DIRECTIONS: Write a 1,200-word essay in which you compare and contrast the Joseph Mankiewicz and the Stuart Burge film versions (1953 and 1970, respectively) of the same scene from Julius Caesar. To extend and deepen your analysis, you are encouraged (though not required) to watch Herbert Wise’s 1979 BBC production of the play as well. You may also write about the Wise version as one of your two films. For your paper, choose on any ONE of the following scenes:
•Act 1, Scene 1
•Act 2, Scene 1
•Act 2, Scene 2 and/or 3
•Act 3, Scene 1
•Act 3, Scene 2 and/or 3
Your thesis in this paper should consistently address and persuasively answer the following question:
Based on a close and careful reading of Shakespeare’s text, which film version of your chosen scene(s) comes closest to fulfilling Shakespeare’s apparent intentions with regard to: (1) the depiction of the characters; and/or (2) the rendering of the play’s larger themes?
Begin your essay with a brief, though clear and complete, summary of Shakespeare’s intentions as you see them, and then go on to show how ONE of the film versions more effectively and justly realizes and expresses these intentions.
In other words, you are arguing that EITHER Mankiewicz, Burge, OR Wise, comes closest to filming the scene the way Shakespeare would have wanted it to be filmed.
In order to build a convincing argument, you will need to provide EVIDENCE drawn BOTH from the text of the play AND from the films.
Avoid mechanically providing a list of similarities and differences between the two movie versions of the scene(s) you are writing about; instead, create a clear focus for the paper that (1) assesses the significance of these similarities and differences; and that (2) unifies your analysis of the films by comparing and contrasting them in terms of their fidelity to the spirit and/or the letter Shakespeare’s text.
It is possible that one director, while literally more faithful to what Shakespeare wrote, at the same time misses the true spirit of what he wrote; or that, in contrast, one director, while not entirely faithful to what Shakespeare wrote, nevertheless best depicts the spirit, or essence, of what Shakespeare wrote.
Filmic elements to consider as you study each movie include: costumes and setting, lighting, staging, how the characters speak their lines, how close or far apart they are standing from each other, how the scene is shot (angles, distance, framing, and so on) and edited (i.e., in long takes or several quick cuts or a combination of the two). Keep in mind, your discussion of filmic elements should be relevant to your thesis. There is no reason to discuss filmic elements for their own sake, unrelated to your overall argument.
Here are some websites to use for streaming the three films for free: Internet Archive; Kanopy; YouTube; PeacockTV; Sony Crackle; hoopla; IMDb TV; The Roku Channel. (Please let me know if you have a problem viewing the films online.)
Be sure you provide an interesting and original title for your paper, and that you follow MLA guidelines. Whenever you quote from the play, you must provide the Act, Scene, and Line numbers. For example: (1.5.25-30) stands for Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 25-30. Please review the Page in our Modules on MLA Documentation.
