We are introduced to Caesar on the battlefield, and we are shown that he is a very powerful man. This is demonstrated by the mise en scene not only in the way that he holds himself in this scene, with a puffed up chest, head held high, but also in the way that he is positioned in the scene so that he is taller than the other men, a sure sign of dominance or importance in film and imagery. We can also see here that Caesar had additional decorations on his armor, a sign of wealth or importance, in this case both. This scene takes place right after we see many legions so we are meant to understand that he controls all of them. This is a medium shot so we're a little more intimate with Caesar, and because of this we are more likely to sympathize and like Caesar. It's also almost an eye level shot with Caesar, but an argument could be made that the shot is almost a high angle shot, we are definitively looking down on the two soldiers to the left as we can see most of the top of their helmets, but we can also almost see the top of Caesar's head, this may be foreshadowing to Caesar bowing down to Cleopatra at her coronation. All these things send the message that caesar is a very powerful man.
You are doing a great job analyzing the mise-en-scene, the shot, the angle, and the costume. Your remarks about Caesar's posture and head made me realize once more what a wonderful choice Rex Harrison was for the role of Caesar. He has the same royal bearing and receding hairline.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I could add is the grime of Canidius' forearm (the officer on the very left, played by Andrew Faulds). It subtly reminds us that the battle has just ended, and Canidius hasn't had time yet to clean up.
It's also interesting that Caesar is the only one among the three officers who doesn't wear a helmet. Later on, that's even true in battle, when he stands on the palace wall in Alexandria and orders a turtle to be formed. Movie directors apparently don't like to hide the faces of their main characters.
Last but not least, I wonder what all these soldiers in the background are doing. Are they dragging the corpses of the vanquished off the battle field?