Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator

If you are going to have a load of actors whose words we never hear, an obvious question is: do we need them at all? Actually, it works really well. The casting is excellent, with distinctive individuals characterising each of the protagonists.

The mix of expertise, combining classical scholars with experienced political commentators, is really effective. We end up with two things: a vivid and memorable depiction of the political struggles of Caesar's time, and a timely warning against the dangers of populism in our own day. That trick of advancing one's own faction and personal interests by pretending to be on the side of the masses has come back to bite us just as Cato and Cicero feared.