The rabble has gathered at the Capitol to hear Brutus explain himself, and James Mason, in a refreshingly un-actorish way, beautifully defends Brutus the well-intentioned butcher, laying bare the dilemma of the noble assassin. Of course the key scene of the film and Shakespeare's play, takes place right after Caesar's assassination. Will history frown upon them? Or applaud their act? "That we shall die, we know", all else is uncertain. But it is in his directing of the actors that he excels, the way that he shows the fragile dynamics in the crowd of conspirators before and after their stabbing of Caesar even more than in the famous monologues. Mankiewicz doesn't strive to open up the play and make it naturalistic, but he does allow his camera to roam freely, creating space around his characters. With Mankiewicz dialogue is all, and it is a source of endless fascination to me how he manages to make this a uniformly brilliantly acted film. Further manipulation and blood shed ensue, but in the end, Caesars murder is avenged and order is restored to Rome.50 years after the fact, the most interesting angle on Mankiewicz' 'Julius Caesar' is perhaps the blend of acting styles that characterizes it.
They also declare a civil war against Brutus, Cassius, and the conspirators. Almost immediately, they try to out-maneuver one another to gain more power. The three men declare themselves the Second Triumvirate of Rome and propose to jointly rule in the wake of Caesar's reign.
Antony allies himself with Caesar's heir, Octavius, and with Aemilius Lepidus. The army of conspirators has to flee the city in order to escape the wrath of the mob. Antony convinces the crowd to turn against the conspirators, reminding them of Caesar's goodness and telling them Caesar left them each a sizeable inheritance. When he is recognized by his dying friend, Caesar utters in total disbelief the famous phrase, "Et tu, Brute?" (And you too, Brutus?) At Caesar's funeral, Brutus tells the citizens that Caesar has been killed because his ambition was a threat to their liberties and based upon their approving reaction makes way for Antony to give his eulogy. He proceeds to the Senate House, where his "friends" surround him and stab him to death. Caesar refuses to listen, believing himself to be invulnerable. Aides to Caesar try to convince him that there are conspirators plotting to kill him. Brutus feels he has a moral obligation to protect Rome against such leadership and after much deliberation, decides it would be in the best interests of Rome if Caesar were to be killed before problems have time to develop. The conspirators believe he can easily be swayed to join them by convincing him that Caesar is a threat to the good of Rome and Cassius begins to plants seeds of doubt in Brutus by telling him stories that portray Caesar as being weak and vulnerable. They enlist Caesar's good friend, Marcus Brutus, as a member of their group. Conspirators (which include Cassius), are envious of Caesar's popularity and begin to plot against him. A Soothsayer warns him of the possibility of trouble and to "beware the Ides of March." Caesar ignores him and proceeds to enjoy his triumph. In 44 BC, Julius Caesar returns to Rome in triumph, having defeated the sons of his archenemy, Pompey the Great.
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