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      Julius Caesar

      Released Jun 4, 1953 2 hr. 1 min. History Drama List
      96% 25 Reviews Tomatometer 81% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score Brutus (James Mason) is convinced by a scheming band of Roman senators, led by Caius Cassius (John Gielgud), that his dear friend Julius Caesar (Louis Calhern) intends to dissolve the republic and install himself as monarch, and he joins a conspiracy to assassinate him. Brutus stirringly defends his actions, but when Mark Antony (Marlon Brando) responds with a speech that plays upon the crowd's love for their fallen leader, a battle between the two factions is assured. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered May 14 Buy Now

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      Julius Caesar

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      Critics Consensus

      A sterling cast gives Shakespeare's tale of betrayal and reprisals body and fine form, with Marlon Brando displaying a galvanizing command over the Bard's language.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Alec B Brando really is suprisingly good here (the rest of the cast is as great as you expect) and I like how this adaptation reduces the play to it's essential pieces which allows for the plot to move quickly. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/20/24 Full Review Andy F This could be the best Shakesperian movie adaptation. A masterclass from the all star cast with Brando outshining them all. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/12/24 Full Review Rami A A perfectly well put together adaption of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The performances are well done, and memorable. Marlon Brando steals the show in this picture. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/08/24 Full Review Gregory L Beyond a doubt my favorite film adaptation of a Shakespearian play. Marlon Brando is fantastic as Marc Antony. He truly shows his flexibility as an actor in the truest sense of the word. But the true star of the play, and so of the film, is Brutus, played by the excellent actor James Mason. He is riveting in his portrayal. The acting in general is in the style of the 1940s and 50s, so more stylized than the technique we see in today's acting, so watch and try not to compare it the more realistic approach we see today. It's apples and oranges. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/01/23 Full Review Jerry E I would love to be able to give this movie five stars. But it has too many flaws. Despite the distinguished cast, almost all the acting, except for that of James Mason, is stiff and declamatory, lacking in subtlety and nuance. The plaza where the great speeches of Brutus and Marc Antony take place is claustrophobic and looks like a construction site. The citizens of Rome look like poorly costumed actors rather than real people. Little is done to differentiate the main supporting characters. Especially annoying is the fine actor Edmund O'Brian playing what should be a semi-comical character, Casca, as a mere dull message bearer. And no one could possibly take Lous Calhern's wooden old man as Caesar the conquerer. But most disappointing is John Gilgud's one-dimensional, angry Cassius. It's impossible to believe that he actually persuades Brutus to assassinate Caesar. Three stars for effort. But successful Shakespeare on film still belongs to Laurence Olivier. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/15/23 Full Review Audience Member If you struggled in high school to decipher the archaic prose style of "The Bard" then you'll agree with my one star rating. I just clicked on this hoping that it might parallel the Shakespearean story but with dialog intelligible to the modern English speaker. I was wrong. The actor cast in the title role is a clear mistake; one would naturally expect a younger and more vigorous-looking man to portray the conqueror of Gaul and the victor of the Civil War. This Caesar looks as if he's about to expire any minute from purely natural causes, not via assassination. I just couldn't watch this for more than ten minutes. It's tough enough to read a written version of the play and make sense of it; it's darn near impossible to make much sense when your ear is assaulted by rapid-fire speech. I congratulate the actors for mastering their lines, but I can't rate this higher on that account alone. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (25) Critics Reviews
      Joe Clay Times (UK) Joseph L Mankiewicz’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s play is something of a triumph, with Marlon Brando disproving the doubters who thought this was a “stunt casting”... Oct 26, 2023 Full Review Michael Sragow New Yorker Over Caesar's corpse Brando begins to mix grief, rage, cunning, and ferocity; his reading of the funeral oration is so quakingly angry you understand why it would rouse the rabble. Jan 18, 2016 Full Review TIME Magazine The best Shakespeare that Hollywood has yet produced. Jul 9, 2008 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Its sober tone often strips away spectacle to offer a behind-closed-doors historical drama about betrayal, revenge and political power, which finds its strongest point in the performances and some memorable Shakespearean dialogue. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 7/10 Apr 1, 2024 Full Review Zita Short InSession Film This is a fairly stolid adaptation of William Shakespeare’s famous play but when James Mason starts talking in that mellifluous voice of his it is hard to look away... Feb 9, 2023 Full Review Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine Shakespeare's drama itself suffers from a long anticlimax, but most of its celebrated merits are soundly accounted for in this tasteful, intelligent film. Dec 3, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Brutus (James Mason) is convinced by a scheming band of Roman senators, led by Caius Cassius (John Gielgud), that his dear friend Julius Caesar (Louis Calhern) intends to dissolve the republic and install himself as monarch, and he joins a conspiracy to assassinate him. Brutus stirringly defends his actions, but when Mark Antony (Marlon Brando) responds with a speech that plays upon the crowd's love for their fallen leader, a battle between the two factions is assured.
      Director
      Joseph L. Mankiewicz
      Screenwriter
      Joseph L. Mankiewicz
      Distributor
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Production Co
      Metro Goldwyn Mayer
      Genre
      History, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jun 4, 1953, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jan 1, 2008
      Sound Mix
      Magnetic Stereo 6 Track
      Aspect Ratio
      70mm
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