Customer Reviews
The spirit of the play brought to life - By: B. Chandler, 13 Apr 2005 
I have been raised on this play & saw many versions. I have had the real story pointed out to me & meaning behind many of the words explained. However it is this adaptation that brought it to life not just intellectually but emotionally.
One of the first things you notice is the setting is a balance between stage & reality. This film beingin black & white may have contributed to the atmosphere.
The actors are not just popular names but are able to bring the characters to life. I was impressed with everyone's ability to the point that it took time to realize that Mark Antony is Marlon Brando; he among others is able to make the words real & meaningful, not just a bunch of Shakespearian phrases.
If somehow you missed the play or the history, basically Julius Caesar let his status go to his head & is about to take on the role of implorer. It is up to a handful of Noble Romans to see that this does not happen. The play is about these individuals, their individual purposes & what happens to them after the attempt to stop him. The focus is on Caesar's right arm (Mark Antony).
Shakespearean text and the best 20th century�s actors - By: Olga (o_levina@hotmail.com), 18 Oct 2001 Julius Caesar is one of my favourite plays & this film is one of my best-loved screen-versions of Shakespeare. The original text is brilliant & it sounds even more soin the film. Marlon Brundo is a perfect Marc Antony. He really looks like a Roman nobleman. I absolutely adore the scene, after Caesar's death, when Brutus & then Antony make their famous speeches. Both of them are so convincing & impressive. The reaction of the crowd is very well shown too. John Gielgud does his best as Cassius. In scenes of Cassius's arguments & dialogues with Brutus & other conspirators he maintains the highest standards of Shakespearean performances. I've seen the film about a dozen of times & I would recommend it to every one.
What a version of the play to see at the theatre... - By: Jonathan Bryce, 16 Jan 2001 
James Mason as Brutus, Gielgud as Cassius, Brando - yes, he can act - as Mark Anthony. The text is Shakespeare's, & the only catch is that the cuts of the play to fit it into the film make it a little disjointed.
Mason - did he ever make a bad movie? - is excellent, & the movie is his.
Epically accurate pictorial delight - By: dave.richards@cityindex.co.uk, 11 Mar 2000 With Marlon Brandoin one of his best roles as Marc Anthony & James Mason tackling Brutus's role with relish, this version of Julius Caesar is a triumph. Rarely has Brando filled a role with such aplombin a part that could have been written for him. Mason is awesome as the patriot too muddledin his own mind to be able to make a rational decision. Perhaps the one area of weakness is the cinematography but if you consider the age of the film, allowance must be made. Of course the focal point of the film is Marc Anthony's stirring speech to the Plebians, as rousing an oration as you will find (nicely imitatedin 'that carry on film').
