Not worth lending the ears or eyes too
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
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
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jan 28, 2021