Julius Caesar (1953) on Netflix
Back in Rome after defeating Pompey, Julius Caesar is named dictator for life. Brutus, his friend, is troubled by Caesar's ambition, and Cassius draws him into a plot to kill Caesar.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb7.2/1014,340 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes96%
Trailer
Plot summary
Rome, 44 B.C. Caesar returns from the war against Pompey, and the city names him consul a fourth time and then dictator for life, heaping titles and powers on him that turn moderate men against him. Brutus, a close friend of Caesar, finds the ambition behind those honors a source of major concern. Cassius, a senator, argues that Caesar intends to end the republic and rule as monarch. He leads a band of Roman senators in a plot to kill Caesar, and Brutus joins them. Mark Antony, Caesar's right-hand man, stands with Caesar, and the conspirators have badly underestimated him.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Julius Caesar (1953)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- James Mason became concerned that Brando was stealing the audience's sympathy away from him and his character, Brutus, and asked Mankiewicz to put the focus back where it belongs, namely on him; Brando noticed the shift and threatened to walk off the film if Mankiewicz threw one more scene to Mason.
- Brando's casting was met with skepticism, as he had acquired the nickname of “The Mumbler” following A Streetcar Named Desire, and the director, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, even considered Paul Scofield for Mark Antony if Brando's screen test was unsuccessful; Brando asked John Gielgud for advice in declaiming Shakespeare and adopted all of his recommendations.
- Impressed by Brando's dedication on set, John Gielgud offered to direct him in a London stage production of Hamlet, an offer Brando seriously considered before turning it down.
- Many of the sets and costumes were repurposed from 1951's Quo Vadis, with several setpieces deconstructed, flown from Rome to California and rebuilt on MGM's Culver City backlot; in the scenes at Brutus's house a bust of Emperor Hadrian, who was not born for another 120 years, gazes down at the proceedings.
