takes a solid performance to pull it off really well; and if the actor doing Brutus isn't well versed in Shakespeare, the film will invariably suffer. This is what happens here, with Jason Robards having accepted a role he just wasn't cut out for, when the oft-elusive Orson Welles was unavailable.. What worked in the plays of Eugene O'Neill, and on screen in films like ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE, and MAGNOLIA doesn't really work well here. He is simply a great actor in a great role, but it was not one that he could have ever showed his best at—though over the course of the film, he does improve.

That having been said, the stellar performances of Heston, Gielgud, Vaughn, and the others make up for Robards' inadequacies; and Burge's direction, while not really on a par with Welles, Olivier, or Zefirelli, is solid enough. Clearly, this isn't the most successful adaptation of The Bard. But given how hard it is to pull Shakespeare off cinematically, it is worth a 7 (out of 10).

I've seen plenty bum Shakespeare, but Jason Robards as Brutus he takes me the cake. He resembled nothing so much as a barrel with a head on top. The rest of the cast was pretty good, however, especially Richard Johnson as Cassius (why wasn't HE Brutus), Diana Rigg as Portia and Charlton Heston as Antony. John Gielgud as Caesar does his lines beautifully, as always, but does not quite convey the menace and power of Caesar. (He was better as Cassius in the 1953 version.) Interesting here is the contrast in line delivery between Johnson and Robards; it makes you wonder why Cassius isn't the leader and hope of the conspiracy. Production values are sometimes dubious; but battle scenes are better than the cowboys-and-Indians fight in the 1953 version. Of course, the text is shortened, but all essential scenes are kept.

Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar', first performed at the Globe in 1599, is indisputably the greatest political play ever written in which the playwright utilises the art of rhetoric which had been drummed into him as a schoolboy. Nowhere is this rhetorical skill used to greater effect than when Mark Antony, speaking over the corpse of the assassinated Caesar, gradually turns the plebs against the 'honourable' conspirators. Apparently Charlton Heston asked our greatest actor, Laurence Olivier, how Antony should be played. Olivier's advice was to "play him like an ageing film star"! Although a little long in the tooth for the role Heston is in good enough physical condition to get away with it and both his voice and presence carry him through. His is filmic Shakespeare to be sure. One wishes one could say the same for the Brutus of Jason Robards Jnr. On paper he is good casting but is alas abysmal in the role and weakens the film immeasurably. Heston was very scathing about Robard's portrayal and would have much preferred Orson Welles. Who wouldn't! Richard Johnson is excellent as the disgruntled Cassius and definitely has the 'lean and hungry look'. Sir John Gielgud as Caesar is a little too 'camp' for my liking. His particular style of acting suited far better his performance as Cassius in the 1953 version of Joseph L. Mankiewicz, during which he coached Marlon Brando as Antony in the finer points of Shakesperean delivery. Just as Edmond 0'Brien was a revelation as Casca in that film so too is Robert Vaughn in this. There are some excellent scenes here and this is a good introduction to the play but Stuart Burge is no Mankiewicz and has furthermore been lumbered with Robards, whereas Mankiewicz had the services of James Mason. As both a film and filmed Shakespeare the earlier version wins hands down.

This good rendition of the Shakespeare playwright talks about tragedy , ambition , politics , corruption and wars . The film starts in battle of Munda where Julius Caesar (100-40 b.c.) vanquished Pompeyo and terminates in the famous battle of Filipos where the second triumvirate (Mark Anthony , Lepidus and Octavius Augustus : Richard Chamberlain) vanquished Brutus and Cassius . Aristocrat party prepares a conspiracy and on March 15, 44 B. C -Idus of March- Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Roman senate . It remains surprisingly true to Shakespeare's adaptation and working directly from the original , unlike many other historical movies at the same era . Caesar's killing is originally staged , including unexpected frames of the murderous washing their hands in the blood of Julius and below the Pompeyo sculpture.

There's magnificent acting from a memorable Charlton Heston as Marco Antonio , an electrifying John Gielgud as Caesar , a sneaky Robert Vaughn as Casca and a splendid Richard Johnson as Cassius , among them . Performances result to be attractive enough and extending right down to the minor characters , wealthy of expert character-drawing , as Christopher Lee , Diana Rigg and Andre Morell as Ciceron . Directed with imagination and professionalism by Stuart Burge and well produced by Peter Snell that followed a sequel , also little known , titled : 'Marco Antonio and Cleopatra' starred and directed by Charlton Heston . This gripping flick will appeal to Shakespeare devotees , as the deep spirit is intact , in spite of taking some liberties . It's hard to believe this underrated film did not have success , today is much better deemed than the past , containing brilliance of dialogue perfectly played by all-stars . Despite this great cast , it turns out to be inferior than classic film 'Julius Caesar (1953)' considered definitely the best version available , being competently directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz and starred by top-American players as Marlon Brando (similar role Charlton Heston-Marco Antonio) , Louis Calhern (John Gielgud-Caesar) , Greer Garson (Jill Bennet-Calpurnia) , James Mason (Jason Robards-Brutus) , Edmond O'Brien (Robert Vaughn-Casca role) , among others.