“Beware the Ides of March” – so the soothsayer told Julius Caesar, warning him of the assassination to come. As we approach the 15th of March thousands of years later, we want to highlight Shakespeare’s own retelling of Caesar’s downfall. For Julius Caesar is more than a dramatization of a historical event; it is an exploration of betrayal, violence, and political intrigue.
Such things have always fascinated the dream factory of Hollywood. Think about the power-plays in early gangster films like Public Enemy or indeed Little Caesar, not to mention the majesty of The Godfather trilogy. In 1953, Joseph Mankiewicz directed the definitive adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, featuring – as the saying goes – “more stars than there are in the heavens.” Marlon Brando, James Mason, John Gielgud, Greer Garson, Deborah Kerr: some of the finest actors to grace the stage and screen joined together to bring the work to life.
So rather than dread the Ides of March, honor both Caesar and Shakespeare by having a look at Mankiewicz’s film – and keep an eye out for Brando’s searing performance of Mark Antony’s “Friends, Romans, Countryman” monologue. To paraphrase Mark Antony: the good that these actors did lives after them; so let it be with Julius Caesar.