Júlio César (1953)

The growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar, but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Stars:

Louis Calhern, Marlon Brando, James Mason

Won 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Brutus, Cassius, and other high-ranking Romans murder Caesar, because they believe his ambition will lead to tyranny. The people of Rome are on their side until Antony, Caesar's right-hand man, makes a moving speech. The conspirators are driven from Rome, and two armies are formed: one side following the conspirators; the other, Antony. Antony has the superior force, and surrounds Brutus and Cassius, but they kill themselves to avoid capture.

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Plot Keywords:

bust sculpture | julius caesar character | marc antony character | brutus character | calpurnia character | 

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Taglines:

MGM's acclaimed production of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Did You Know?

Trivia

James Mason and Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz enjoyed a strong working relationship following O Caso Cícero (1952). Marlon Brando was very conscious of this, and saw that Mankiewicz was favoring Mason in many of the key scenes. Brando threatened to walk off the movie unless the balance was restored to his character.

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Goofs

During Mark Antony's soliloquy over Caesar's corpse at the foot of the statue, the corpse can clearly be seen breathing.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Flavius: Hence! home, you idle creatures get you home:/ Is this a holiday? what! know you not,/ Being mechanical, you ought not walk/ Upon a labouring day without the sign/ Of your profession? Speak, what trade art thou?

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Alternate Versions

In 1969, re-released in a tinted black and white version.

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Connections

Version of Júlio César (1914)

User Reviews

What about James Mason?

Of course the most talked about actor of this movie is Marlon Brando but what about James Mason? He deserves just as much recognition and appreciation for his role in this movie and in my opinion he's also being the actor in the movie and perhaps also plays the biggest role in it.

This is a very old fashioned movie and I'm not talking 1953 old but Shakespeare kind of old. The movie is filled with long and difficult to follow dialog, like only Shakespeare could had wrote it. You obviously need to be able to appreciate Shakespeare in order to enjoy this movie, otherwise you'll probably have difficulties finish watching it.

Best things about a Shakespeare movie, next to its writing, are always the acting performances. A good Shakespeare-performance can make or break a movie. No risks were taking with this movie, as the movie its cast is being filled with some big name actors. Besides Brando and Mason the movie also stars the likes of John Gielgud, Edmond O'Brien, Deborah Kerr and many other actors that had already made name at the time of this production, both in theater and in movies.

The movie is one about betrayal, loyalty and idealistic motives. It focuses on the assassination of Julius Caesar and its conspirators who committed it. One the one side we have the senators who are afraid of Ceasar's growing power and idealistic motives, while on the other we have Mark Antony, loyal to his leader and friend Caesar. After the assassination both become opponents. The movie and its story are mostly being based on historical facts, as they got documented during and after the first Caesar's reign.

Of course the movie foremost is being a stage-play, brought to the silver-screen. This means that the acting is very stagy and also the movie its sets often look like they come straight out of the theater. This however very rarely matters for a Shakespeare movie, fore the movies are all about its writing and acting performances from the leading actors.

Simply a great Shakespeare adaptation, with a first rate cast.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1954 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Júlio César

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$2,070,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,831

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (original release) Stereo (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

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

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1