Page 124 - Shakespeare in the Movie From the Silent Era to Shakespeare in Love

A Tide in Men's Lives / 113

nicely; Heston gives us pacing and variety. Brando's Antony appeared
totally sincere; Heston's conveys Shakespeare's concept via a double
image. This man is at once sincerely moved by the death of his
friend while delighting in his ability to manipulate the masses.
Burge attempted, at every turn, to make the film a visual experi-
ence, though limited resources (and, in truth, limited talent) reigned
him in. Near the beginning, he briefly shows Antony running in the
games rather than merely have Casca report the event. Burge vividly
portrays Calpurnia's dream of the bleeding statue, though this makes
her later recitation redundant. When the conspirators bend to wash
their hands in Caesar's blood, Burge cuts to a down angle, visually
communicating Shakespeare's moral vision of them. He shows
Antony reclining, on the eve of battle, downing grapes and wine,
conveying the man's essential hedonism. Second-unit director Joe
Canutt (son of legendary stunt man Yakima Canutt) staged the battle
so that we see distinct strategies, whereas Mankiewicz presented an
ambush from a studio western.
Finally, when Pindarus climbs up a hill to watch his companion
Titinius ride, we see the chase over Pindarus's shoulder, making it
purely cinematic. None of this is to suggest that the film is, overall,
better than Mankiewicz's. However, this Julius Caesar is consider-
ably more interesting, worthwhile, and venturesome than anyone
has previously noted.

One Final Note
Time once commented: "Julius Caesar is a play that lends itself
fairly easily to filming. Melodramatic, rather than introspective, it is
a gangster picture with an ancient setting." The truth of that state-
ment makes the fact that this play hasn't been filmed more often
incomprehensible; there's a Hamlet, as well as an Othello and a
Romeo and Juliet for each successive generation. Why filmmakers
have not retold Julius Caesar in nearly thirty years remains a
mystery.