Julius Caesar is a 2002 historical drama television miniseries about the life of the Roman general and dictator Gaius Julius Caesar. It was directed by German director Uli Edel and written by Peter Pruce and Craig Warner. The miniseries is a dramatization of Caesar's life from 82 BC to his death in 44 BC.
Production and Broadcast
The series was a co-production between Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. It originally premiered on German television in December 2002. The total runtime is approximately 240 minutes. It was one of the last two films starring Richard Harris, released in the year of his death (2002).
Cast
- Jeremy Sisto as Julius Caesar
- Richard Harris as Lucius Sulla
- Christopher Walken as Cato the Younger
- Valeria Golino as Calpurnia
- Chris Noth as Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey)
- Heino Ferch as Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
- Tobias Moretti as Cassius
- Sean Pertwee as Titus Labienus
- Pamela Bowen as Servilia
- Samuela Sardo as Cleopatra
- Nicole Grimaudo as Julia
- Paolo Briguglia as Marcus Junius Brutus
- Christian Kohlund as Marcus Tullius Cicero
- Daniela Piazza as Aurelia
Plot
The miniseries covers the major events of Julius Caesar's life, beginning in 82 BC during the dictatorship of Sulla, through his military campaigns in Gaul, the civil war against Pompey, his relationship with Cleopatra, his dictatorship, and culminating in his assassination on the Ides of March (15 March 44 BC).
Reception
The miniseries received generally mixed to positive reviews. It was noted for its strong cast, particularly the performances of Jeremy Sisto as Caesar and Richard Harris in one of his final roles as Sulla. The production values and period costumes were also praised, though some critics noted that condensing Caesar's complex life into a four-hour format required significant narrative compression.
