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Julius Caesar

Play trailer Poster for Julius Caesar 1953 2h 1m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Brutus (James Mason) is convinced by a scheming band of Roman senators, led by Caius Cassius (John Gielgud), that his dear friend Julius Caesar (Louis Calhern) intends to dissolve the republic and install himself as monarch, and he joins a conspiracy to assassinate him. Brutus stirringly defends his actions, but when Mark Antony (Marlon Brando) responds with a speech that plays upon the crowd's love for their fallen leader, a battle between the two factions is assured.

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Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

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Critics Consensus

A sterling cast gives Shakespeare's tale of betrayal and reprisals body and fine form, with Marlon Brando displaying a galvanizing command over the Bard's language.

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Critics Reviews

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Joe Clay The Times (UK) 10/26/2023
Joseph L Mankiewicz’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s play is something of a triumph, with Marlon Brando disproving the doubters who thought this was a “stunt casting”... Go to Full Review Michael Sragow The New Yorker 01/18/2016
Over Caesar's corpse Brando begins to mix grief, rage, cunning, and ferocity; his reading of the funeral oration is so quakingly angry you understand why it would rouse the rabble. Go to Full Review TIME Magazine 07/09/2008
The best Shakespeare that Hollywood has yet produced. Go to Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia 04/01/2024
7/10
Its sober tone often strips away spectacle to offer a behind-closed-doors historical drama about betrayal, revenge and political power, which finds its strongest point in the performances and some memorable Shakespearean dialogue. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Zita Short InSession Film 02/09/2023
This is a fairly stolid adaptation of William Shakespeare’s famous play but when James Mason starts talking in that mellifluous voice of his it is hard to look away... Go to Full Review Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine 12/03/2019
Shakespeare's drama itself suffers from a long anticlimax, but most of its celebrated merits are soundly accounted for in this tasteful, intelligent film. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tony Z @RT20046144 Jan 27 Twenty minutes of this amateurish production was as much as I could stand. It kept sounding like a high school play, with bellowing emphasis on the wrong words and phrases. It made the lot of them sound like they'd never read aloud before, and the marble-mouthed diction made one want to clap his hands over his ears. It's a crime - lock it away! See more Russ G @RT78760655 02/19/2025 It's utterly unintelligible to a contemporary speaker of English, so regardless of how "great" the performances may have been regarded seven decades ago, this is now total garbage. I bailed on it ten minutes in; don't waste even that much time. The story needs a modern remake with a completely new script. Dialog can be weighty and still be understood by its intended audience. See more David F @dfulmer 11/19/2024 This is a good standard filming of the Shakespearean drama about Roman politics See more Alec B @Alec97 02/20/2024 Brando really is suprisingly good here (the rest of the cast is as great as you expect) and I like how this adaptation reduces the play to it's essential pieces which allows for the plot to move quickly. See more Andy F @RT81936104 02/12/2024 This could be the best Shakesperian movie adaptation. A masterclass from the all star cast with Brando outshining them all. See more Rami A @Bunt101 02/08/2024 A perfectly well put together adaption of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The performances are well done, and memorable. Marlon Brando steals the show in this picture. See more Read all reviews
Julius Caesar

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Cast & Crew

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Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Director

Marlon Brando

Marc Antony

James Mason

Brutus

John Gielgud

Cassius

Louis Calhern

Julius Caesar

Edmond O'Brien

Casca

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Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar (1953) Julius Caesar (1953) Julius Caesar (1953) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Brutus (James Mason) is convinced by a scheming band of Roman senators, led by Caius Cassius (John Gielgud), that his dear friend Julius Caesar (Louis Calhern) intends to dissolve the republic and install himself as monarch, and he joins a conspiracy to assassinate him. Brutus stirringly defends his actions, but when Mark Antony (Marlon Brando) responds with a speech that plays upon the crowd's love for their fallen leader, a battle between the two factions is assured.
Director
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Producer
John Houseman
Screenwriter
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 4, 1953, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008
Runtime
2h 1m
Sound Mix
Magnetic Stereo 6 Track
Aspect Ratio
70mm
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