Death To Caesar (Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, 2012): Italy

Reviewed by Casey Cummings at the Metro 4 Theater, Santa Barbara.

This film is unlike any other movie I’ve ever witnessed before. The Taviani brothers take you deep within a high security prison in Rome where open tryouts are being held for the convicts to try and land a spot in the famous Shakespeare play, Julius Caesar. At first while watching this movie I thought it was a documentary, but then it took a drastic shift to inside the prison where the convicts practice their parts for the play. They are able to add humor to the entire film by shooting the convicts practicing, and during their everyday life.

The first act starts off by introducing the convicts and then showing the auditions. Its humorous because it shows a bunch of convicts trying to land a role in the play and you cant help but laugh at the prompt and their acting skills.They are asked to say their full name, their fathers name, where they are from, and asked to do it in a sad tone and mad tone,while capturing this all on camera. Later it explains what all the convicts are in for and what they do on there everyday life in the prison. The film then transcends into the convicts practicing their rolls in front of the camera and they go through the entire play. The film is basically the convicts acting the play out in the prison in front of the camera.

I’ve never witnessed a film quite like this one. Its very unique because it takes place inside this prison and is different because its the prisoners, who are not real actors, acting out the entire play for the camera, with side notes along the way. I recommend people seeing this movie because its interesting and amusing.