Julius Caesar (1970 film)
| Julius Caesar | |
|---|---|
film poster
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| Directed by | Stuart Burge |
| Produced by | Peter Snell |
| Written by | Robert Furnival |
| Based on | Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare |
| Starring | Charlton Heston Jason Robards John Gielgud Richard Johnson Robert Vaughn Richard Chamberlain Diana Rigg |
| Music by | Michael J. Lewis |
| Cinematography | Kenneth Higgins |
| Edited by | Eric Boyd-Perkins |
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Production
company |
Commonwealth United Entertainment
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| Distributed by | Commonwealth United Entertainment (UK) American International Pictures (US) |
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Release dates
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Running time
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116 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Julius Caesar is a 1970 British independent film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, directed by Stuart Burge from a screenplay by Robert Furnival. The film stars Charlton Heston (as Mark Antony), Jason Robards (as Brutus) and John Gielgud (as Julius Caesar). It is the first film version of the play made in colour. Robert Vaughn, who plays Casca, and Richard Chamberlain, who plays Octavius, are the only Americans in the film other than Robards and Heston.
Cast[edit]
- Charlton Heston as Mark Antony
- Jason Robards as Brutus
- John Gielgud as Julius Caesar
- Richard Johnson as Cassius
- Robert Vaughn as Casca
- Richard Chamberlain as Octavius
- Diana Rigg as Portia
- Jill Bennett as Calpurnia
- Christopher Lee as Artemidorus
- Michael Gough as Metellus Cimber
- André Morell as Cicero
Production[edit]
The film was shot at studios in the UK and on locations in Spain.
Reception[edit]
The reviews for this version upon its theatrical release were mostly negative, with Robards especially being criticized for his wooden performance as Brutus. The film failed at the box office.[1] Critic Roger Ebert gives it only one star.[2]
Upon its 2013 Blu-ray disc release, it met with a more positive review from the website DVD Talk, although Jason Robards' performance was still soundly panned.[3] Its previous DVD release, which was pan-and-scanned rather than letterboxed, had been harshly criticized, and several other DVD reviewers also disparaged the film.[4]
Miscellany[edit]
- John Gielgud played Cassius in the 1953 film version of Julius Caesar, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
- Charlton Heston had played Mark Antony once before, in an earlier film version of Julius Caesar, made in Chicago in 1950.[5] He would do so yet again, in a 1972 film version of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, which Heston directed.
- Richard Johnson played Mark Antony several times on stage between the 1960s and 1990s, in both Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.
References[edit]
- ^ http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1& res=9A03EFDC1131E73BBC4C53DFB466838A669EDE
- ^ http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19710317/REVIEWS/103170301/1023
- ^ http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/59207/julius-caesar/
- ^ http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s1245caes.html
- ^ Julius Caesar (1950) Internet Movie Database accessed 10 April 2007.
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
- Julius Caesar at the Internet Movie Database
- Julius Caesar at the TCM Movie Database
- Julius Caesar at AllMovie
- Julius Caesar at Rotten Tomatoes
- Julius Caesar review in New York Times
- 1970 films
- English-language films
- 1970s drama films
- 1970s war films
- 1970s historical films
- British films
- British epic films
- British war drama films
- British historical films
- Films based on Julius Caesar (play)
- American International Pictures films
- Pinewood Studios films
- War drama films
- War epic films
- Films shot in England
- Films shot in Spain
- Films directed by Stuart Burge
- Films set in ancient Rome
- Films set in the 1st century BC
- Films set in Rome