Cesare deve morire
I don’t know what to say about this. It’s like Teshigahara, where I am pretty sure nobody will really like it, but I do. “Cesare deve morire” is the kind of film that somehow manages to capture my wavelength. Even though it’s practically a documentary. at least two scenes, the depiction of Brutus’ stabbing of Caesar and Brutus’ own death, evoked an emotional response.
Apart from that, of course the film is describing humanity in a subtle way. On the most simplistic level, the film makes us see these criminals as worthy humans capable of creativity and reflection. That may aptly describe the depth of the film (luckily, it’s really not that pretentious of a film) but the enjoyment you gather through it is harder to describe. Like I have said, in essence it is a documentary. But there is something about the way this is filmed that makes it so very interesting. In essence, the film goes more or less chronologically throughout the play. It starts with the casting, then shows how the actors learn their lines throughout the first 2 acts of the play, then how they rehearse the third act within the prison grounds; finally, acts 4 and 5 are shown as the actual performance in the theater. We only get excerpts of the film, but I had a lot of fun seeing them. Maybe it’s because I just read the play and I like the idea of seeing it spoken out. I especially liked Brutus’ and Mark Anthony’s speeches from act 3, which they performed in the courtyard of the prison with the “crowd” looking out from their prison windows and responding to them.
With that said, it was a really good idea to read the play first. I was surprised how many lines I recognized almost to the point of being able to quote them. Maybe Shakespeare is just awesome like that, the stuff he writes is just so memorable, and that is despite the fact that I had trouble understanding what was going on in act 1. Being able to put their utterances into context helped me appreciate the scenes even more. I am tempted to interpret the film as just another way of adapting the play itself. Certainly the content of the play has nothing to do with the situation of the prisoners per se, but the film easily convinces you that the connection is a productive one.
So “Cesare deve morire” may be one of those films people will have forgotten about in 2 years. That’s fine, but I thought it was very memorable. I have never seen anything like that, so to me, it stands in the same line as “My Winnipeg” as a documentary done right.