Julius Caesar (1970)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Stuart Burge

Writers:

Robert Furnival (adaptation)
William Shakespeare (play)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

No grander Caesar... No greater cast!

Plot:

All star cast heads up this 1970 remake of the William Shakespeare classic tale of the betrayal of the the Roman senate against their emperor...

Plot Keywords:

William Shakespeare | Betrayal | Ancient Rome | Shakespeare's Julius Caesar | Treason

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Marc Antony
Jason Robards	...	Brutus
John Gielgud	...	Julius Caesar
Richard Johnson	...	Cassius
Robert Vaughn	...	Casca
Richard Chamberlain	...	Octavius Caesar
Diana Rigg	...	Portia
Christopher Lee	...	Artemidorus
Jill Bennett	...	Calpurnia
Derek Godfrey	...	Decius Brutus
David Dodimead	...	Lepidus
Michael Gough	...	Metellus Cimber
David Neal	...	Cinna the Conspirator
Preston Lockwood	...	Trebonius
John Moffatt	...	Popilius Lena

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:G | UK:U (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating)

Filming Locations:

MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Commonwealth United Entertainment

Trivia:

A topless woman (who somehow was missed by censors) walks past in the background during the opening credits sequence.

Movie Connections:

Version of Julius Caesar (1964) (TV)

Modest Production in Some Ways Superior to the Brando Version.

By now in his late forties and sporting an obvious, bright red hairpiece, Charlton Heston seemed an odd Antony when first seen. But Heston remained fit all through his long career. While he does not as much look the part, his Marc Antony provides a sturdy center for this second filming of the Shakespeare tragedy. Also, Charlton Heston was unusually literate for a Hollywood actor. He clearly gave much thought to this portrayal which on the whole is better than the misplaced Method emoting of Marlon Brando's Antony, some seventeen years earlier.

Featuring a mixed cast of British and American actors, the result is mainly predictable but some surprises and disappointments also feature. One disappointment is Gielgud as Caesar. Sir John was a veteran Shakespearian by 1970 with a fine voice and tons of dignity. Yet at sixty-six he was a touch too old for the part. More to the point, the effete Gielgud lacked the masculine force to play this virile ex-general whose battlefield victories were said to be matched only by his conquests in the bedroom.

One surprise is the subtle portrayal of the conspirator Casca by American Robert Vaughan. "Sour" Casca, the cynical observer, is a minor character but sharply drawn and Vaughan makes him come alive during his few minutes on stage. Jill Bennet is sympathetic as the prophetic wife of Caesar but in the role of Brutus' wife the well-born Portia, Diana Rigg at age thirty-two looks luscious and is simply superb--Shakespeare in the finest style. Another veteran Shakespearian, Richard Johnson, is nearly as good as the jealous, manipulative Cassius.

Jason Robards plays Brutus like a wooden Indian for the first two acts. In the third act however--that is, after Brutus and Cassius have fled Rome--he seems to grow in the part and his acting gains conviction.

The importance of the plebeians to the play was understood by this director, who cast the roles carefully.