BERLIN (Reuters) - Drug dealers, a Mafioso and a murderer are cast in the roles of Caesar, Brutus, Cassius and others in "Caesar Must Die," a docu-drama about inmates at a tough Italian prison who take on a Shakespeare tragedy.
The movie, which has its world premiere at the Berlin film festival on Saturday, was shot at the Rebibbia prison on the outskirts of Rome, some of it in the high security wing.
Directed by veteran Italian film makers Vittorio and Paolo Taviani, "Cesare Deve Morire" might equally be called "Shakespeare can set you free" as prisoners mentally escape the confines of their cells, at least fleetingly.
And Shakespeare's themes of power, corruption, murder and vengeance in "Julius Caesar" naturally resonate with performers who are serving sentences ranging from 14 years to life.
"They were in their world but at the same time they had lines of Shakespeare which talked about murder and betrayal ... about power and bosses, and we thought may be we can include their realities in the play," Vittorio told reporters in Berlin.
via news.yahoo.com
