Julius Caesar (1970)

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:

Stuart Burge

Writers:

Robert Furnival (adaptation), William Shakespeare (play)

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Jason Robards, John Gielgud

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlton Heston	...	Mark Antony
Jason Robards	...	Brutus
John Gielgud	...	Julius Caesar (as Sir John Gielgud)
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

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested male | hairy chest | julius caesar character | mark antony character | brutus character | 

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Taglines:

No grander Caesar... No greater cast!

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 1970 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Júlio César

Filming Locations:

MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Commonwealth United Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlton Heston received one hundred thousand dollars plus fifteen percent as his paycheck for this movie.

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Goofs

During the murder in the Senate, the blood on Gaio Giulio Cesare's face shifts position, color, and at times entirely disappears between shots.

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Quotes

Julius Caesar: Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o' nights. Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.

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Connections

Version of Julius Caesar (1913)

User Reviews

Eying Each Other

One of the things that I always thought about Julius Caesar is that in the life of one of the great movers and shakers of the ancient world, he's merely a figure in which all kinds of people at the end are busy weaving their schemes around, be it his death or his conferred immortality.

Antony and Brutus are each worried about their place in Caesar's affections and Brutus figures he's lost out to Antony. It makes him an easy mark for Cassius's plots. After the dirty deed of assassination is done, it's Antony and Octavius though they are teaming up against the conspirators, you can tell both in this version and in the better Fifties version that MGM put out that they will soon be at odds.

Charlton Heston is a strong Antony here, but unfortunately for the play to succeed you need an equally strong Brutus. That's not what you get in Jason Robards, Jr. For a man who in his time was considered the greatest interpreter of Eugene O'Neill, when it comes to Shakespeare the man was out of his league. No reflection on him, everyone has casting limitations.

A real good interpreter of the Bard who played Cassius back in 1954 plays Caesar here. John Gielgud is equally fine in both versions. And Richard Johnson and Robert Vaughn are superb as conspirators Cassius and Casca. And Richard Chamberlain who was trying very hard to shed his Dr. Kildare image is fine as the cunning Octavian who Antony ultimately underestimates.

Charlton Heston in his memoirs takes blame for casting Robards and Robards himself realized he was miscast. Oddly enough in that earlier version James Mason as Brutus was the best one in the film.