Clooney Does Caesar

After purchasing my ticket, I headed toward the theater entrance and handed it to the door greeter, who acknowledged me with a big smile as he confirmed that I was going to see “Ideas About March.” Indeed a teachable moment, but not one worth pursuing when I could hear the distinctive sounds of freshly-popping corn in the lobby of a theater outfitted with rocking reclining loungers, instead of hard plastic seats. I’d keep my little secret that the movie is actually entitled “Ides of March,” which refers to the quarterly “hump” day of the 15th of seasonal months, including March.

More importantly, in this film, for which Clooney is not just the director, but also one of the writers, the Ides of March is the first clue that Clooney is doing Julius Caesar. No, he never utters the classic “et tu, Brute?,” but his piercing stare conveys the message almost more effectively than words. The Ides of March were foretold to Caesar to beware, advice that he ignored because he was too big to be brought down.

It’s a complicated plot, a subtle massage of the Shakespearean classic, but it’s just as powerful as the Bard intended: the deepest betrayal comes from those closest to us. I found myself guessing who dunnit throughout the film, trying to hone in on the cast of characters: Caesar emerged; Brutus revealed himself; but Cassius is still clouded in maybe for me. The cast uses the highest professional skills to create the conflict, rather than tossing it into the viewer’s face. Subtlety is one acting craft I appreciate because it involves me in the film, rather than the usual cinema technique of putting it all out there so no one, and I mean no one, can miss the point.

I’d like to see Ides of March again from an informed perspective because just as I enjoy reading Shakespeare’s plays more than once, Clooney’s film needs a second experience to appreciate fully the nuances of plot, character, and conflict. The resolution is perfect and cannot be revealed without spoiling the moment. As the country song says, “You say it all when you say nothing at all.”