Julius Caesar [2002] [DVD]

The producer spent a fortune building the Roman forum, investing in costumes, finding the actors and then he wasted the lot with a very poor script, a very poor story - which must have been hard given he had some pearls he could have told - told by some very wooden characters. It's hard to imagine the life of Ceasar not being interesting, he was captured by pirates, was a womaniser, a general, a consumate politician and even bedded one of the most famous women of all time in Cleopatra. But we did not experience one drop of the ruthless, brutal, clever politician or even a taste of what life was like in Rome - we got a very dull tale where men as fascinating as Mark Antony seem uni-dimensional delivering boring lines of dialogue. There is no character development, there is no tale, there are no connections between the actors, there is no historical explanation - so why Cato is against Ceasar or kills himself is an isolated and meaingless scene, or why Sulla is portrayed as dying in a bath with a glass of very unconvincing wine - is unknown - Sulla retired and died in his bed. Why retell history when its that good.

In summary, this is a dull tale indeed, and, not giving the romans their full rein and instead imposing gooey post christiantiy values on our would be emperor - our script writer destroys the pearls he had in his hand. So, I strongly advise against purchase, go for I Claudius or HBO Rome or read the many books but don't invest the time in watching this grey and dull telling of a fantastic story.

Unlike a lot of other reviewers I thought this was quite a good TV film production.
It may not be historically accurate but it is a film for entertainment not a history lesson. The sets look fantastic and the costumes and large scale feel of the production make it interesting to watch.
It is true it does lack a bit of sparkle but it is a good production with a reasonable plot that relies on the main points of the historical story of Julius Caesar. The small details may not be correct but the main points are there. His rise to power, the defeat of the gauls, his attempt to create a free Rome, his love of his wife and children, the Senate, the politics, Egypt and Cleopatra, and the bloody assasination in the Senate.
There is a strong cast with some fine actors and the pace of the story development is good in so much as we dont get to bogged down with details.
I found this film entertaining and easily worth looking at again.

Recently I saw Jeremy Sisto in a film in the cinema, and as my movie-going friend and I were dissecting the film afterward, we both were impressed with Sisto's performance, and tried to recall what we'd seen him in before. I remembered this production of Julius Caesar, but only after a while - Sisto's role in the other film (a light drama with a comedic edge) is very different from the epic, super-serious Julius Caesar.

This production is a good one for a straight-to-television production. It is a four-hour miniseries (the television nomenclature equivalent for `epic'). It plays a bit loose with the historic progression, but keeps many of the broad strokes intact - Rome's trouble under Sulla, Caesar's early difficulties becoming established, his military alliance and familial partnership with Pompey, destined to falter; the conquest of Gaul and the march back to Rome, the fiery oratory of Cato, and the climactic death in the Senate.

Caesar is a complex character, one who defies encapsulation in so short a span as four hours. Given that Caesar was surrounded by many equally intriguing characters, it is little wonder that productions about Caesar often fall victim to a particular interpretation. Sisto's performance, and Edel's direction, makes Caesar in some ways a walking statue - and this is not a necessarily inappropriate style. Caesar was very conscious of appearances and public perceptions, and took great pains to always appear in a certain fashion that would enhance his power and reputation. Sisto's Caesar does show such some emotional range, but this is often mitigated by `events of state'.

Richard Harris, in one of his final performances as Sulla, puts in a much more dynamic performance, however brief; some may recall Harris as the wise emperor Marcus Aurelius in `Gladiator' a few years prior to this production, a very different role indeed from the ambitious, capricious and over-emotional Sulla. Christopher Walken as Cato also turns in an almost over-the-top performance (Cato and Cicero seem to be a combined character here, in some respects). Christopher Noth plays Pompey, but does so at extremes - he is either flat and ineffective, or overly emotional and ineffective. Noth has done good work elsewhere, but this is not one of his better pieces.

The female characters in this production are largely marginalized; even the famous Cleopatra/Caesar affair in minimized. While the role of Cleopatra is often overplayed in the Caesar story, it does have a decided role. Also, the role of Augustus is completely missing.

Filming was done in Malta and in Bulgaria, which brought in lots of locals into the production. A replica of the Roman Forum was constructed, which is an impressive piece of scenery. Also, the Gaul encampment, where Caesar overcomes Celtic warriors, is well constructed and visually powerful. German actor Heino Ferch plays the role of the Celtic leader with aplomb. In scenes where he appears, he steals the show so completely that no Caesar could resist.

It is interesting that the television series, `Rome', is currently enjoying a major success with essentially the same time period. This could have been a great epic / mini-series; instead, it is passing fair. Costumes are great, sets and location good. The story line is interesting, even if out of sync with actual history. The performances are spotty but occasionally effective. The writing takes the story along, but almost as if it were a rendering about Rome and Caesar than a piece for actors to perform in.

Those who like the `sword and sandals' kind of film will find this interesting. Others may find it tolerable. Those who are easily irritated at historical inaccuracies of detail may well find this film infuriating, as lots of bits are rearranged for dramatic effect. Even so, it is an epic that might be worth a rainy day or night's viewing.

There are no real DVD extras to speak of, at least not on the copy I have.