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Julius Caesar

Sir Arthur John Gielgud, One Of The Greatest Actors Of All Times

There are those who in certain fields achieve greatness that goes far beyond the rest to the point that theirs can not be measured in awards or even commercial success but only in the quality of the work they gave which rises above anything else. This perhaps is how I would best describe John Gielgud's legacy, for it is he whom I consider to be the finest actor I ever saw and though many will come; his performances will remain as some of the grandest given not only on stage but in films as well.

It was back in 1982, when I saw the film "Arthur" that I really got to see John Gielgud act for the first time and in all honesty; he made an impression on me like no other actor ever had or has since. Gielgud, in this what could be called as one of the first ever romantic comedies; playing the part of a sarcastic yet witty butler in a way that gave so much to the character as to make almost every one of his lines memorable. So many classics in what I would consider as typical dry English humor, such as when he tells Liza Minnelli "one must usually go to a bowling alley to meet a woman of your stature" or when he gives her a recommendation as to what clothes she should wear with the response "steal something casual".  It being a tremendous sense of comedic timing along with the dignity of a grand actor that made this supporting role or at least in my opinion one which for many years to come will endear itself to viewers of the film "Arthur".

After the film "Arthur", I would go on to see John Gielgud on cable in films like "Gandhi" and "The Elephant Man" in which he continued to impress upon me even if his roles in these films were but short. Gielgud being in my opinion on a par with other greats such as Olivier, Richardson and Guinness; who declared that his voice was  "a silver trumpet muffled in silk". I even recalling a conversation I had many years later in London with an American who was studying to become an actor in England; it being he who claimed that it was Gielgud's performance in the film "Arthur" which had inspired him to wanting to study acting. This young man explaining that he had always thought of Gielgud as another Shakespearean actor who though great was stiff yet it was in this film in which he showed an ability to deliver comic lines in a manner he had never thought somebody like him could.

I also recall this young man's friend being asked by another American if he too wished to study in England. It being this second young man to claim that unfortunately he wanted to be a chef and though the English may have great actors; cooking was definitely not an English strong point and judging from the food I tried in the UK; I can see he was correct in his assessment of English culinary skills. This proving that all nationalities excel in something yet none does so in everything and where the English are fantastic actors, they are surely not cooks of the same quality.

Strangely enough it would be many years later when I was living in Poland that I would see (on TCM) Gielgud in the film "Julius Caesar" along side such greats as Brando and Mason yet to me it was Gielgud's powerful performance as Cassius which made the film one to record and watch several times over. Gielgud bringing so much life to those classical lines in a way that filled them with passion. As in the scene where he tries to convince Brutus by saying "the fault dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in ourselves that we are under links" with such clarity of voice yet containing all the anger of an ardent speaker; that it seemed to me that he was speaking from his emotions of the moment and not merely repeating what had been written centuries before.

Gielgud, I would later find out had performed in the most successful and longest running version of Hamlet on Broadway which made me think it was sort of ironic that in "Arthur", Arthur Bach; the main character in the film asks him if he would like him to read Hamlet. For my part however I have not seen Gielgud in Hamlet yet I can imagine how strong his performances must have been if it even drew some bitterness which would last for many years; from a then up and coming younger actor by the name of Laurence Olivier. Gielgud however also impressed me in two other roles to which I felt he lent a lot to and they being in the films "Prime Minister" in which he plays the part of Benjamin Disraeli and in "The Barretts of Wimpole Street". This last film being one in which he plays a tyrannical father, who could not have been further from the gentle character he would in later years play in Arthur yet it was in this part; in this otherwise mediocre film that I got to see a side of him I had not before. This being his ability to play dark characters.

I have been an admirer of Gielgud's for a long time, as to me he is to his craft what Hannibal was to war or what Levine is to conducting and yet given that it is not in my character to seek out personal information about those whose work I admire; I did not find out till very recently that he had been a homosexual through out all of his life. Naturally this factor did not shock me or remove my admiration for him as an actor, for even if mine were to condemn such life styles (which it is not); I would see no relevance what so ever between his homosexuality and stupendous acting ability yet I must confess to have been surprised. This due to how in none of the two interviews I heard him give, did I detect even the slightest hint that he might not be straight. As his was one of such discretion that even for someone like me, who has a tendency of noticing traits which most would not; it was impossible to observe anything that would have told me about his orientation. Gielgud is even believed by some to have been one of the main reasons that led to the eventual decriminalizing of homosexuality in the UK.

As a final note, I remember Gielgud saying in one of the two interviews I heard him give that he did not want to reach the point where he was what he called "too respected" because this would mean that he would not be criticized or told when something he had done was not so good. This to me showing that despite all the accolades Gielgud had obtained, he still wanted to be praised for what his performances were and not live on past glories.

About the Author

My name is Gianni Truvianni, I am an author who writes with the simple aim of sharing his ideas, thoughts and so much more of what I am with those who are interested in perhaps reading something new. I also am the author of the book entitled "New York's Opera Society" which is now available on Amazon.

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