User Reviews

In Shakespeare's time, the female parts would be played by young male actors. In modern times we have had for some years, all black Shakespeare plays and all female versions as well.

This is the first time I have seen an all female adaptation and I really did not know what to expect but you have to go with an open mind.

This Donmar Warehouse version of Julius Caesar is less of a film and more of a filmed play. It was made in association with a prison charity that deals with the rehabilitation of female prisoners. There were GoPros worn by actors or hidden in stage which makes the audience feel they are among the actors.

Julius Caesar is set in a prison, Dame Harriet Walter plays an anguished Brutus who in one instance departs from Shakespeare's lines and tells off someone in the audience. Director Phyllida Lloyd has gone for a harsh even oppressive staging to reflect the prison environment. After the stabbing of Caesar the characters wear red rubber gloves to signify their bloodsoaked hands.

I found it easy to go into the story but there was an element that some of the characters did look like butch lesbians. As I said you have to go with an open mind but I actually thought rather than women playing men, it could had just been gender neutral and Julius Caesar being simply a female character.

Donmar Warehouse says this is a performance of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar". That is only sort of accurate. You are actually watching a play about a bunch of inmates at a women's prison putting on a performance of "Julius Caesar". So to be more accurate, you are watching a movie about a play about the play "Julius Caesar". And when you research the performers, you eventually find out that the 'inmates' were actually professional actors. (at least, all the ones I checked on) So you are actually watching a movie about a bunch of actors putting on a play about a bunch of inmates putting on the play "Julius Caesar".

Confused? Relax, it makes sense when you watch it. (mostly, anyway) But it does play heck with trying to review things.

The biggest result of the play-within-a-play approach is that Shakespeare's play keeps getting interrupted by the prison level play, often at important points in the Shakespeare level. Indeed, it was the timing of these interruptions that finally convinced me the prisoner level play was also a play, and not real inmates putting on the Shakespeare level play.

Beyond that, there is little more to say. For the most part the actors were quite good, especially since most of them had to handle two, often conflicting personas. I'm not sure I've even seen a version of "Julius Caesar" done exactly as Shakespeare wrote it, so I can't comment much further on that level.

As to the prisoner level play, it seemed reasonable. The 'effects' (for lack of anything better to call them) seem appropriate to a prison, although putting the entire stage and audience in a cage seemed a bit excessive. The rest of the props & make-up looked appropriate to a cast working in a prison. (although I've never been to prison, so what do I know?)