Caesar Must Die (2013)
85%RT Audience Score: 74%
Awards & Nominations: 16 wins & 21 nominations
The Taviani Brothers’ Caesar Must Die is a cinematic masterpiece that blurs the lines between reality and art, creating a unique and captivating experience for viewers. The film’s innovative approach to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, combining documentary, theater, and fiction, is a testament to the Taviani Brothers’ creativity and ingenuity. The performances are stunning, particularly Striano’s portrayal of Brutus, which is both intense and emotionally accurate. The film’s lean and hungry look, combined with its brisk 76-minute runtime, ensures that there is barely a wasted moment. Overall, Caesar Must Die is a fascinating and perceptive film that is sure to leave a lasting impression on audiences.
Caesar Must Die is like Shakespeare meets Orange is the New Black, but with a lot less drama and a lot more Italian accents. The Taviani Brothers have created a unique and fascinating film that blurs the lines between reality and art, and gives us a glimpse into the lives of prisoners who are given the opportunity to perform Shakespeare. The performances are intense and emotional, and the lack of female roles is made up for by the sheer talent of the all-male cast. It’s not your typical Shakespeare adaptation, but it’s definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
AMLF The Saul Zaentz Company,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Rebibbia, Rome, Lazio, Italy
MPAA / Certificate
Unrated
Year of Release
2012
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):Italian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Dec 24, 2013
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Salvatore Striano, Cosimo Rega, Giovanni Arcuri, Antonio Frasca, Juan Dario Bonetti, Vincenzo Gallo, directed by Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, written by Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by J Hoberman, Stanley Kauffmann, A.A Dowd, Peter Howell, Tom Long, Tara Brady, Geoffrey O’Brien, Patrick Gamble, Steve Erickson, Hannah Brown, Christopher Long, MPAA rating, producer Agnese Fontana, Cecilia Valmarana, Grazia Volpi, Donatella Palermo, Laura Andreini Salerno
Worldwide gross: $1,567,339
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,020,652
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,417
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 220,355
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Cosimo Rega – Cassio
Giovanni Arcuri – Cesare
Antonio Frasca – Marcantonio
Juan Dario Bonetti – Decio
Vincenzo Gallo – Lucio
Director(s)
Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani
Writer(s)
Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani
Producer(s)
Agnese Fontana, Cecilia Valmarana, Grazia Volpi, Donatella Palermo, Laura Andreini Salerno
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
16 wins & 21 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (4)
Despite its lean and hungry look, the Taviani Brothers’ Caesar Must Die may be the most effectively gimmicked version of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in the 75 years since Orson Welles’s modern-dress, anti-fascist staging.
February 22, 2019
J. Hoberman
ARTINFO.com
TOP CRITIC
It is almost an impertinence to think that we understand the thoughts of these actors and those in the audience who are relatives and friends. But this is the intriguing privilege that the Taviani brothers have given us.
June 17, 2013
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
The problem with the film, which somewhat inexplicably won the Golden Bear at Berlin last year, is that it scarcely transcends the basic novelty of its premise.
March 21, 2013 | Rating: 3/5
A.A. Dowd
Time Out Chicago
TOP CRITIC
There’s barely a wasted moment in the film, which runs a brisk 76 minutes and contains no female roles.
March 14, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
There’s an intensity and emotional accuracy to the performances that’s just stunning, particularly Striano’s Brutus, as he longs for death and release.
March 8, 2013 | Rating: A-
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
The juxtaposition of Shakespearean text and prison cell life is a particularly poignant one.
March 1, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Tara Brady
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
The determination-at times it seems close to anguish-with which they seize that opportunity reenacts what must have been the astonishing force and challenge launched by the actors who first played Julius Caesar.
March 13, 2019
Geoffrey O’Brien
The New York Review of Books
A fascinatingly perceptive film that blurs the lines between art and reality, Caesar Must Die brings a whole new intensity to this Elizabethan examination of betrayal and duplicity.
February 9, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Patrick Gamble
CineVue
… “Caesar Must Die” combines documentary, theater, and fiction in ways that could hardly be more au courant.
February 21, 2018
Steve Erickson
Gay City News
The most gripping and brilliant Shakespeare production put on film since Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet.
March 21, 2016
Hannah Brown
Jerusalem Post
A double hybrid that occupies a space somewhere between documentary and fiction right along the border of cinema and theater.
January 23, 2014 | Rating: 8/10
Christopher Long
Movie Metropolis
A clever if sometimes mystifying, combination of documentary, invention and post-modernism.
June 6, 2013 | Rating: 3/5
Jay Stone
Canada.com…
Plot
Inmates in a high-security prison prepare for a public performance of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” in this drama directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Salvatore Striano, who plays Bruto in the film, is a former inmate who was serving a life sentence for murder before becoming an actor.
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