CAESAR MUST DIE

ITALY • 2012 • 76 MINS. • IN ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES • ADOPT FILMS

“(A) cinematic hymn to the power of theater. The Tavianis’ film follows a group of Italian prisoners as they rehearse and perform Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, but it is not only a documentary but also an exploration of the boundaries between real life and dramatic representation.” 

A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“The legendary Taviani Brothers present a group of hardcore convicts putting on a performance ofJulius Caesar. The real convicts play themselves, and the Tavianis highlight the physicality of the actors and the transcendental quality of their encounter with great art to craft a beautiful, oddly postmodern fable.” 
– Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine

“Scripted with an ear for the varied dialects of Italy’s criminal class and interpreted with fearless conviction by actual Camorristi and Mafiosi, the film blazes a new path through the over-trod territory of modern-dress Shakespeare.”
– Bruce Bennett, The Wall Street Journal

“Both documents and reimagines for the screen an actual production of Julius Caesar performed by the inmates of a prison in Rome. The wonder of the film lies in the depth these amateurs bring to their roles.” 
– Stuart Klawans, The Nation