The Taviani brothers' Caesar Must Die (2012) is a very disappointing film for me. The Taviani's had a great concept here, but really failed in the execution of that concept and the resulting finished film is just unconvincing, in my opinion. I had to stop watching this film about half way through because I just couldn't take any more.
This film does fit into the genre of Meta-Cinema, but fails to take effective advantage of the creative freedom, and the unique opportunities that this genre affords the filmmaker.
The convicts who assume the roles in the Shakespearean play are not at all typical convicts. Reviews of this film reveal that the inmate theater is an established program at Rebibbia Prison and the "casting" of the convicts for the play clearly shows that. These "convict actors" seem to be well worn "retreads" of this inmate theater program, at least in their appearance to me.
ALL of the footage in this film is "staged" including not only the actual stage performance of the play, and the "rehearsals" held in various parts of the prison, BUT ALSO even the discussions that the cast members have with each other about the play, AND EVEN their interaction with the civilian director. So there is no "real" convict behavior displayed in this film whatsoever, because it is ALL acting.
There is no interaction between the convict actors, and the general prison population, which is a shame because such interaction would have been fruitful to illustrate how the concepts inherent in the play, and the very role of being an actor might have affected the convict actors' interaction with the other prisoners.
Overall, I would place this film in my own personal genre of Cinematic Oddity. In fact, this film is such an oddity, so unconvincing, and, ultimately so irrelevant that it isn't even worthy of Cult Film status. At least in my opinion.
This film does fit into the genre of Meta-Cinema, but fails to take effective advantage of the creative freedom, and the unique opportunities that this genre affords the filmmaker.
The convicts who assume the roles in the Shakespearean play are not at all typical convicts. Reviews of this film reveal that the inmate theater is an established program at Rebibbia Prison and the "casting" of the convicts for the play clearly shows that. These "convict actors" seem to be well worn "retreads" of this inmate theater program, at least in their appearance to me.
ALL of the footage in this film is "staged" including not only the actual stage performance of the play, and the "rehearsals" held in various parts of the prison, BUT ALSO even the discussions that the cast members have with each other about the play, AND EVEN their interaction with the civilian director. So there is no "real" convict behavior displayed in this film whatsoever, because it is ALL acting.
There is no interaction between the convict actors, and the general prison population, which is a shame because such interaction would have been fruitful to illustrate how the concepts inherent in the play, and the very role of being an actor might have affected the convict actors' interaction with the other prisoners.
Overall, I would place this film in my own personal genre of Cinematic Oddity. In fact, this film is such an oddity, so unconvincing, and, ultimately so irrelevant that it isn't even worthy of Cult Film status. At least in my opinion.