Caesar Must Die (Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, 2012): Italy

Reviewed  by Joakim Svensson, AFI Festival 2012.

Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani, what a power couple, for this review i don’t even know where to begin. In Caesar Must Die we follow the actual convicts of a prison in Rome as they prepare and perform the play “Julius Caesar” by Shakespeare. The story is being told in two ways at the same time, one brings the narrative of the play alive in the film by following the character rehearsing it, and it also comes out in the real relationships the inmates have with each other. As a writer i see this film as a masterpiece, of course it was laid out originally by arguably the best man for the job but the modern adaptation of the play not only works really well, it actually becomes something entirely different, something bigger then the play. The breaks between the play and the actual events of the prison is being visually emphasized by the use of different styles in both stories. One being shot with a documentary kind of feel to it and the other being very representative of the art of theater in all its color and elaborate words and emotions. What comes out the strongest in this film is the acting, performed by non professional actors. You can see the words that are being spoken hit the actors as they say them, it gives an almost eery sensation to the delivery. With the words of Shakespeare being let out with the beautiful language of Italian i sat through the entire film with goosebumps. I love words, if you do as well then Caesar Must Die is the right one for you. One of the best films of the AFI festival 2012.