Julius Caesar (2002) (TV)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Uli Edel

Writers (WGA):

Peter Pruce (written by) and
Craig Warner (written by)

Release Date:

29 June 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Feared by enemies. Betrayed by friends.

Plot:

Twenty year-old Julius Caeser flees Rome for his life during the reign of Sulla but through skill and ambition rises four decades later to become Rome's supreme dictator.

Plot Keywords:

Sulla | Dictator | Julius Caesar | Cato | Gaul

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Jeremy Sisto	...	Gaius Julius Caesar
Richard Harris	...	Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Christopher Walken	...	Marcus Portius Cato
Valeria Golino	...	Calpurnia
Chris Noth	...	Pompey (as Christopher Noth)
Pamela Bowen	...	Aurelia
Heino Ferch	...	Vercingetorix
Tobias Moretti	...	Caius Cassius
Samuela Sardo	...	Cleopatra
Daniela Piazza	...	Cornelia
Nicole Grimaudo	...	Julia
Sean Pertwee	...	Labienus
Ian Duncan	...	Marcus Brutus
Kate Steavenson-Payne	...	Portia
Paolo Briguglia	...	Marcus Portius

Also Known As:

Caesar (USA)
Giulio Cesare (Italy)
Julius Caesar (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, and some sensuality.

Runtime:

USA:240 min (including commercials) | Germany:180 min (2 parts)

Country:

USA | Germany | Italy | Netherlands

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | UK:12 | Germany:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bulgaria

Company:

De Angelis Group

Trivia:

Heino Ferch spent five hours in the wardrobe to transforming him into Vercingetorix, every day.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Caeser was forced to leave Rome during the dictatorship of Sulla in 82 B.C., he was 20 years old, yet the film shows him as having an approximately twelve year-old daughter.

Quotes:

[Comic portrayals of Caesar and Cleopatra are being played on the stage]
Play Actor: [Playing Caesar] You kissed me with the tongue of a serpent!
Play Actor: [Playing Cleopatra] I must taste you to see if you are poisoned!
Play Actor: And am I?
Play Actor: No, but I can taste Gaul.

A curiosity, but not much else

With actors like Christopher Walken, Chris Noth, and Richard Harris, you'd expect something more from the lead, but unfortunately Sisto doesn't seem to have been a good casting choice. He just doesn't have the ability to play one of the most important men in history, especially surrounded by actors of the caliber that the others are. Anyone who has seen Rex Harrison as Caesar might ought to avoid this one altogether or risk cringe after cringe. Though Sisto does try, and gives a better performance than Klaus Maria Brandauer as Caesar in "Druids/Vercingetorix", the best parts about this movie are the sets and the supporting actors. The story is not that compellingly presented and often the dialogue is quite wooden. It's a shame Richard Harris had to go out like this.