Julius Caesar

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Overview

In this film, Louis Calhern stars in the title role, John Gielgud plays Cassius, and Marlon Brando appears as Marc Antony. Adapted directly from the Shakespearean drama, the film tells of the political intrigue leading up to Caesar's assassination in 44 B.C.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/07/2006
UPC:	0012569659186
Original Release:	1953
Rating:	NR
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:01:00
Sales rank:	38,084

Special Features

New introduction by TCM host Robert Osborne; New featurette The Rise of Two Legends; Soundtrack remastered in Dolby digital 5.1; Marlon Brando movie trailer gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Marlon Brando	Marc Antony
James Mason	Brutus
John Gielgud	Cassius
Louis Calhern	Julius Caesar
Edmond O'Brien	Casca
Greer Garson	Calpurnia
Deborah Kerr	Portia
George Macready	Marullus
Michael Pate	Flavius
Richard Hale	Soothsayer
Alan Napier	Cicero
John Parrish	Titinius
William Cottrell	Cinna
John Hardy	Lucius
John Hoyt	Decius Brutus
Tom Powers	Metellus Cimber
Jack Raine	Trebonius
Ian Wolfe	Ligarius
Lumsden Hare	Publius
Morgan Farley	Artemidorus
Victor Perry	Popilius Lena
Douglas Watson	Octavius Caesar
Douglas Dumbrille	Lepidus
Rhys Williams	Lucilius
Michael Ansara	Pindarus
Dayton Lummis	Messala
John Lupton	Varro
Preston Hanson	Claudius
Joseph Waring	Clitus
Steve Roberts	Dardanius
O.Z. Whitehead	Cinna the Poet
Thomas Browne Henry	Volumnius
Edmund Purdom	Strato
John Doucette	Carpenter
Chet Stratton	Servant to Caesar
Michael Tolan	Officer to Octavius
Paul Guilfoyle	Actor
Lawrence Dobkin	Actor
David Bond	Actor
Jo Gilbert	Actor
Ann Tyrrell	Actor
John O'Malley	Actor
Oliver Blake	Actor
Alvin Hurwitz	Actor
Donald Elson	Actor
Bill Phipps	Antony's Servant
Ned Glass	Cobbler
Stephen Roberts	Dardanius
Miklos Rozsa	Composer

Technical Credits

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Joseph L. Mankiewicz	Director,Screenwriter
John Houseman	Producer
Warren Newcombe	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

The 1953 production of Julius Caesar is a surprisingly successful, star-studded adaptation of the Shakespearean tale of loyalty, betrayal, and political intrigue in ancient Rome. A strong cast distinguishes the film, with James Mason as Brutus, John Gielgud as Cassius, and Marlon Brando as Marc Antony offering distinctly different yet entirely satisfying interpretations of their historical figures. The screenplay is a seamless adaptation of the source material, keeping the focus on both the human drama of Brutus' struggle to decide between personal loyalty and public welfare and the political implications of violent rebellion, a topic of particular interest to Elizabethan audiences. The black-and-white cinematography adds an appropriately film noir-ish element to the conspiratorial scenes, even as the vivid and potent imagery of Shakespeare's words is well-preserved. Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz manages to showcase the Bard's dialogue in a film that also has the visual appeal of Oscar-winning art direction. Plot was never Shakespeare's greatest talent, and Julius Caesar suffers from a prolonged anti-climax (the final two acts add little to the story), but the film survives this deficiency with some show-stopping speeches. Marc Anthony is blessed with a couple of inspiring and potent orations, and, despite his lack of experience in Elizabethan drama, Brando hits most of the right notes.