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Julius Caesar (1953)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
Once again Shakespeare makes the transition to the big screen, although in this instance the result is faithful to its theatrical origins and based upon superior acting. Set in 44BC, Julius Caesar (Louis Calhern) has risen to become the effective dictator of the Roman Empire. Riding on the wave of his numerous military achievements he has achieved the stature of a god with his subjects, particularly in Rome. However, influential Romans (some of whom are in the Senate) have become dissatisfied with the absolute power that their leader wields and wish to rid themselves of his presence. Chief among this group is Cassius (John Gielgud), who clearly sees the dangers of both action and inaction in their situation. With Casca (Edmond O'Brien) and others, Cassius attempts to bring Brutus (James Mason) around to their viewpoint. This is a critical manoeuvre since Brutus is the most powerful Roman citizen, after Caesar, and he is loved by both Caesar and the people for his moral, honest stance. Brutus isn't a fool though and he joins the plotters, feeling that this assassination will work for the greater good of the Empire.

Under a wild and stormy sky, the conspirators gather together at Brutus's villa and decide on a modus operandi. The air is thick with psychic symbols - a blind beggar entreats Caesar to beware the Ides of March, his superstitious wife Calpurnia (Greer Garson) dreams of his murder and the omens from a slaughtered animal's entrails are poor. Caesar almost heeds these warnings but, at the last minute, decides that it would be more impressive to attend. Striding into the Senate he is besieged with questions regarding his grasp of power but, before he can fully reply, Casca advances and plunges his dagger into Caesar. Like frenzied sharks the others close in, leaving Caesar to stagger over to Brutus and utter "Et tu, Brute?" as Brutus administers the fatal blow. Presently Marc Antony (Marlon Brando), who was Caesar's closest companion, comes to see the corpse and switch his loyalty to Brutus.

Beyond the Senate doors an unruly mob gathers, fueled by rumours of Caesar's assassination. The group disperses, leaving Brutus to speak to the crowd from the Senate steps. Using reason, his position and his famous oratorical skills Brutus manages to convince the throng that they were working for the good of Rome, preventing Caesar from establishing a monarchy. He is widely cheered as their saviour, leaving when Antony emerges with the wrapped body. Although Antony's not known as a public speaker, he commands their attention with a speech eulogising Caesar and subtly damning the traitors, giving lie to his change in loyalty. Internally Antony has vowed to destroy the assassins, which he partly achieves by turning the citizens against Brutus (in a famed and powerful speech). The assassins are forced to flee Rome when Antony raises an army against them, with bloody consequences.

This film is one of the best performances of a Shakespearean play ever placed on celluloid, when you consider the outstanding acting (which really gets inside the skins of the characters) and the well-paced direction. The dialogue is unsurprisingly exquisite, retaining a freshness which belies its age. In fact the imagery which is conjured up by the intensely descriptive and elliptical language is so powerful that it overshadows the actual images, which is the major weak point of the film. It seems that if you're going to transfer a play onto film then the strengths of cinema should be used to enhance the script, rather than playing the story in a direct theatrical fashion (which is not to say that this approach is wrong, just that Julius Caesar could have been even greater). Despite this, the power, corruption and violence of the story simply pour from the screen in an overwhelming and gripping flood (the B&W photography help, although it would be interesting to see the film in colour).

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