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| Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Actors: Louis Calhern, Marlon Brando, James Mason, John Gielgud, Edmond O'brien
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $4.95
You Save: $15.03 (75%)
New (9) Used (19) Collectible (5) from $4.95
Rating:  55 reviews
Sales Rank: 15196
Format: Color, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 6301971140
UPC: 027616027436
EAN: 9786301971140
ASIN: 6301971140
Theatrical Release Date: June 4, 1953
Release Date: September 22, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 55
 A PRODUCTION WORTHY OF AN EMPEROR May 10, 2002
K. Jump (Corbin, KY United States)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Restrained, stately, dramatic, intelligent and powerful--all these adjectives and more apply to "William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar," a genuine triumph not only on the part of director Joseph Mankiewicz (whose command of tone and atmosphere is nearly flawless here) but for the entire cast and crew. Marlon Brando is justifiably most often singled out for his herculean performance as Mark Antony, and his impassioned speech to the people of Rome, in which he alternately succumbs to grief for Caesar and thirst for power, is Oscar material all on its own. But the other actors shine too: Louis Calhern is an arrogant but affable Caesar blind to his encroaching doom as great leaders so often are; James Mason captures the ultimate pathos that Brutus should embody; Deborah Kerr wins my heart if not Brutus's as Portia; and John Gielgud is the oily, corrupt serpent in the midst of the false Eden that was Rome, and almost implodes before our very eyes with envy and frustration. All in evocative sets that are grand enough to please the eye without distracting from the real drama of brilliant actors portraying a brilliant script. A must for Shakespeare fans.
NOT ONE SINGLE COMPLAINT! November 9, 2000
Sean Ares Hirsch (Swan Lake, New York)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
I am really tempted to say that I enjoyed this better than the book. It is almost unbelievable what a great job the director did in capturing the essence of this play concerning moral ambiguity in a political setting. It was a true blessing that the director managed to gather James Mason, John Gielgud, and Marlon Brando together. Mason is very convincing as the good and honest Brutus who sees a world where everyone is as honest and honorable as he. Gielgud portrays the ambitious (but not without redeeming features) Cassius well. Brando is over the top as the back stage player Antony who eventually emerges as the most powerful character in the play. The effects are simple but good. The scenery is well done (especially considering the limited resources at the time). One fine addition (not in the book) is when Antony's archers defeat Cassius. Modern special effects may have their place, but these actors showed that it takes real acting to tell the story. I can not overestimate how much Mason, Brando, and Gielgud had their fully 3 dimensional characters down to the very core of the essences created by the master of literature William Shakespeare.
high schooler who likes it January 12, 2005
Raven (Eatonton , GA, USA)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
I am in the tenth grade at a private school in middle Georgia(in the USA Georgia). We have to watch the movie since we are reading the play and it is wonderful.
"There are Some that are Whole that Must be Made Sick" September 1, 2001
Linda McDonnell (Brooklyn, U.S.A)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
meaning, of course, that there's going to be a hit today on Mr. Big, Julius Caesar.
This is a very successful translation of Shakespeare's play into film. The title character is played rather well I think by Louis Calhern, and his aide de camp Mark Antony is the brooding Marlon Brando. Greer Garson is the barren Calphurnia, trying vainly to convince her husband Caesar to heed her dream of doom. The conspirators are really a first-rate collection: James Mason's Brutus leads the pack--what a beautiful speaking voice. John Gielgud as Cassius is a little less good, but nonetheless effective. Others include Edmund O'Brien and Alan Napier, better known as Alfred the Butler on TV's Batman show. Deborah Kerr as Portia makes an impassioned speech to her husband Brutus to take her into his confidence--how differently things might have worked out if he had done so.
Things move along very well here; it is a well-rehearsed cast and a highly professional one to boot. I disagree strongly with those who suggest that Calhern is miscast; on the contrary, his speaking with an American accent puts him quite apart from the mostly British conspirators, and helps underline why they find him so antithetical to their beliefs. He really seems a threat, someone who has no respect for the old world order but would easily turn it upside down to suit his humor. The two funeral orations are great in print; on film, both Mason and Brando are so persuasive you'll have difficulty yourself not being swayed.
Fine ensemble piece, superlative Shakespeare showcase.
NOT ONE SINGLE COMPLAINT!!! July 13, 2006
Bradley Headstone (New York)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
Along with "Hamlet," "Macbeth," and "King Lear," "Julius Caesar" remains one of my favorite tragedies of William Shakespeare. (With "Coriolanus" not so far behind.) This play of Shakespeare's and (this move for that matter) was what got me into Shakespeare in the first place, and later an English Major in college. Like I said, this is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, and this movie in no way whatsoever falls short of the book. It was truly a blessing to get James Mason (Brutus), John Gielgud (Cassius) and Marlon Brando (Mark Antony) together. This movie (with virtually no special effects) shows that it takes good directing, good actors, and a good script to make things work. Some of you probably know that this was the first play of Shakespeare's to be performed at the Globe Theatre. Moving on to the material at hand, this play repesents moral ambiguity in a political setting. We meet Cassius and Brutus. Cassius is not happy with the fact that the ambitious Julius Caesar is to be crowned, and the flawed, but still virtuous Brutus reluctantly agrees to take part in the conspiracy to assasinate Caesar. Like in the play, we meet Mark Antony (Brando) and he seems insignificant. But he will later prove very significant. We only meet Calpurnia (Caesar's wife) and Portia (Brutus's wife) briefly. But they do make the most of their one scene. For that matter, even the Soothsayer who only has a minor part does well. (Perhaps good acting often means making the best of even a small part.) As most of you know, around the halfway point Julius Caesar meets his fate, and Louis Calhern portrays the famous line: "Et Tu Brute? Then fall Caesar" well. Marlon Brando is nothing short of phenomenal when he appears to make peace with the conspirators and then reveals his real feelings in the famous" "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" passage. The naive (but still likable) Brutus delivers his convincing funeral passage well. Unfortunately for him, Mark Antony's counterspeech is nothing short of hypnotic. (One of the best things about this play is that rather than good guys and bad guys, we have 3 major characters with 2 opposing views, and we can be lead into sympathy and understanding with either of them.) Despite the limited resources of the time, Louis Calhern's ghost of Caesar is frightening and effective. This leads to the final confrontation between Brutus and Cassius versus Octavius and Mark Antony. (For the record, at this point in time, Brutus and Cassius DID hold the advantage.) The battle where Antony crushes Cassius is so well done in that (1) it shows Antony's stategy, (2) it is well done without excess blood or special effects, and (3) it DOES NOT glorify war. It DOES in fact show war as the ugly and repulsive thing it is. Despite Cassius's faults (possibly through the good acting of John Gielgud), we are moved into sympathy for him when he meets his fate. (For the record, Mike Ansara, the servant of Cassius who is with him to the end would play a sympathetic Klingon Captain in "Star Trek's" 'Day of the Dove' and would be the voice of Mr. Freeze in the animated Batman series.) And James Mason continues his phenomenal performance of Brutus right up to the end. As in the play, the crowning touch is the respectful eulogy Mark Antony gives to Brutus, and Marlon Brando more than delivers. While I fear that some movies like a recent and really garrish "Hamlet" would have had Shakespeare crying in his grave, this production of "Julius Caesar" would do William Shakespeare proud.
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