Julius Caesar ** (1970, Charlton Heston, Jason Robards, John Gielgud, Richard Johnson, Robert Vaughn, Richard Chamberlain, Diana Rigg, Jill Bennett, Christopher Lee) – Classic Movie Review 10,159

Director Stuart Burge’s 1970 British film of William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar has the misfortune of following the classic 1953 version of Julius Caesar with Marlon Brando and James Mason.

John Gielgud plays Caesar this time (after playing Cassius in the 1953 version) in your basic Shakespeare, reasonable for school study. He is the hit turn in an otherwise not ideally cast version: Charlton Heston (Mark Antony), Richard Johnson (Cassius), Robert Vaughn (Casca), Richard Chamberlain (Octavius), Jason Robards (Brutus), Christopher Lee (Artemidorus), Diana Rigg (Portia), Jill Bennett (Calpurnia).

Cassius (Richard Johnson) persuades Brutus (Jason Robards) to join his plot to assassinate Caesar (John Gielgud).

Director Burge mistakenly opens out the play, which prettifies the film and detracts from the drama. Julius Caesar (1970) is intriguing enough though.

It is ironic that there are so many Brits in the American version, yet the home one is riddled with Yanks.

Also in the cast are Michael Gough, André Morell, Alan Browning, Andrew Crawford, Derek Godfrey, David Dodimead, David Neal, John Moffatt, Steven Pacey, Edwin Finn, Peter Eyre, Norman Bowler, Paul Hardwick, Thomas Heathcote, David Leland, Christopher Cazenove, Liz Gebhardt, Ron Pember and Ken Hutchison.

Julius Caesar is directed by Stuart Burge, runs 117 minutes, is made by Commonwealth United Entertainment, is released by Commonwealth United Entertainment (1970) (UK) and American International Pictures (1971) (US), is written by Robert Furnival, based on the play by William Shakespeare, is shot in Technicolor and Panavision by Ken Higgins, is produced by Peter Snell, and is scored by Michael Lewis.

It is shot at MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England; Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England; and on location at La Pedriza, Manzanares el Real, Madrid, Spain (for the battle).

It was remade again for TV in 2002 with Jeremy Sisto, Richard Harris and Christopher Walken.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,159

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