REVIEW - CAESAR MUST DIE

Heavily reliant on the dramatic power of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, this lean little film from Paolo and Vittorio Taviani does a pleasant job of melding the content of the play with the lives of those practising it, a selection of prisoners, neatly incorporating their rehearsals into their personal lives. On occasions, though, the Tavianis succumb to the urge to form parallels between these men's art and their reality - an easy, predictable move that swiftly demolishes the artifice of the 'play-within-a-film' construct, which also demolishes the film's character, if only momentarily. Our immersion into the story is more attributable to Shakespeare's contribution than anything else, and it's a joy to watch such naturally intuitive performances from the cast; their work as actors is a sufficient glimpse into their minds, and we don't need to be taken out just to be taken back in. The texture of documentary is present, aptly indeed, and an effort is evidently made to largely avoid stressing a point, cranking up the melodrama. It's due to this, then, that when the Tavianis do crank it up, it's hard to ignore, and once again we're removed from the film we were watching, and reminded that this is only an exercise in filmmaking. But there is a seminal work of art here in what is gotten right, and a good deal of talent and intelligence on display in many of the stylistic choices made.