Despite its lean and hungry look, the Taviani Brothers' Caesar Must Die may be the most effectively gimmicked version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in the 75 years since Orson Welles's modern-dress, anti-fascist staging.

It is almost an impertinence to think that we understand the thoughts of these actors and those in the audience who are relatives and friends. But this is the intriguing privilege that the Taviani brothers have given us.

The problem with the film, which somewhat inexplicably won the Golden Bear at Berlin last year, is that it scarcely transcends the basic novelty of its premise.

The determination-at times it seems close to anguish-with which they seize that opportunity reenacts what must have been the astonishing force and challenge launched by the actors who first played Julius Caesar.