Julius Caesar (1953)

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:

Assassination | Murder | Roman | Political Unrest | Ghost

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)
Joe Ploski	...	Citizen of Rome (uncredited)
Barry Regan	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Norman Rice	...	Little Man (uncredited)
Irene Tedrow	...	Bit Role (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

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:

The featurette on the DVD, "The Rise of Two Legends", is presented in anamorphic widescreen format (16:9), while the film itself is presented in its original standard "Academy format".

Goofs:

Continuity: Marc Antony's left hand changes between shots when people from the crowd ask him to read Caesar's testament.

Quotes:

Julius Caesar: [after being stabbed by Brutus] Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Hebrew Hammer (2003)

A must for Shakespeare fans, but...

I am certainly a fan of the bard's work. Therefor I was pleasantly surprised to see this movie and hear that it was almost the complete original text they used for the dialogue. Without subtitles it was a chore to keep up with, but when you do you are in for a treat.

This classic tale of politics, treachery, love and death was performed to perfection by people such as Marlon Brando (Marc Antony), John Gielgud (Cassius, delivering a powerhouse performance as usual), James Mason (Brutus). I was thrilled by the fact that this movie was produced so lavishly and yet so humble. It never made the mistake, like Cleopatra, to depict the scenes too grand. It all stayed very natural and believable. Of course there must be historical inaccuracies in this story, but was Braveheart so accurate. I think when you start watching a movie written by the Shakespeare you shouldn't expect a documentary on the life of Julius Caesar but a lyrical tale about ancient political Rome.

The photography was great, with its glorious Black and White footage.

Although the text can be offputting for some who are not at the least a bit interested in the language the Bard wrote in.

A must for Shakespeare fans.

8/10