Page 117 - Shakespeare in the Movie From the Silent Era to Shakespeare in Love

106 / Shakespeare in the Movies

effectively cinematic moment occurs when Brutus, alone in his
home, ponders possible action. Mankiewicz visually shows us the
character's sense of entrapment, filming him through branches of a
tree, which appear ready to close in on him. Another striking scene
takes place immediately after the oration. As the crowd roars out of
control, Brando's Antony turns his head halfway toward the camera,
smiling wickedly. Shakespeare's "Cry, havoc!" speech is omitted,
since Brando's face says it all; for once, a picture truly is worth a
thousand words.
Shortly thereafter, Antony approaches a bust of Caesar and turns
it around to face him, transforming the statue into a mirror; we
know, without needing to be told in words, that he has grown ambi-
tious. Another impressive touch is the retention of, even reemphasis
on, a key issue: the give-and-take between free will and fate. The
film's finest sequence is the early discussion between Brutus (James
Mason) and Cassius (John Gielgud), which allows two masterful per-
formers to work their magic. Mason mostly reacts, with understated
but expressive facial gestures, to Gielgud's stunning recitation of key
phrases, including: "Men are sometimes masters of their fates" and
"The fault lies not in our stars, dear Brutus, but in ourselves." Yet it
would be wrong to quote such lines as expressions of Shakespeare's
point of view; Cassius is a devil in the flesh. By allowing himself to
be won over, Brutus seals his fate, which he will indeed learn is con-
trolled by forces greater than he can contradict.
Likewise, Louis Calhera's Caesar, superstitious from the start,
ignores the Soothsayer's warning of the Ides of March and his wife's
dream, first admitting: "What can be avoided, Whose end is pur-
posed by the mighty gods?" then arrogantly adding: "Yet Caesar
shall go forth." What most effectively comes across is Shakespeare's
own state of mind at the time he wrote Julius Caesar: an artist
trying to reconcile his own conflicting attitudes about destiny and
self-determination. Unfortunately, Houseman and Mankiewicz were
too often in awe of Shakespeare. At the beginning, they show hordes
of Romans entering the Coliseum but keep us outside with Brutus
and Cassius. Only later do we hear (via Casca) of Antony's partici-
pation in the games, Caesar's epileptic fit, and the sly manner in
which Caesar and Antony manipulated the adoring public. Since this
is a movie, we ought to see more and hear less.
Fortunately, Mankiewicz and Houseman did stage the battle at
Philippi in which the forces of Antony and Octavius defeat those of
Brutus and Cassius. Although filmed in Bronson Canyon, close to