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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Good Times Video
Salesrank: 17744
Released: October 26, 2004 |
| Our Price: $8.78 |
| Used Price: $7.29 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Fierce general. Skilled orator. Savvy politician. This is Julius Caesar, one of the world’s greatest leaders and ruler of the Roman Empire. His ascent to power is filled with sacrifice, murder and betrayal. With the beautiful Cleopatra on one arm and a sword in the other, Caesar seized control of a vast territory, winning legions of followers, making enemies and creating history, before falling at the hands of Brutus, his most trusted ally. This is an ageless story in an epic presentation unlike anything ever seen before. Julius Caesar: a remarkable man who became an unforgettable legend. COLOR / APPROX, 187 MINUTES. DVD FEATURES: • 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen • 2.0 Dolby Stereo • The Making of Julius Caesar featurette
Julius Caesar Reviews:
Julius Caesar 
2009-07-14 - Quality rendition of what it may have been like in 34BC. Worth the addition to your Ancient Roman Empire library.
A dark brew of untrammelled barbarism and insouciant Rachmanism served boiling hot 
2009-06-20 -
The movie Caesar concluded a few years ago on TNT. It was a historical film documenting Julius Caesar's life and achievements. Besides Caesar the other key characters in the film are Pompeii, Sala, Cato, Brutus, Cassius, Cleopatra, Carnelia, Julia, Calpania, and Mark Anthony, all of whom played a significant role in Caesar's life. It weaves various stages of Caesar's meteoric rise and fall into a single exciting movie. At the same time the movie gives us an insight into the relationship of the Senate with the dictator of Rome. The strife-ridden Roman society and the paramount importance of a strong military at that time can be underscored. It highlights the threats posed to the Roman Empire from its neighbors and pirates at that time. The movie also dwells upon the intertwining of military and political power in the time of a fluid political situation in Rome and the people's desire for a stable government. It hints at the enormous size of the Roman Empire in Caesar's time. It gives us glimpses into the workings of Roman society as well as its economy and culture. It can be easily inferred that at that time trade was an intrinsic part of Roman economy. It gives us a peek about the status of women and the gullibility of the general populace in Roman society. Most of this historical movie makes the viewer participate in the history of the contemporary epoch by implicitly stating information.
The film captures the martial spirit and reckless plunder and conquest of the pre-Christian Roman Empire. The movie underlines the pivotal role of army commanders in Roman society in the times of Julius Caesar and prior to that. At this time Rome was ridden with friction with its neighbors. The pirates often captured Roman ships laden with grain and wealth. Rome in 82 B.C. was subjected to protracted warfare. Rome's boundaries were uncertain and constantly changing. Military generals of foreign countries plundered Rome with impunity and Roman citizens lived in a state of perpetual terror. Rome's wealth was frittered away in extravagant and destructive military purposes. Fratricidal skirmishes were common. Peace had become non-existent in Rome. Wealthy military despots and senators ruled Rome's commoners and slaves. The people were so-called indirectly represented by an elitist and selfish Senate that constantly bickered with the dictator and his armies. In reality the majority of the plebeian citizens had little say in the political process.
The movie opens by dwelling on Caesar's many trysts with danger to his life and how he overcame them. In doing so the film brilliantly portrays some of the important traits of Caesar's personality and character. The film starts by showing Caesar being blacklisted in 82 B.C. by the tyrant Sala for aiding his enemies. Nothing about his life before 82 B.C. is told in the film. Julius Caesar was a commoner. He was reverent towards his mother and doting towards his wife Carnelia and daughter Julia. His wife Carnelia had a lot of influence over his actions. Sala blacklisted him as he had sided with his enemies. Despite his humble origins he was proud of his ancestry and claimed to be of divine descent. He was bold, courageous and forthright in his beliefs. The film chronicles these traits of Caesar's personality when Caesar stood his ground firmly even in the face of grave danger. Despite Sala's ultimatum Caesar refused to divorce his wife. With the help of Pompeii, a Roman military general, and the urging of his wife Carnelia, Caesar finally escaped Rome and traveled abroad for many years. By the time Caesar returned, Pompeii had become the head of state.
Caesar had bought a slave called Apylonius during his journey in a province of the Roman Empire. The slave was an intellectual who was well read in Greek classics, literature, philosophy and politics. He had bought the slave to teach his daughter Julia. In telling this story the film throws light on Roman economy and society. The overwhelming majority of slaves and their labor was the bulwark of the Roman Empire. This was indubitable, as the tyrants of Rome had conquered many nationalities over a period of time and enslaved their citizens. The slaves were denied citizenship in the Roman Empire. They were denied the rights and privileges granted to the citizens of Rome. They were the workhorses of the Roman Empire. It is upon their backbreaking productive labor, and trade that Rome's military and legislative establishment and plebeian citizens enjoyed a parasitic existence. All necessities and luxuries were initially distributed among the upper crust of Roman society namely the military and political establishments before going to the citizens. Slaves were an indispensable part of the Roman economy. Slaves were intellectuals and some of them were kept in Roman households for educational purposes, thereby playing an important role in the education of its citizens. Women in Rome did not wear veil and attended parties and had social status but were denied access to political and military establishments. It was extremely difficult for the plebeian citizens to enter into politics. Rome's republican tradition and culture bore resemblances to the Greek civilization. It can be inferred that Roman society was highly stratified and the Roman economy epitomized inequality.
Upon Caesar's return to Rome he was greeted with misfortune in the family as his wife passed away moments after his arrival. His return would be the harbinger of momentous events in the history of Rome. The film also makes a telling commentary on the political ambitions of Caesar and how he realized them. Caesar understood that winning the support and hearts of the people was the sine qua non of political legitimacy. Caesar used the demise of his wife to win the affection of the people. He juxtaposed feelings of his heart, plainspoken oratory skills and tact to win over the hearts of the plebeian citizens of Rome. He gained access to politics with Pompeii's backing. He exerted his oratory influence on the Senate and persuaded the Senate to unite behind Pompeii and permit Pompeii and his army to launch an onslaught on the pirates who disrupted Roman trade and economy. He used his oratory skills to express his concern for Rome's welfare as well as further his political advancement. Subsequently Pompeii went off on a military mission but before leaving Rome he named Caesar as the stand-in-consul. During this period of Pompeii's long absence in politics Caesar wielded considerable power over matters of the state. Later in the movie Mark Anthony's address to the citizens vindicated Caesar's commitment to the people's welfare during the time he was the stand-in-consul. Caesar commissioned projects for public welfare in this time when he was the stand-in-consul and in doing so, often took decisions without ratification of the Senate. This revealed his independent-minded personality and his scant respect for the Senate. It is in this period that Caesar made many enemies amongst a large section of the Senate, which included influential Senators like Cato and Cassius. In spite of his absolute authority Caesar never flinched in matters of honesty and integrity. He never aggrandized personal wealth from state revenue. In the meantime Caesar had wedded Calpania and Julia had grown into a fine woman.
After Pompeii returned to Rome, Caesar arranged a marriage between his daughter Julia and Pompeii, who was smitten with love for Julia, in exchange for a large part of Pompeii's armies. Caesar and Julia shrewdly arranged this compromise to further Caesar's political ambitions of becoming head of state, as he knew that military glory was a passport to becoming dictator. The movie again showed Caesar's single-minded purpose of becoming the head of state and the lengths he would go to achieve his goal.
The next part of the movie typifies Caesar's brilliant military strategies. Caesar set out foot abroad to conquer new lands and defend Rome against its hostile enemies and pirates who would play havoc with Rome's peace and prosperity. Caesar proved to be the greatest military commander Rome ever witnessed. He surpassed Pompeii's magnificent generalship. He fought for many years against various peoples like the Gauls and others. This showed his perseverance and tenacity. He stood out as an outstanding and tolerant general. He won wars through strategy when his army was outnumbered by the enemy and received little support from Rome. He conquered many nationalities and enlarged Rome's boundaries more than any dictator had ever done. He defeated belligerent opponents but made peace whenever possible. His share of misfortune increased in this period as his daughter and newborn grandchild passed away. However, he endured his share of tragedy.
The movie also portrayed the jealousies, anxieties and fears of Rome's political incumbents when they realized Caesar's successful conquests would culminate in Caesar becoming consul. Around this time Pompeii declared war on Caesar and Cato too adorned military garb to challenge Caesar's claim to consulship. However when they heard Caesar had crossed the Rubicon they refrained from warring with him and instead fled Rome to gain temporary refuge. Caesar got a grand reception from the plebeian citizens of Rome. This part of the film shows Caesar's closeness to the people and political astuteness. He became the head of state but refused the title of consul and preferred to be called Caesar. He knew he derived his power from the people and did not want to distance them from himself. He was the people's democratic dictator as opposed to the tyrants prior to his ascendancy to Rome's supreme seat. The film also depicts Caesar's mercifulness and compassion when he did not blacklist the senators who were rabidly against him becoming dictator. Caesar had brought peace and prosperity to the people of Rome by overwhelming Rome's enemies. He united the people of Rome. Rome was a wealthy Empire at the time of Caesar. There were also extensive education, religious and entertainment institutions created for the plebeian citizens of Rome due to Caesar's administrative and military efforts. However he had unquestioned and absolute authority in matters of state.
Caesar had to however settle issues with Pompeii who had fled Rome. Caesar named his lieutenant and second-in-command Mark Anthony as his stand-in replacement for the time he was tracking down Pompeii and fighting against him. Caesar marched again with his armies to fight his rivals. Caesar found Pompeii's camp where Brutus was in charge of a part of Pompeii's army, Caesar's nephew was in charge of Pompeii's camp as Pompeii had left for Egypt unarmed. Caesar spared Pompeii's army commanders and soldiers. The film again showed Caesar's compassionate nature. Another part of Pompeii's armies was with Cato. Caesar asked Brutus to head back to Rome and promote Caesar's image of a benevolent dictator. Caesar marched with his armies to Egypt to meet Pompeii. In the meantime Pompeii was murdered in Egypt. Caesar and his armies were welcomed in Egypt by power-wielding statesmen. Egypt's king had died suddenly around this time and Egypt's political and social situation was in flux. An adolescent boy and girl were jointly made king and queen but seasoned statesmen wielded power and the teenage monarchs were pawns in the sordid game of brinkmanship. This part of the film showcases Caesar as a shrewd statesman with a considerable foresight. Caesar was disappointed to find Pompeii murdered but granted Egypt the status of an independent country in return for monetary tribute to Rome and unwavering loyalty. Caesar intervened in the political instability of Egypt and restored power to the royal authority. Caesar strengthened his political situation and decided to keep power in the family by marrying the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and begetting a son from her. Before returning to Rome Caesar overwhelmed Cato's armies. Cato had refused to recognize Caesar's dictatorship till the end. Cato could not bear the ignominy of defeat and the humiliation of surrendering to Caesar and to avoid shame committed suicide. The film also showed the cunning and persuasive influence of the Senate on Brutus. By the time Caesar had returned to Rome the Senate had poisoned the ears of Brutus by saying that Caesar was going to convert Rome to a monarchy. Brutus however was not convinced about Caesar's motives and demanded proof.
Rumors of Caesar's affair with Cleopatra were rife in Rome and had traumatized Calpania. Calpania did not give Caesar a warm welcome when he returned. She remained his wife but refused to have sexual relations with him. Caesar and Cleopatra received a grand reception from the plebeian citizens of Rome. On this occasion Caesar's and Cleopatra's infant son was revealed. This convinced Brutus that Caesar wanted to keep power in the family. Brutus was an idealist who thought that Caesar was going to violate the tradition and promise of a republic and decided that murdering Caesar would be the only solution to Rome remaining a republic.
The last part of the movie shows treachery and betrayal. Brutus decided to take the plunge to murder Caesar. He arrived at a plan to murder Caesar. He told the envious Senators about his plan to murder Caesar next morning where the Senators would form a ring in the Senate and stab Caesar once. Lest the conspiracy failed to materialize or was exposed each of the participants would stab themselves to death. On the next day before Caesar went to the Senate his wife Calpania warned him that she had a premonition about Caesar being slaughtered to death and urged him not to go. However Caesar was persuaded to go to the Senate by Brutus. Calpania's nightmare came true when many senators including Brutus murdered Caesar in the Senate. With the murder of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March the lives of one of the greatest generals and statesmen on earth came to an end.
The movie ends with the murder of Caesar. The movie was well made and captured the spirit, culture, economy, society, and politics of Republican Rome in its entire splendor. The actors have acted out their parts well. The setting and direction of the movie resembles the Roman Empire as told and visualized by historians and archaeologists. The costumes worn by the actors capture the fashion prevailing at that time. However, the movie suffers from lack of sufficient information, so vital in a historical movie to viewers who are not familiar to Roman history. Much of the movie expects the viewer to know and infer information. The movie makes no reference to Caesar's background and early life before 82 B.C. The movie tells us nothing about Roman history prior to 82 B.C. No information is given about the origins of the Roman Empire. There is no geographical description in the movie describing the size of the Roman Empire and the nationalities, which it had engulfed within it. The movie does not say anything about the items of trade. The movie also gives scanty information about the enemies of Rome. The movie ends abruptly with the death of Caesar and makes no reference to the history of the Roman Empire after Julius Caesar and also the fact that Caesar became the title for Emperor on Julius Caesar's death. However, despite its shortcomings the movie was enjoyable.
Rent dont buy
2009-05-27 - You know what? This movie actually works! No need to waste time on historical plot line, it is accurate as much as these things can be (many characters play diminished roles due to time constraints, its not an exhaustive history of the man, mind you). Other than Richard Harris' brief role the cast is questionable (at least the males) but the acting is there and competent. This isn't a masterpiece but a decent enough flick on the man. You see both sides of Caesar hopeful tyrant, brilliant tactician, man of integrity. But they do not allocate anytime towards political and social reform and progresses under his brief rule. If you like Roman histories watch this, destine the wow factor missing.
By the way, I perhaps should have `3 star' it, but couldn't. It seems as if 3 would have marked it as a bad movie, when it wasn't. There aren't happy mediums for some movies; Like Chinatown., either a 5 or a 1... so in that spirit I hope you know what I mean?
An Informational and Entertaining Flick
2009-05-07 - A nice movie - if you're one of those people who loves to watch the History channel, then you'll enjoy this one. However, if you are looking for something to outline Shakespeare's play of the same title, then this isn't the one for you....it's more of a semi-accurate historical recreation of events, rather than the play. Good cinematography and production values - decent acting.
Showing this in class.
2009-04-29 - I was happy to see another teacher used this video in class after reading the play with tenth graders. I thought it would be more interesting than watching the play, and the students could compare Caesar's actual life to what they read in Shakespeare's play.
