Tuesday, May 10, 2016

By the Gods!

Mark Antony (Marlon Brando) gives a speech to the public in JULIUS CAESAR (1953)

Great scene, certainly considering Brando is acting on his own for several minutes but John Gielgud disliked it (he's also in the film). In the book, Letters to a Young Actor, Gielgud is quoted of saying "Marlon looks like he's searching for a baseball bat to bash his brains with." Ouch. I still it's great but I get what Gielgud meant. One of the few Hollywood PEPLUM films shot in black & white.

2 comments:

Scott Ochiltree said...

First class movie, but the clash between Brando's American accent and the accents of the mostly British cast is jarring.

The same problem exists with Jean Simmons vis-a-vis Jim Backus and Victor Mature in "Androcles And The Lion" (1952).

Conclusion: mixing US and UK actors is unwise unless there is a reason for it in the script.

However, I admit that this issue was not a problem with Jean Simmons and Kirk Douglas in "Spartacus."

Richard Svensson said...

I actually think this is the centerpoint of the film, and to me it's mesmerizing. Brando grabs my attention and keeps it. I also think that the black and white photography helps set the mood for this doom-laden murder drama. I forget that it's Shakespeare, and I just watch it as a riveting piece of filmmaking.