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Rating:  - The spirit of the play brought to life
I have been raised on this play and saw many versions. I have had the real story pointed out to me and meaning behind many of the words explained. However it is this adaptation that brought it to life not just intellectually but emotionally.
One of the first things you notice is the setting is a balance between stage and reality. This film being in black and white may have contributed to the atmosphere.
The actors are not just popular names but are able to bring the characters to life. I was impressed with everyone's ability to the point that it took time to realize that Mark Antony is Marlon Brando; he among others is able to make the words real and meaningful, not just a bunch of Shakespearian phrases.
If somehow you missed the play or the history, basically Julius Caesar let his status go to his head and is about to take on the role of implorer. It is up to a handful of Noble Romans to see that this does not happen. The play is about these individuals, their individual purposes and what happens to them after the attempt to stop him. The focus is on Caesar's right arm (Mark Antony).
Julius Caesar
Rating: - JOSEPH L. MANKIEWICZ, OPUS 12
****1/2 1953. Adapted from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (Shakespeare, William, Works.) and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Five nominations for the Academy awards but only one win in the Best Art Direction category. An all-star cast with Marlon Brando, James Mason, Deborah Kerr, John Gielgud, Louis Calhern, Greer Garson and Edmond O'Brien. The high points of this adaptation are Marlon -Mark Antony- Brando's speech at the Capitol, John -Crassus- Gielgud and James -Brutus- Mason's quarrel before the battle of Philippi and, of course, Louis -Caesar- Calhern's assassination. The quality of this Warner DVD is very good and the 20 minutes interview of Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne and John Avildsen interesting. A DVD for your library.
Rating: - Masterpieces which are always topical
Hamlet and Julius Ceacer, imortal masterpiecews writen by W. Shakespeare more than 300 yearws ago and still topical today.
Rating: - Best Classical Movie
It is one of the best Hosterical movies I have ever seen. I was pleased with the copy I purchesed from Amazon, because it is very clear and well product.
Rating: - Julius Caesar
Mankiewicz's quintessential, star-studded adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy is a lavish, Oscar-winning production. Gielgud, Mason, O'Brien, Greer Garson, and Deborah Kerr all shine in their respective roles. And Brando, fresh off his success in "A Streetcar Named Desire," puts the mumbling Stanley Kowalski out of mind as he yelps "Let loose the dogs of war!" and intones Antony's unforgettable funeral speech with a gravity befitting the role. Worlds better than other screen versions, and one of the finest meditations on personal versus public ethics, "Julius Caesar" deserves your adulation.
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