The veteran Italian film-makers, Taviani brothers (Paolo and Vittorio) are best known for their hybrid domain of docudrama. They gained international breakthrough the movies, "The Night of the Shooting Stars" and "Padre Padrone." Their latest expressive embellishment project was grittier than their previous ventures and was filmed inside the maximum-security prison in Rebbibia, Italy. After watching the inmates of this prison performing Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, they were highly inspired to do a production of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." They sought the permission of Fabio Cavalli, director of the prison group and stated that it would be staged with the collaboration of the inmates and would be filmed throughout the prison facility.
Taviani brothers thought that staging “Julius Caesar” --a
tale of betrayal, friendship and conspiracy -- would be the right choice, since
it is set in Rome, Italy and also corresponds with the emotions of the world
from which the prisoners come. Casting actual convicts proves to be a stunning
experience, since they show a great electric power of drama that moves and
touches the audience. The docudrama starts with color footage of the actual
staging of production and the film’s final scenes also revolve around this
staging. However, the heart of this movie lies in the audition and rehearsal
process as hardened criminals emote with heightened sensation.
The audition process shows us a plan, the Tavianis’ said to
have been using for years: each prisoner is asked to act a moment when they are
sad, and the same one when they are angry. We then closely see the men, who
were chosen to enact “Julius Caesar” and their rap sheets, mostly ranging from
drug trafficking to Mafia affiliations. The performers immerse themselves in
the scheming world of Cassius, Brutus and ill-fated Caesar. They reach an
artistic high by investing themselves in roles that serve as an escape from the
real-life cages. Each rehearsal scenes gets intensified and it is mesmerizing
to see the ways the prisoners/actors relate Shakespearean situations with their
own betrayal.
Taviani brothers don’t try to convey the layers of the
prisoners’ troubled humanity. They are not attempting to pass off their
experiment as absolute truth. In fact, they only heighten the artificiality by
adding black and white color schemes to the rehearsal period and also use the
mournful musical score to a gain highly dramatic effect. What they were
interested is only in the conception. A conception that remains resonant with
the text, where freedom and slavery are paramount. By finding an elegant and
effective way to blend the narrative and documentary elements, they make us
observe the parallels between “Julius Caesar” and ill-fated prisoners’ lives.
Most of these men were also not first time actors (some of them have been in
other plays), because one can assume that for grifters and conmen playacting is
an integral part to their essence of survival.
Tavianis’ scripted elaborations, like the Mark Antony
funeral address rehearsal scene (directed to the cell windows) remains largely
humorous. The prison cast turns in excellent performance with a genuine pathos.
The hardened pudginess of Giovanni Arcuri (plays Caesar), possesses the
delusions of immortality and amusing swagger like the Shakespearean hero.
Salvatore Striano’s passionate performance as Brutus shows us the seductive
power of brilliant enactment. His casting was considered as cheating, since
Striano was pardoned on 2006 and has made his debut as actor in a small,
well-received role in “Gomorrah” (2008). He returned to Rebibbia prison,
especially to participate in this production. But, we can’t consider this as
cheating, since the Tavianis up aforementioned the artifice, involved with
their project and also there are not any specific set of rules.
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| Vittorio and Paolo Tavianni |
In the final footage, we see principal cast being silently
shut back into their cells and Cosimo Rega, who played
Cassius looks at the camera and simply says, "Since I got
to know art, the cell has become a prison." Apart from the Shakespeare
text, this is the film’s most memorable line. Winner of Golden Bear at the 2012
Berlin Film Festival, “Caesar Must Die” (75 minutes) shows pent-up emotions and
passions that can’t be contained within the prison bars. It’s one of the most
intriguing Shakespeare adaptations on-screen.
Trailer
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