O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! Thou art the ruins of the noblest man That ever livèd in the tide of times. Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood! Over thy wounds now do I prophesy - Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue - A curse shall light upon the limbs of men. Domestic fury and fierce civil strife Shall cumber all the parts of Italy. Blood and destruction shall be so in use, And dreadful objects so familiar, That mothers shall but smile when they behold Their infants quartered with the hands of war, All pity choked with custom of fell deeds. And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge, With Ate by his side, come hot from hell, Shall in these confines, with a monarch's voice Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war, That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial.
From Manchester Oh slay the Besooth Coitus Interuptus in his very deed of ignominy and let upon them ten McGregors in Kilts with their bagpipes a pumping.
I don't care what anyone says but Brando was the greatest actor in American film history. His range is phenomenal. He can play Marc Antony. He can play Don Corleone. He can play Stanley Kowolski. He can play Emiiano Zapata. He can play Terry Malloy. He can play Jor El. Hell, he even sang as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. Don't know of many actors today with this kind of range. And mind you, he didn't transition from one genre to the other, he made all these movies in the same era unlike Tom Hanks, who is brilliant, who got his start in goofball comedy then transitioned into drama. Brando did it all at the same time.
I'm an actor and I completely agree with you. Even later in his career when he did projects that were unworthy of him he seemed incapable of not being compelling on some level. In 'The Formula' in his scenes with the late great George C. Scott, he even left Scott behind in the dust. Or in 'The Island of Dr.Moreau' where he was eccentric as hell but still fascinating. Or when he parodied himself as Don Corleone in 'The Freshman'. Or opposite Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway in 'Don Juan De Marco'. Or as George Lincoln Rockwell, head of the 1960's American Nazi Party in the TV miniseries 'Roots', he more than held his own against the force of nature that was the brilliant James Earl Jones -- not an easy thing to do. And as the South African Barrister in the small art-house film 'A Dry White Season', he was, again, absolutely remarkable, his accent and demeanor fully transforming him once again. The man was a total chameleon -- a magician of the acting craft -- who, despite not seeming to take his work very seriously, gave the lie to that with each superior piece of work. And I haven't even mentioned the man's acknowledged greatest performances in 'Waterfront', 'Streetcar', 'Julius Caeser', 'Godfather' and 'Tango'. His work, while sometimes an embarrassment of riches, did have its fallow periods in films like 'Reflections In A Golden Eye' and other big screen soap operas or oddities like 'The Missouri Breaks' which simply didn't allow Brando the scope of characterization to do his most creative work.
@@johnmulligan455 Well, he did say “American Film History”. Just the same, I agree with your premise about ‘absolutism’. There are tons of folks who claim Marlon is overrated. The thing about Brando is ‘time/place/technique’. He was the first guy in the Hollywood system to REALLY break out as a leading man from the depression era ‘new theater’ out of NYC. John Garfield had already, but acclimated himself to the Hollywood style. Then Clift, but he lacked Brando’s physicality. For the time and place, Brando was unique, even if briefly. That’s why the ‘demagoguery’. People like Brando, Elvis, Kazan, Tennessee Williams, Jack Kerouac, later Albee, Baldwin, Capote, struck a nerve with post war America. A rebellious nerve, which reflected in the dramatic 1960’s. So, I agree there are plenty of great actors. In the states, Hollywood in particular? He was very different then Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Cagney, Bogie, etc. Nothing wrong with them, BTW. His notices on Broadway, 1940’s, were equally glowing. He definitely had ‘something’. I am aware many people reject ‘the cult of personality’ regarding Brando. However, for many people of that time? He was uniquely effective. Obviously Gielgud is brilliant. Orson Welles would be another giant of that era. Olivier, hell, Paul Muni. As a pure actor, I think Brando was right there with him.
@@thomasmccreesh935 I disagree, Thomas. Gielgud's performance in this film is far stronger and better than Brando's. It isn't a great performance by Brando but it is a good one. I cannot see that he is Antony. He makes pleasant speeches and speaks the verse well but he is not playing Antony. He evidently is not an experienced actor playing Shakespeare. The comments about Gielgud and Olivier, well, they were actors on the English stage primarily, they did not require the fanfare and fame. It is true Brando became excessively lazier as he aged. He was never a believer in his art, if you can call it that, and yes, you make good points, but later in his career, from the 70s he was this figure, morbidly obese, and it was clear he was making brief appearances for a nice pay cheque. The Superman movie he was in is one example. You will not find a more indolent actor than Brando and it seems from the 70s he became inaudible. You couldn't hear what he is even saying, in Roots, Godfather, Apocalypse Now and so on. You mentioned Orson Welles. Well the two men, in my view, were polar opposites, apart from their round bellies. Welles was the greatest American Hollywood star of the century, and spoke perfect English, was able to play great Shakespearean roles such as Macbeth, Falstaff, Othello and Hamlet. Brando could not possibly play those roles. I just think Brando was vastly over rated.
I had read "Cry havoc, let slip the dogs of war" many times. But I realised I never understood it until I heard Brando say it. That's the power of a good actor that can put the meaning in their words.
@@ratatat12356 i mean who cares what race he is… unless you’re only casting actors from Rome in which case fair game. Otherwise as an English person, for example, it would be highly inaccurate for me to play Caesar lol. He’d call either one of us barbarians (unless you happen to be Roman)
Anyone who witnessed this scene as it was being filmed would testify that the astounded movie crew burst into applause at the end of Brando's "dogs of war" speech. How often does that happen?
honestly i think most truly great artists and athlete are the ones who go 1 step beyond what everyone thinks is possible - and Shakespeare trounced them all and went 3 steps past. it's not just that he was 'better' or 'more creative' there is just something about the way he wrote that is superior in multiple dimensions that others don't even seem to be able to operate on
My English teacher loved Shakespeare, so refused to introduce us to him in class, as he believed Shakespeare had been ruined for many by having to read it or perform in school plays. He felt people should come to it their own way and in their own time.
@@medler2110 As a retired English teacher, I could not disagree with that sentiment more. Apply it to any other discipline and consider how absurd it sounds. Math: "I don't teach calculus because doing problems ruins it for many." History: "I refuse to include the Renaissance because all that art and music bores people." Science: "I avoid teaching chemistry because someone might build a bomb someday."
Good lord what a brilliant performance. The way he moves from mourning to deep rage, all building up to the crescendo of that rage exploding through the "Cry 'Havoc' " line , is just perfect.
It's a true testament to Marlon Brando that this scene, which he delivered almost 70 years ago, is still so powerful as to be impressive today. Generally, when I think of Brando, I think of his portrayal of Vito Corleone, but he truly was a gifted & versatile actor.
@@shadow7988 You're probably going to be shocked, but I've never had the opportunity to see "Apocalypse Now". Not sure how I haven't gotten to over the years, but it's one of those movies I'd gladly watch if I came across it.
What’s remarkable here is that Brando makes this soliloquy completely accessible and comprehensible to a layman like me. So many Shakespearean actors delve too deep into the words, fussing with them to the point of incomprehension. Brando makes it soar. No mean task and I do wish he would have taken on more Shakespeare. Titus Andronicus, perhaps? Corialonus? Can you imagine his version of Macbeth?
@@piranha5506 From Europe Just imagine Brando playing Old Man Steptoe instead of Wifred Bramble. The mind boggles and the heart does verily soar at the very thought. Oh! Rapture.
There is a version of Macbeth like this. The 1971 film version by Roman Polanski does away with 99% percent of Shakespeares Iambic Pentameter. I haven’t a had a chance to see the Denzel Washington version but its basically the same thing.
after years of watching this clip, i finally sat my ass down and watched the movie ohhhhh my god it was brilliant. fantastic. I do not know how later iterations could have seen this film and thought they could do better.
‘Cry Havoc’ speech, spoken by Antony, Act 3 Scene 1 O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! Thou art the ruins of the noblest man That ever livèd in the tide of times. Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood! Over thy wounds now do I prophesy- Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue- A curse shall light upon the limbs of men. Domestic fury and fierce civil strife Shall cumber all the parts of Italy. Blood and destruction shall be so in use, And dreadful objects so familiar, That mothers shall but smile when they behold Their infants quartered with the hands of war, All pity choked with custom of fell deeds, And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge, With Ate by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war, That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial.
I will never forget this one day of my sophomore year in high school, meaning sometime in 1962 or '63, being shown this speech in English class. This to a classroom full of boys completely unable to understand what any of these words really meant or what they might have to do with "real life". So we'd been made to memorize this speech grudgingly and bored-ly, and when asked to recite it, did so in the dullest and most wooden and unfeeling (uncomprehending) way. Then the teacher rolls the film. When Marc Brando there builds up the rage and gets to the climactic screamed "Cry HAVOC!!!!!!", the entire classroom full of too-cool guys suddenly sat up straight in their seats, shocked out of their gourds. One of my few high points in high school, that day.
I've never really enjoyed Shakespeare but "Cry Havoc, Let slip the dogs of war!" is one of the most perfect phrases in the English language because it's instantly understood and felt by everyone, even with no context, either in Shakespeare's time or today.
The Roman legions bred their own war dogs from an ancient mastiff-like breed known as the Molloser. They were mainly used as watchdogs or for scouting, but some were equipped with spiked collars and armor, and were trained to fight in formation
Yep they even had ranks for their enlisted dogs and some were essentially officers who could be brought in to lead them for special tasks. There was one dog officer who served with distinction in the Gallic wars after he showed the other ones how to dig underneath walls. He got killed at Alesia and he was an old ass dog by that point but he still commanded respect
Oh yeah. I heard that some were fitted with radio collars and trained to fly drones with HE missiles capable of hitting targets 23 kilometers away too. Amazing things can be learned from RUclips historians.
This comment reminds me of my feelings towards performances of Hamlet and Macbeth that aired on PBS. Both productions had Patrick Stewart in the cast, just to identify them, and both these productions stood head and shoulders above others I subsequently saw. These were magical, terrifying and soaring readings, while other productions fell flat. Frankly those others were mere boring recitations by comparison. It really takes special talent to breathe life into these words and characters. Now I'm going to have to see this Julius Caesar with Brandow.
Happy 100th Bday to the best whoever did it! Not researched, but I can almost guarantee no actor in the history of this play delivered these lines with this kind of rage, anger and violence. No one ever screamed HAVOC with more authenticity and pathos. The audience understands the truthfulness of the prophecy and everything the civil war would bring.
Ya know, if he had chosen to focus more of his career within the Shakespearean canon, I have no doubt that he would have become one of the top 5 actors of that genre for the whole of his acting career. I do believe that he consulted and took lessons for this film from John Gilgud, who spoke very highly of this speech. Spine tingling.
I agree, but instead he fell into a Hollywood hole of ego. Coming up through a classically trained theatre system might have instilled the discipline to yield more fruitful years... :/
Growing up in a much later era everytime I hear the saying "cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" I can't help but think of christopher plummer playing general chang in star trek 6 the undiscovered country
Good performance, good camera-work and lighting. One of my favourite Shakespeare plays, but I didn't enjoy having to study it when I was 15/16. I didn't begin to appreciate Shakespeare's play till a couple of years later when I came to them of my own volition. Caesar's death was brutal murder, unjustifiable, barbaric. Here, Mark Antony conveys that horror and brutality.
yeh but marc antony killed loads of people too for way less reason, and was a prick in general from what the sources tell us. They were warlords. I find it difficult to sympathise with him, except insomuch as he was a round peg in a square hole.
I failed to understand how you think the assassination is “unjustifiable”, Caesar is in the similar vein of Mussolini, Saddam, Tsar, etc., with thus their respective assassination as well. If you found Caesar’s murdering is unjustified you should find others aforementioned unjustified also, but I don’t think you will. This childish romanticisation of him needs to stop. The man was a warlord, a warmongerer, who wrecked havoc and who destroyed countless lives of innocent people.
What he means, is that Brando is up there with the best of them. Not the lowest of them. Recognized. Understand? It is all subject opinion who best actors are. And who is to rate and score them?
True acting. A long lost art. The ability to wholly captivate an audience for a few moments of time, transporting them to a bygone era or some fictional space. Oh that we could capture but a glimmer of those early days of cinema.
Tears. Every time I watch this, tears. I can’t help but wonder what Shakespeare would think of this powerful, masterful interpretation of his work. Two brilliant men, each expressing artistic perfection some 400 years apart. Brando is a God here, and he knew it!
Not to take anything away from Brando, who was a brilliant and intuitive actor, but watch this film for the way he learns from his co-stars. He didn't have that much Shakespearean experience, and was too intelligent to think that his method skills would cut it. Hence, feel the Olivier in this speech, and the Gielgud in his 'Friends, Romans, countrymen' follow-up. It's not imitation, it's knowing how to learn from masters.
still the number 1 actor of all times in my list... this man did for cinema what Mozart and Beethoven did for music or what Leonardo did for art... revolutionary, timeless, the apex of human prowess...
Brando's performance as Mark Antony was so good that John Gielgud offered to direct him in a performance of Hamlet. Brando turned it down, but he seriously considered it.
“Cry havoc!” Meant no quarter fighting with looting/pillaging allowed. The dog line is obvious. You can see them let slip in the first battle in the movie Gladiator.
The word "havoc" was actually a military order in the Middle Ages when Shakespeare lives. Order given by a commander to his soldiers, usually after they had achieved victory in battle; it was the signal for soldiers to go and plunder and pillage and cause even more devastation. And in the general context, especially next to the words monarch, it is unlikely that he are talking about fighting dogs. Idiom there is used in a larger sense - anything used to fight a war, from soldiers to weapons. As a result, we see further in next speech, Mark Antony sets up the citizens of Rome for revenge and comes out with the army against the conspirators.
Emersion X The dog line could absolutely be a metaphor. Like the cobbler being “a healer of soles/souls” at the beginning of Julius Caesar. I feel like we are on the same page on the meaning of havoc.
@@makerstudios5456 Agree, I just consider everything together in the context of the medieval 1599. But it would be more logical to imagine not dogs that rush to bite everyone, overall it is not so terrible and scary. Like men of war unleashed.
I watched an interview with Sir John Gielgud where he stated that he did not feel Brando emphasized the right words and phrases, but I'm impressed, especially considering the knowledgeable and professional Shakespeare actors he had to keep up with in the production.
Interestingly, prior to Lincoln's assassination Brutus was considered the hero by audiences. Booth himself uttered Brutus's words as he fled. Only after Lincoln's death was Brutus considered the villain in Shakespeare's play. Just my historical two cents.
I believe Shakespeare wrote him as a hero. Even Antony called him the noblest Roman of them all. Dante, before Shakespeare did not. He placed him the lowest circle in the Inferno.
"Brando as Mark Anthony was very striking......." Lord Laurence Olivier and Sir John Gielgud. High praise indeed from two actors who were also masters of The Craft!
"Brando as Napoleon was simply the best Napoleon I have ever seen. I don't like to use the word genius in our work but Marlon has the genius to play a genius. He's an astonishing actor, he's a very remarkable actor"! - Lord Laurence Olivier.
Marlon Brando shows here his considerable acting depth. Brando also proved Frank Sinatra wrong here, contradicting the nickname that Frank gave him: "Mumbles," given Marlon's perfect diction in his Brutus role. Not many Hollywood stars could perform Shakespeare at the level shown in this clip. Here's another example of Hollywood actors doing Shakespeare with outstanding results: ruclips.net/video/0bi1PvXCbr8/видео.html
I remember in the residential home I was in Friday was film night. The evening they were showing J.C. I missed the bus stop. I was soo upset as I missed the beginning of the film. I was just 11 years old and obsessed with history and Shakespeare (& still am). I can still feel the panic and upset of that day.
By contrast, a weak actor in a soliloquy, regardless of whoever else may or may not have appeared, would not be strong or skilful enough to control the scene.
Игры
O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever livèd in the tide of times.
Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy -
Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue -
A curse shall light upon the limbs of men.
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy.
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar,
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quartered with the hands of war,
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds.
And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side, come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines, with a monarch's voice
Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war,
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.
I appreciate u, fool
The horror the horror
👏
From Manchester
Oh slay the Besooth Coitus Interuptus in his very deed of ignominy and let upon them ten McGregors in Kilts with their bagpipes a pumping.
From Manchester
Julius Caesar was an Italian, the fourth son of a couple who owned one of Rome's early Pizza bars.
"Look what they did to my boy!"
"Look how they massacred my boy!"
@@docmalthus I knew I got that wrong. Damnit! Good call, good call. In my defense, I hadn't seen the movie in quite awhile.
@@wabbittwacks3173 Actually, you didn't get it wrong. Don Corleone said both lines.
Me thinks my boy's arm is still moving 🤔
"Your parents will cry when they see what I've done to you," Tommyboy.
Even with Shakespeare Brando was simply at another level.
I knooow !!! He's wonderfull ! When i Saw the video i clicked anticipating smth weak and old timey but boy was i wrong, i have to see this now hehe
He got Oscar nominated
@@FastEddie86 nominations are a dime a dozen
@@fitnesspoint2006 not the 4 in a row he got nominated for
@@FastEddie86 4 amazing roles. He should have won for A Streetcar Named Desire 1951 but Bogart was the sentimental favorite for The African Queen.
I don't care what anyone says but Brando was the greatest actor in American film history. His range is phenomenal. He can play Marc Antony. He can play Don Corleone. He can play Stanley Kowolski. He can play Emiiano Zapata. He can play Terry Malloy. He can play Jor El. Hell, he even sang as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. Don't know of many actors today with this kind of range. And mind you, he didn't transition from one genre to the other, he made all these movies in the same era unlike Tom Hanks, who is brilliant, who got his start in goofball comedy then transitioned into drama. Brando did it all at the same time.
I'm an actor and I completely agree with you. Even later in his career when he did projects that were unworthy of him he seemed incapable of not being compelling on some level. In 'The Formula' in his scenes with the late great George C. Scott, he even left Scott behind in the dust. Or in 'The Island of Dr.Moreau' where he was eccentric as hell but still fascinating. Or when he parodied himself as Don Corleone in 'The Freshman'. Or opposite Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway in 'Don Juan De Marco'. Or as George Lincoln Rockwell, head of the 1960's American Nazi Party in the TV miniseries 'Roots', he more than held his own against the force of nature that was the brilliant James Earl Jones -- not an easy thing to do. And as the South African Barrister in the small art-house film 'A Dry White Season', he was, again, absolutely remarkable, his accent and demeanor fully transforming him once again. The man was a total chameleon -- a magician of the acting craft -- who, despite not seeming to take his work very seriously, gave the lie to that with each superior piece of work. And I haven't even mentioned the man's acknowledged greatest performances in 'Waterfront', 'Streetcar', 'Julius Caeser', 'Godfather' and 'Tango'. His work, while sometimes an embarrassment of riches, did have its fallow periods in films like 'Reflections In A Golden Eye' and other big screen soap operas or oddities like 'The Missouri Breaks' which simply didn't allow Brando the scope of characterization to do his most creative work.
@@pauldayclemens7761 I thought he was hysterical in “Missouri Breaks”, lol. I agree with ‘himself’ on one thing. He was brilliant in “Burn!”
You don't care what anybody says because you are talking absolute rot. Gielgud is in the film.
@@johnmulligan455 Well, he did say “American Film History”. Just the same, I agree with your premise about ‘absolutism’.
There are tons of folks who claim Marlon is overrated.
The thing about Brando is ‘time/place/technique’. He was the first guy in the Hollywood system to REALLY break out as a leading man from the depression era ‘new theater’ out of NYC.
John Garfield had already, but acclimated himself to the Hollywood style. Then Clift, but he lacked Brando’s physicality.
For the time and place, Brando was unique, even if briefly.
That’s why the ‘demagoguery’.
People like Brando, Elvis, Kazan, Tennessee Williams, Jack Kerouac, later Albee, Baldwin, Capote, struck a nerve with post war America. A rebellious nerve, which reflected in the dramatic 1960’s.
So, I agree there are plenty of great actors.
In the states, Hollywood in particular? He was very different then Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Cagney, Bogie, etc. Nothing wrong with them, BTW. His notices on Broadway, 1940’s, were equally glowing. He definitely had ‘something’.
I am aware many people reject ‘the cult of personality’ regarding Brando. However, for many people of that time? He was uniquely effective.
Obviously Gielgud is brilliant. Orson Welles would be another giant of that era. Olivier, hell, Paul Muni.
As a pure actor, I think Brando was right there with him.
@@thomasmccreesh935 I disagree, Thomas. Gielgud's performance in this film is far stronger and better than Brando's. It isn't a great performance by Brando but it is a good one. I cannot see that he is Antony. He makes pleasant speeches and speaks the verse well but he is not playing Antony. He evidently is not an experienced actor playing Shakespeare. The comments about Gielgud and Olivier, well, they were actors on the English stage primarily, they did not require the fanfare and fame.
It is true Brando became excessively lazier as he aged. He was never a believer in his art, if you can call it that, and yes, you make good points, but later in his career, from the 70s he was this figure, morbidly obese, and it was clear he was making brief appearances for a nice pay cheque. The Superman movie he was in is one example.
You will not find a more indolent actor than Brando and it seems from the 70s he became inaudible. You couldn't hear what he is even saying, in Roots, Godfather, Apocalypse Now and so on.
You mentioned Orson Welles. Well the two men, in my view, were polar opposites, apart from their round bellies. Welles was the greatest American Hollywood star of the century, and spoke perfect English, was able to play great Shakespearean roles such as Macbeth, Falstaff, Othello and Hamlet. Brando could not possibly play those roles. I just think Brando was vastly over rated.
I had read "Cry havoc, let slip the dogs of war" many times. But I realised I never understood it until I heard Brando say it. That's the power of a good actor that can put the meaning in their words.
If made today caesar would be black and acting like Jim from the office
@@ratatat12356 lol, today's movies are garbage, starting from cast ending with plot, absolute trash
Play it again. Brando adds a word.
@@ratatat12356 i mean who cares what race he is… unless you’re only casting actors from Rome in which case fair game. Otherwise as an English person, for example, it would be highly inaccurate for me to play Caesar lol. He’d call either one of us barbarians (unless you happen to be Roman)
@@willoughby1888 Shakespeare would find your elitism repugnant tbqh
Anyone who witnessed this scene as it was being filmed would testify that the astounded movie crew burst into applause at the end of Brando's "dogs of war" speech. How often does that happen?
I remember reading about this too, many years ago! Thank you for confirming it…
spencer tracy in "Guess who's coming to dinner " final words of film. Hepburn was crying.
@@planetdisco4821 he didnt confirm it, he corroborated it
Meh, Richard Burton was way better as Mark Antony. As he was better at everything than Brando.
@@Goruthar Lol- NO. Can you imagine Burton yelling “Stella!!!” or someone asking Burton “What are you rebelling against this week, Johnny?”
"Cassius is a pimp. He never could've outfought Caesar. But I didn't know until this day that it was Brutus all along."
Made them an offer they shouldn't refuse...
Funny 😁🤣!
_"I know it was you, Brutus. You broke my heart!"_
Greatest depiction of Marc Antony… a man who could set the world on fire and yet still have the humility to honour his friends..🙂
BTW, Chuck Heston's version is also very good.
@@fredhoupt4078 I would give Heston the nod on this role. He played it cool, calculating, savvy, and occasionally passionate.
pfff James Purefoy mate
@@manfrombritain6816 I agree, he was superb in "Rome."
Heston was better
shakespeare was one helluva writer, that dialogue stands by itself, even before a great actor gets their mouth on it
honestly i think most truly great artists and athlete are the ones who go 1 step beyond what everyone thinks is possible - and Shakespeare trounced them all and went 3 steps past. it's not just that he was 'better' or 'more creative' there is just something about the way he wrote that is superior in multiple dimensions that others don't even seem to be able to operate on
My English teacher loved Shakespeare, so refused to introduce us to him in class, as he believed Shakespeare had been ruined for many by having to read it or perform in school plays. He felt people should come to it their own way and in their own time.
@@medler2110 Wow so agree with that. I did not enjoy Shakespeare until much older.
@@manfrombritain6816 there's an old saying about talent hitting targets no one else can, but geniuses hits targets no one can see
@@medler2110 As a retired English teacher, I could not disagree with that sentiment more. Apply it to any other discipline and consider how absurd it sounds. Math: "I don't teach calculus because doing problems ruins it for many." History: "I refuse to include the Renaissance because all that art and music bores people."
Science: "I avoid teaching chemistry because someone might build a bomb someday."
Good lord what a brilliant performance. The way he moves from mourning to deep rage, all building up to the crescendo of that rage exploding through the "Cry 'Havoc' " line , is just perfect.
Agreed. And the delivery of the 'Cry Havoc!' line, with such a powerful voice along his body posture and movements as well, gave me chills.
Mostly Shakespeare's genius.
It's a true testament to Marlon Brando that this scene, which he delivered almost 70 years ago, is still so powerful as to be impressive today. Generally, when I think of Brando, I think of his portrayal of Vito Corleone, but he truly was a gifted & versatile actor.
For me, it's his role as Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. He WAS the heart of darkness that the movie was trying to capture.
@@shadow7988 You're probably going to be shocked, but I've never had the opportunity to see "Apocalypse Now". Not sure how I haven't gotten to over the years, but it's one of those movies I'd gladly watch if I came across it.
You should watch Gillo Pontecorvo's i969 film "Burn" (Queimada). Even Brando considers he did one of his best acting jobs in that film.
My favorite Brando role will forever be his portrayal of Dr. Moreau.
"Marlon Brando was so very handsome in his prime." Ninja Sex party
What’s remarkable here is that Brando makes this soliloquy completely accessible and comprehensible to a layman like me. So many Shakespearean actors delve too deep into the words, fussing with them to the point of incomprehension. Brando makes it soar. No mean task and I do wish he would have taken on more Shakespeare. Titus Andronicus, perhaps? Corialonus? Can you imagine his version of Macbeth?
Can you imagine old Brando doing Lear? I get goosebumps just thinking about it
@@piranha5506
From Europe
Just imagine Brando playing Old Man Steptoe instead of Wifred Bramble. The mind boggles and the heart does verily soar at the very thought. Oh! Rapture.
It's just the same words dude lol
@@hiddensword9387 True, but delivery and emotional heft matter. It is never enough to simply recite lines and hit the marks.
There is a version of Macbeth like this. The 1971 film version by Roman Polanski does away with 99% percent of Shakespeares Iambic Pentameter. I haven’t a had a chance to see the Denzel Washington version but its basically the same thing.
after years of watching this clip, i finally sat my ass down and watched the movie
ohhhhh my god it was brilliant. fantastic. I do not know how later iterations could have seen this film and thought they could do better.
James Mason too as Brutus.
Brando’s features look exactly like statues of ancient Romans & Greeks. And he can act. We don’t see that combo much anymore.
Almost like he's Italian or something.
@@pearz420 Yeah, like Danny DeVito and Ernest Borgnine.
@@brinsonharris9816 good one lmao
@@pearz420 You got my point, I got yours. High five!
He could've done only Shakespeare and gone down as arguably the greatest Shakespearean actor who ever lived.
‘Cry Havoc’ speech, spoken by Antony, Act 3 Scene 1
O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever livèd in the tide of times.
Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy-
Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue-
A curse shall light upon the limbs of men.
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy.
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar,
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quartered with the hands of war,
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds,
And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war,
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.
Damn, how can anyone put together words like this and make it sound so beautiful when they describe the ugliness of war.
Brando truly was a great actor. His funeral oration is a masterwork. I have never seen better and I doubt I ever shall.
Quincy Jones had some bizarre opinions of Mr. Marlon.
Reaches the heights of Olivier at his best, and that is high praise as Olivier was the Master in this realm.
Have you ever seen Damien Lewis's version that he did for the Guardian a few years ago? If not, I'd recommend it.
@@vivthefree Ha, I was going to suggest this as well. Very powerful, he is truly conveying this burning sarcasm and this subliminal rage.
But his own life was a disaster. What price glory?
I can see this young man having a great future in Hollywood. Good luck to him.
He went on to make The Island of Doctor Moreau. Very sad.
Good luck to that
@@ercanozkan1 wooshhh dummmy
@@ercanozkan1 pro tip: we all die.
@@ercanozkan1 the fate of us all
I will never forget this one day of my sophomore year in high school, meaning sometime in 1962 or '63, being shown this speech in English class. This to a classroom full of boys completely unable to understand what any of these words really meant or what they might have to do with "real life". So we'd been made to memorize this speech grudgingly and bored-ly, and when asked to recite it, did so in the dullest and most wooden and unfeeling (uncomprehending) way. Then the teacher rolls the film. When Marc Brando there builds up the rage and gets to the climactic screamed "Cry HAVOC!!!!!!", the entire classroom full of too-cool guys suddenly sat up straight in their seats, shocked out of their gourds. One of my few high points in high school, that day.
I've never really enjoyed Shakespeare but "Cry Havoc, Let slip the dogs of war!" is one of the most perfect phrases in the English language because it's instantly understood and felt by everyone, even with no context, either in Shakespeare's time or today.
When he was motivated and cared about a role, there was no one better than Brando. He was one of the greatest actors of his generation.
He deserves his reputation. I can't think of another actor who could pull this off.
Agree.....especially in this film he is still very young. Nowadays it's rare for a talented young actor like him.
The Roman legions bred their own war dogs from an ancient mastiff-like breed known as the Molloser. They were mainly used as watchdogs or for scouting, but some were equipped with spiked collars and armor, and were trained to fight in formation
That’s awesome
I love my wardogs in Rome Total War
Yep they even had ranks for their enlisted dogs and some were essentially officers who could be brought in to lead them for special tasks. There was one dog officer who served with distinction in the Gallic wars after he showed the other ones how to dig underneath walls. He got killed at Alesia and he was an old ass dog by that point but he still commanded respect
Oh yeah. I heard that some were fitted with radio collars and trained to fly drones with HE missiles capable of hitting targets 23 kilometers away too.
Amazing things can be learned from RUclips historians.
@@Ian-lx1iz You probably believe everything you see on RUclips.
Even Shakespeare would have loved this American accent. What an actor!
This is acting, Marlon Brando was actors actor the intensity in this scene speaks wow.
This comment reminds me of my feelings towards performances of Hamlet and Macbeth that aired on PBS. Both productions had Patrick Stewart in the cast, just to identify them, and both these productions stood head and shoulders above others I subsequently saw. These were magical, terrifying and soaring readings, while other productions fell flat. Frankly those others were mere boring recitations by comparison.
It really takes special talent to breathe life into these words and characters. Now I'm going to have to see this Julius Caesar with Brandow.
Perfect scene, absolutely zero fat on that one. every word and movement was perfectly performed.
Happy 100th Bday to the best whoever did it! Not researched, but I can almost guarantee no actor in the history of this play delivered these lines with this kind of rage, anger and violence. No one ever screamed HAVOC with more authenticity and pathos. The audience understands the truthfulness of the prophecy and everything the civil war would bring.
Timing, inflection, emphasis, power....Brando knew what the hell he was doing.
Imppecable delivery! Totally in the zone.
Ya know, if he had chosen to focus more of his career within the Shakespearean canon, I have no doubt that he would have become one of the top 5 actors of that genre for the whole of his acting career. I do believe that he consulted and took lessons for this film from John Gilgud, who spoke very highly of this speech. Spine tingling.
If so, that is high praise , indeed. Sir John was a man of the highest standards and refined taste in everything.
@@giovannilupino5538 ruclips.net/video/up-7hSCpiO8/видео.html
I agree, but instead he fell into a Hollywood hole of ego. Coming up through a classically trained theatre system might have instilled the discipline to yield more fruitful years... :/
Yes. Our misfortune that instead he fell into Hollywood’s ills.
Growing up in a much later era everytime I hear the saying "cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" I can't help but think of christopher plummer playing general chang in star trek 6 the undiscovered country
This speech begins one of the greatest set of scenes put to film. My soul trembles with Marc Antony's voice the full funeral is divine.
Good performance, good camera-work and lighting. One of my favourite Shakespeare plays, but I didn't enjoy having to study it when I was 15/16. I didn't begin to appreciate Shakespeare's play till a couple of years later when I came to them of my own volition. Caesar's death was brutal murder, unjustifiable, barbaric. Here, Mark Antony conveys that horror and brutality.
yeh but marc antony killed loads of people too for way less reason, and was a prick in general from what the sources tell us. They were warlords. I find it difficult to sympathise with him, except insomuch as he was a round peg in a square hole.
Julius Ceasar had betrayed Rome. Foreign troops crossing the River Rubicon, by his order. Demanding to be made Tyrant, and close the Senate.
Because English teachers suck at teaching theater.
I failed to understand how you think the assassination is “unjustifiable”, Caesar is in the similar vein of Mussolini, Saddam, Tsar, etc., with thus their respective assassination as well. If you found Caesar’s murdering is unjustified you should find others aforementioned unjustified also, but I don’t think you will. This childish romanticisation of him needs to stop. The man was a warlord, a warmongerer, who wrecked havoc and who destroyed countless lives of innocent people.
"And let slip the hogs of war"
"Ugh, it's 'dogs' of war."
"Whatever farm animals of war then"
My heart is pounding with the intensity of feeling he conveyed!
One of the best Actor of all time
What he means, is that Brando is up there with the best of them. Not the lowest of them. Recognized. Understand?
It is all subject opinion who best actors are. And who is to rate and score them?
Amazing that they had Panovision cameras in Ancient Rome.
Marlon. Fucking. BRANDO. In my favourite performance he's ever done. Thank you, Marlon.
Que maravilla!!! Shakespeare y Brando ... juntos !!! No me canso de ver y oír tanto talento
Damn i've never had an actor give me goosebumps with a scene like this. Incredible
I saw this movie in high school with my English class. It so moved me that I went back to see it again. Great actor.
That delivery was epic.
Thanks for uploading this!
True acting. A long lost art. The ability to wholly captivate an audience for a few moments of time, transporting them to a bygone era or some fictional space. Oh that we could capture but a glimmer of those early days of cinema.
Goosebumps! From the low sentimental to the furious exhortation to the long look in the eye towards war at the end. Masterful!
Whoa. Shakespeare is centuries old but still so good. I love it and the sheer magnitude it portrays in each of its settings.
Absolutely brilliant
I mean that is just the acting brought to the level of perfection. It never fails to give me chills
One of Brando's greatest performances. I havent seen this movie in 30 plus years but Ive got to check it out again
Brando looks like a Roman statue. He definitely has the blood of Romulus and Remus in his veins.
It’s certainly one of the greatest screen performances of all time. The entire cast is superb, it is a phenomenal film.
The eyes, the gaze, the face, the control. He was amazing.
No person has ever looked more like a living roman bust of granite.
Until he gained 300 more pounds of weight.
@@ANDROLOMA Your words are true and can not be denied.
@@ANDROLOMA Then he looked like the stone ball rolling after Indiana Jones in the temple of doom.
Great movie and the speech was such a good scene.
Tears. Every time I watch this, tears. I can’t help but wonder what Shakespeare would think of this powerful, masterful interpretation of his work. Two brilliant men, each expressing artistic perfection some 400 years apart. Brando is a God here, and he knew it!
absolutely brilliant
He was actually easier to understand when he was reciting Shakespeare than when he was mumbling through his mouth-full-of-mables American English.
That was actually my first thought!
@Greg Elchert ; But he talked like he had a adenoids and severe nasal congestion in "Bedtime Story", and that was a screwball comedy.
@Greg Elchert And don't forget Terry Malone in On The Waterfront
Reciting Shakespeare gives eloquence to feral tongues. It's forceful elegance gives fire to gentle souls.
Agreed, OP. I suspect he rose to the material instead of relying on his charisma alone.
what do you get when you mix the greatest writer ever, the greatest American actor ever, and the greatest director of that generation? this.
This is one of my favorite movies.
Brilliant 🙏 Absolutely brilliant. For anyone who knows the whole speech this is cheer brilliance 🙏💐
He was the Cesar of actors, forever a legend
Not to take anything away from Brando, who was a brilliant and intuitive actor, but watch this film for the way he learns from his co-stars. He didn't have that much Shakespearean experience, and was too intelligent to think that his method skills would cut it. Hence, feel the Olivier in this speech, and the Gielgud in his 'Friends, Romans, countrymen' follow-up. It's not imitation, it's knowing how to learn from masters.
Gielgud was his co-star in this film. He may very well HAVE asked him for advice.
@@maestroclassico5801 I remember an interview with Gielgud to the effect that that's exactly what he did. When you need to learn, learn from the best.
I can't stop watching this
I loved him in this role. He was SO GOOD.
still the number 1 actor of all times in my list... this man did for cinema what Mozart and Beethoven did for music or what Leonardo did for art...
revolutionary, timeless, the apex of human prowess...
Ahahahaha!
Holy crap. The man knew his stuff.
Brando's performance as Mark Antony was so good that John Gielgud offered to direct him in a performance of Hamlet. Brando turned it down, but he seriously considered it.
My favourite scene. Ever. And by a great performer.
No tricks but set dressing.
"He could have been a contender, he could have a somebody"
“Cry havoc!” Meant no quarter fighting with looting/pillaging allowed. The dog line is obvious. You can see them let slip in the first battle in the movie Gladiator.
cool!
The word "havoc" was actually a military order in the Middle Ages when Shakespeare lives. Order given by a commander to his soldiers, usually after they had achieved victory in battle; it was the signal for soldiers to go and plunder and pillage and cause even more devastation. And in the general context, especially next to the words monarch, it is unlikely that he are talking about fighting dogs. Idiom there is used in a larger sense - anything used to fight a war, from soldiers to weapons. As a result, we see further in next speech, Mark Antony sets up the citizens of Rome for revenge and comes out with the army against the conspirators.
Emersion X The dog line could absolutely be a metaphor. Like the cobbler being “a healer of soles/souls” at the beginning of Julius Caesar. I feel like we are on the same page on the meaning of havoc.
@@makerstudios5456 Agree, I just consider everything together in the context of the medieval 1599. But it would be more logical to imagine not dogs that rush to bite everyone, overall it is not so terrible and scary. Like men of war unleashed.
Emersion X Cool man. Thanks for the content!
he was at times astounding.. brilliant..
Amazing set design and lighting
I've seen actual Roman busts that look very much like Brando in this scene.
Brando: He could have been a Shakespearean contender.
But he rather eat himself to death and do a lot of stupid, destructive crap.
@@Bigbadwhitecracker So true; So sad.
I watched an interview with Sir John Gielgud where he stated that he did not feel Brando emphasized the right words and phrases, but I'm impressed, especially considering the knowledgeable and professional Shakespeare actors he had to keep up with in the production.
This is the finest depiction if this scene I know, a true archetype.
Interestingly, prior to Lincoln's assassination Brutus was considered the hero by audiences. Booth himself uttered Brutus's words as he fled. Only after Lincoln's death was Brutus considered the villain in Shakespeare's play.
Just my historical two cents.
Sic semper tyrannis.
Thank you. I didn't know that. If I ever get to direct this, I will consider that.
Only the ancient Romans knew if Julius as a dictator was or wasn't a tyrant. I suppose 2000 years later none of us will ever truly know.
I believe Shakespeare wrote him as a hero. Even Antony called him the noblest Roman of them all. Dante, before Shakespeare did not. He placed him the lowest circle in the Inferno.
@@trajan75 How did making Brutus the hero play out with the queen of England at the time?
Stellaaaah!
(pause)
Stellaaaaaaah!
😋
Top 5 best actor of all time. No doubt.
"Brando as Mark Anthony was very striking......."
Lord Laurence Olivier and Sir John Gielgud.
High praise indeed from two actors who were also masters of The Craft!
This is defnitely one the most powerful delivery in movie history. This guy was one a kind
Brando crushed it...
Marlon Brando was the greatest actor
Wow. That was awesome
Wow....brando is another type of actor. So many versatile roles
"Brando as Napoleon was simply the best Napoleon I have ever seen. I don't like to use the word genius in our work but Marlon has the genius to play a genius. He's an astonishing actor, he's a very remarkable actor"! -
Lord Laurence Olivier.
Hey, I think he is still alive, I can see him breathing.
I liked it better in its original Klingon.
Fantastic
Absolutely incredible.
"I'm going to make Brutus an offer he can't refuse."
🤣
Marlon Brando shows here his considerable acting depth. Brando also proved Frank Sinatra wrong here, contradicting the nickname that Frank gave him: "Mumbles," given Marlon's perfect diction in his Brutus role. Not many Hollywood stars could perform Shakespeare at the level shown in this clip. Here's another example of Hollywood actors doing Shakespeare with outstanding results: ruclips.net/video/0bi1PvXCbr8/видео.html
True though I think Brando had done Shakespeare already on Broadway before this.
He’s playing Marc Antony, not Brutus.
I remember in the residential home I was in Friday was film night. The evening they were showing J.C. I missed the bus stop. I was soo upset as I missed the beginning of the film. I was just 11 years old and obsessed with history and Shakespeare (& still am). I can still feel the panic and upset of that day.
Impeccable!
Brando totally controlling the scene. Raw power.
He was the scene's only animate object. Saying he controlled the scene is like saying he won the debate in a soliloquy. 😀
By contrast, a weak actor in a soliloquy, regardless of whoever else may or may not have appeared, would not be strong or skilful enough to control the scene.
@@gregoryrogers2383 I think I would like to view a weak actor in a soliloquy, so I learn how not to speak to myself poorly.
Is there any modern-day actor who can touch this?
Damian Lewis did the same role pretty well. Though his Antony is perhaps a bit more cynical and less... sincerely emotional
Hot damn! That was awesome!
Great performance!
"The horror."
...the horror
General Chang said it better in the Undiscovered Country
👍👍👍👍👍
Well done...you took less than ten words to show us that you're a very silly person.
How did he not get an award for this I will never know. He and Richard burton where the best Antony’s ever
Now *that* is quality content.