Julius Caesar (1953)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)
(more)

Release Date:

4 June 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

The assassination of the would be ruler of Rome at the hands of Brutus and company has tragic consequences for the idealist and the republic.

Plot Keywords:

Rome | Murder | Assassination | Roman | Suicide By Sword

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Mark 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 Hoyt	...	Decius Brutus
Tom Powers	...	Metellus Cimber
William Cottrell	...	Cinna
Jack Raine	...	Trebonius
Ian Wolfe	...	Ligarius
Morgan Farley	...	Artemidorus
William Phipps	...	Servant to Antony (as Bill Phipps)
Douglass Watson	...	Octavius Caesar (as Douglas Watson)
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Lepidus
Rhys Williams	...	Lucilius
Michael Ansara	...	Pindarus
Dayton Lummis	...	Messala
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Citizen of Rome
Edmund Purdom	...	Strato
Lawrence Dobkin	...	Citizen of Rome
Jo Gilbert	...	Citizen of Rome
John Hardy	...	Lucius
Chet Stratton	...	Servant to Caesar (as Chester Stratton)
Lumsden Hare	...	Publius
Preston Hanson	...	Claudius
Victor Perry	...	Popilius Lena
Michael Tolan	...	Officer to Octavius
John Lupton	...	Varro
Joseph Waring	...	Clitus (as Joe Waring)
John Parrish	...	Titinius
Stephen Roberts	...	Dardanius
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Volumnius
David Bond	...	Citizen of Rome
Ann Tyrrell	...	Citizen of Rome
John O'Malley	...	Citizen of Rome
John Doucette	...	Carpenter, Citizen of Rome
Oliver Blake	...	Citizen of Rome
Donald Elson	...	Citizen of Rome
Alvin Hurwitz	...	Citizen of Rome
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Alderson	...	Citizen of Rome (uncredited)
Henny Backus	...	Citizen of Rome (uncredited)
John Call	...	Citizen of Rome (uncredited)
Booth Colman	...	Citizen of Rome (uncredited)
Darren Dublin	...	Hoodlum (uncredited)
Michael Frasco	...	Little Boy (uncredited)
Robert Fuller	...	Extra (uncredited)
Chief Leonard George	...	Hoodlum (uncredited)
Ned Glass	...	Cobbler (uncredited)
Dabbs Greer	...	Citizen of Rome (uncredited)
Chester Hayes	...	Roman Soldier (uncredited)
Shep Houghton	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Neyle Morrow	...	Citizen of Rome (uncredited)
Robert Nichols	...	Citizen of Rome (uncredited)
Vic Perrin	...	Hoodlum (uncredited)
Jack Perry	...	Citizen of Rome (uncredited)
Barry Regan	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Norman Rice	...	Little Man (uncredited)
Irene Tedrow	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
O.Z. Whitehead	...	Cinna, the Poet (scenes deleted) (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writing credits
William Shakespeare		(play)
Joseph L. Mankiewicz		uncredited

Produced by
John Houseman	....	producer

Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa		(as Miklos Rozsa)

Cinematography by
Joseph Ruttenberg		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John D. Dunning		(as John Dunning)

Art Direction by
Edward C. Carfagno		(as Edward Carfagno)
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Hugh Hunt
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Herschel McCoy

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Howard W. Koch	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording supervisor

Special Effects by
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects

Music Department
Eugene Zador	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Pier Maria Pasinetti	....	technical advisor (as P.M. Pasinetti)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm tinted and 16mm prints)

Other Companies

• Intrada  score album released by (Excalibur Collection)

Also Known As:

William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Black and White (tinted) (1969 UK re-release)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (original release)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #16281)

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

John Gielgud was cast after director Joseph L. Mankiewicz saw him play Cassius in a stage production at Stratford-on-Avon. Mankiewicz was in Stratford to see Paul Scofield, whom he was considering casting as Marc Antony, until Marlon Brando's screen test turned out so well.

Goofs:

Continuity: Inside Brutus' tent, the shield on the wall changes its position and disappears between shots.

Quotes:

Marc Antony: Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Caesar.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Laughter on the 23rd Floor (2001) (TV)

Roman Plots, Acting Hotshots and an Excellent Shakespeare Adaptation

Well if you're going to bring the Bard to the big-screen you may as well do it properly. Bring in some of the best actors of the day, build some impressive sets, back it with a Miklós Rózsa score and don't diminish the dialogue: voilà! A victorious adaptation of Shakespeare for all to see on the silver screen. Joseph L. Mankiewicz's take on the play Julius Caesar is one such winner.

Louis Calhern is the legendary Roman rex in this retelling of the incidents leading up to and after the Ides of March assassination. The key players however are James Mason as Brutus, Marlon Brando as Marc Anthony and a frighteningly great John Gielgud as Cassius. Throughout, the acting, so crucial in any stage-drama, is superb. All on show exhibit their thespian technique and theatre training to a tremendous degree in order to make an adaptation of both interest and enjoyment. As an exhibition of the excellence on offer, see Marlon Brando's speech to the crowds after Caesar's killing and the gradual fearing up of Mason to readiness to murder. Shakespeare would certainly be satisfied.

The set design and style convincingly recreate a world of stone columns and togas, serving to further enhance the play's power. The revered writer's words aren't weakened at all by any half-hearted attempts to make the work more accessible; it's this kind of performance that school-children need to take on board the brilliant innovation of William Shakespeare. Incredible acting, intriguing and enjoyable throughout in its plotting and ancient setting, Julius Caesar serves both the original play and the audience well.