I've been watching the documentary about this film, and each time I play through this scene, I seeth with rage that it never was. This could've been Laughton's crowning achievement
It's a terrible shame that this film was never completed. Charles Laughton was an incredible actor. In six minutes we watch the "⁹stuttering fool' assume the dignity of an emperor.
I come back to this every once in a while, whenever I'm in the mood for some extremely fine British acting. The range of moods he moves through here so naturally is truly wonderful to see.
I couldn't agree more. His performance in this scene is remarkably convincing & nuanced. One of my favorite film performance of his is 'Witness for the Prosecution.'
Great performance from a man who said he never felt comfortable in the part and could not get into the Character, this coupled with a series of disasters sealed the fate of what could have been a classic
It gave me a shiver. Words like riveting should be reserved for this caliber of art. I am torn between greed and gratitude, wanting more and yet so thankful for what was. Is true beauty always so ephemeral?
Mr. Laughton was, and still is, the best. Never knew this existed. Even from this all too-short clip, it's obvious the actor made for a brilliant Claudius. Although I'm a huge fan of the British-series with Jacobi, and of the latter in-particular, it's interesting & somewhat-refreshing to see the Roman portrayed with a less continuous & interruptive stutter. Claudius was an underestimated emperor, as the Senate, in the scene featured here, clearly demonstrates.
The story goes that Charles Laughton and Peter Ustinov rewrote all their dialogue in Spartacus, especially in their scenes together, with the approval of star Kirk Douglas and director Stanley Kubrick. The result were scenes that were sparkling in their wit and irony.
I never realized how great an actor Charles Laughton was until this scene. I very much enjoyed his comic and dramatic performances, but now I see how deep a man he was. How vast the world by lamplight seems.
I have stumbled across this scene after re-watching the BBC mid 70's Derek Jacobi version. I have to say that this is absolute gold and thank you for sharing. As phaasch noted - this is indeed an incredible performance
OK, Jacobi's version was good, and of course it was an ensemble piece with a lot of other great actors. Laughton was taking on a huge role and largely the burden of the film. Oh, who was his Messalina? Olivier's mad wife, was it? Wow. If only this had been completed. Hey ho.
There's something to be said about the slow moments in older movies. The deliberate longer pauses, and the longer form shots of a scene. Every chracter has just that much more weight, and the power of word, scene, and chracater is all the greater
Yes it’s a shame that this film was never finished but how grateful I am that this clip exists. It is the most perfect piece of acting ever captured on film.
As much as I enjoyed the 1970s version, I wish this film had been completed. It showed so much promise. What surprises me the most is the lack of views and comments.
So few know of it, sadly. This scene must stand as one of the most compelling ever committed to celluloid. Laughton uses space and stillness to command our attention. A master at work.
1st i’ve heard of it. i’ve read the Graves books & seen the Jacobi version. Laughton is one of my all-time favorite actors. he did some excellent radio work too.
@@phaasch I wonder how much of the pacing is unintended, that these long shots were merely complete takes meant to have reaction shots and response close-ups edited in, but those shots never got filmed. Especially the times when actors speak from off-screen.
@@Fuchsia_tude I'm sure the finished cut would have been quite different, with, like you say, various cutaways to the off-camera speakers. It is almost certainly to our advantage that this scene in particular was never completed, as it shows us the man at work, quite literally, uncut.
The part of the scene where Laughton's Claudius is condemning Cassius to death is deeply moving. Here you see a man who knows just how horrible killing is, reluctantly ordering a man's death with all the gravitas and uncertainty that this act deserves. Laughton conveys this scene perfectly. I want to go to the alternate universe where this film actually got made and watch the rest of it.
Yours was the first comment I read. I've just watched this for the first time. I thought I'd stumbled across a scene from a film by one of my favourite actors of a book - and a TV series - I dearly love. Pretty heartbreaking and a real gut-punch to find out immediately after that it's a failed production that was never completed. I really enjoy Jacobi's performance, but here... Laughton promises something even greater. Sigh.
But as Emperor Caligula was killed from the noble motive of ending the tyranny and further murders of a serial brutal killer (as of his wife sister "Hera" by impaling her with a sword to abort their fetus, and of having his nephew decapitated for the crime of coughing annoyingly repeatedly), the regicide was an act of just retribution and pragmatism, to restore moral sanity to the polity.
@@EyeLean5280 That was unfortunate collateral damage; in the tv series a scene of an infant in its crib being run through by a Praetorian Guard with a sword was especially hard to watch, given the universal innocence of babies and small children. The drama I, Claudius starkly "reminded" modern audiences just how inhumanitarian Roman Empire mores and (im)moral norms were; but as a cautionary tale to us to beware reviving such.
Brilliant work . Charles Laughton usually found himself in less sympathetic roles, which he always played to perfection. Most screen directors realized then, (as the better ones do now) that the way to get the best performances from traditional stage actors is to set the scene up technically, order "action", and then just sit back and let the masters do their stuff. Fascinating to compare Laughton's Claudius with that of Derek Jacobi several decades later. Both amazing performances of an extremely demanding role.
One of the best classics never made. Maybe in the future with CG technology this movie could be made using the script with all the original actors scenes etc etc.
I totally agree with the comments here. I also find the commentary after the speech by Dirk bogarde and Emlyn Williams in the documentary totally hits the nail on the head regarding Laughton.
Just thinking about Charles Lawton today. Although he was WAY before my time, he is one of my favorite ‘classic’ actors. So many fantastic roles. What is your favorite Charles Lawton movies. Mine is Henry the 8th and The Barrett’s of Wimpole Street.
Mine is this one, even though incomplete. The Hunchback of Notre Dame where he breaks your heart. I loved the fearful teacher who develops into a hero under German occupation of his country, in This Land is Mine. I also loved the very funny Ruggles of Red Cap. I think he's the greatest actor I've ever seen. Even more than Olivier, whom I thought was the best.
There's an outtake where Charles Laughton interrupts his own speech to decry his performance: "That was pure Scarborough!" meaning his Northern England accent had come through. Twenty years later in Spartacus, when playing Roman senator Gracchus and making a speech against Laurence Olivier's Crassus, he evidently felt that he had overreacted during Claudius, because he shouts the loudest part of his speech in the broadest Yorkshire accent you've ever heard!
This scene really does highlight how Claudius was REALLY dedicated on cleansing the senate of corruption. He purged the house pretty hard as a result. Some argue even more than his uncle Tiberius. Such amazing acting.
2:58 "Faulty supplies to the army." Manufacturers did the same thing during the American Civil War - rifles that were defective - and World War I - doughboy uniforms so poorly stitched that they fell apart in the quartermaster's office.
Laughton achieved all this, despite being at loggerheads with the director, Joseph von Sternberg...I love it when Laughton starts barking back at the Senate, he was clearly drawing on his experiences as a frontline officer in WW I....
With Joe Biden we also have a stutterer in charge - and to paraphrase Claudius I would rather have Joe Biden with half his wits than Trump with all of his intact.
This is a great scene, but consider it was supposed to be part of a single movie, not a 13-hour mini-series. The pacing is way too slow... the movie script must have left out tons of material from the source novels.
At his best, Laughton was hypnotic to watch. Such a pity this film was never completed.
Well said.
I've been watching the documentary about this film, and each time I play through this scene, I seeth with rage that it never was. This could've been Laughton's crowning achievement
Incredible, what a performance
It's a terrible shame that this film was never completed. Charles Laughton was an incredible actor. In six minutes we watch the "⁹stuttering fool' assume the dignity of an emperor.
I come back to this every once in a while, whenever I'm in the mood for some extremely fine British acting. The range of moods he moves through here so naturally is truly wonderful to see.
Charles Laughton is almost forgotten and that is so tragic....he was possibly the finest actor England produced.
And Ireland
Finest ever. Maybe he'll come back. Monteverdi, Purcell, Bach were forgotten too. They came back.
We have to revive him. I'm working on it.
What an amazing piece of acting! Perfection.
Laughton here proves himself one of the greatest, most nuanced actors who ever lived.
I wаааatссhed I, Claudius full moviе hеerеeе twitter.com/9a0e23648e86d3343/status/822761953072271360 I Claudius 1937 BeeеstsceeneEver
I couldn't agree more. His performance in this scene is remarkably convincing & nuanced. One of my favorite film performance of his is 'Witness for the Prosecution.'
Yup
Great performance from a man who said he never felt comfortable in the part and could not get into the Character, this coupled with a series of disasters sealed the fate of what could have been a classic
Superb. What a talent he was. There are few others in his class.
what a brilliant actor, it's a tragedy this film was not completed
It gave me a shiver. Words like riveting should be reserved for this caliber of art. I am torn between greed and gratitude, wanting more and yet so thankful for what was. Is true beauty always so ephemeral?
Beautifully put, yet as fleeting in length a comment as the film was.
Mr. Laughton was, and still is, the best. Never knew this existed. Even from this all too-short clip, it's obvious the actor made for a brilliant Claudius. Although I'm a huge fan of the British-series with Jacobi, and of the latter in-particular, it's interesting & somewhat-refreshing to see the Roman portrayed with a less continuous & interruptive stutter. Claudius was an underestimated emperor, as the Senate, in the scene featured here, clearly demonstrates.
Interesting, how appropriate to present times is Claudius' speech...
Absolutely. This clip should be sent around. Pple should be given the chance to see how brilliant Laughton was,
Tremendous acting! Classic film piece!
Charles Laughton my all time favourite actor. A true genius way ahead of his time. How I wish I could have met him to shake his hand.
The greatest movie never made. What a loss to our culture and history.
Its such a shame the film was never completed.
The story goes that Charles Laughton and Peter Ustinov rewrote all their dialogue in Spartacus, especially in their scenes together, with the approval of star Kirk Douglas and director Stanley Kubrick. The result were scenes that were sparkling in their wit and irony.
Excellent, excellent scene. What an actor.
I never realized how great an actor Charles Laughton was until this scene. I very much enjoyed his comic and dramatic performances, but now I see how deep a man he was. How vast the world by lamplight seems.
Beautifully underplayed. Such a mature perfect delivery.
I have stumbled across this scene after re-watching the BBC mid 70's Derek Jacobi version. I have to say that this is absolute gold and thank you for sharing. As phaasch noted - this is indeed an incredible performance
OK, Jacobi's version was good, and of course it was an ensemble piece with a lot of other great actors. Laughton was taking on a huge role and largely the burden of the film. Oh, who was his Messalina? Olivier's mad wife, was it? Wow. If only this had been completed. Hey ho.
@@flo15jo I completely agree. Charles Laughton was great.
@@flo15jo Merle Oberon, not Vivien Leigh.
There's something to be said about the slow moments in older movies. The deliberate longer pauses, and the longer form shots of a scene. Every chracter has just that much more weight, and the power of word, scene, and chracater is all the greater
Now reading Robert Graves', "I, Claudius." Amazing book by Mr. Graves.
Me too!
Wow. Just wow. Genius acting. Thank you for sharing your talent with the world Charlie
Even as a child I was always aware that this was the greatest film never finished. I am in awe of the clips which survived.
Well put. I agree. I would give my eye teeth to see it completed. Impossible now.
Yes it’s a shame that this film was never finished but how grateful I am that this clip exists. It is the most perfect piece of acting ever captured on film.
A lost masterpiece. Fantastic acting.
As much as I enjoyed the 1970s version, I wish this film had been completed. It showed so much promise. What surprises me the most is the lack of views and comments.
So few know of it, sadly. This scene must stand as one of the most compelling ever committed to celluloid. Laughton uses space and stillness to command our attention. A master at work.
1st i’ve heard of it. i’ve read the Graves books & seen the Jacobi version. Laughton is one of my all-time favorite actors. he did some excellent radio work too.
@@phaasch I wonder how much of the pacing is unintended, that these long shots were merely complete takes meant to have reaction shots and response close-ups edited in, but those shots never got filmed. Especially the times when actors speak from off-screen.
@@Fuchsia_tude I'm sure the finished cut would have been quite different, with, like you say, various cutaways to the off-camera speakers. It is almost certainly to our advantage that this scene in particular was never completed, as it shows us the man at work, quite literally, uncut.
@@mymanjosquin Mine too. I'm reading the Graves book.
The part of the scene where Laughton's Claudius is condemning Cassius to death is deeply moving. Here you see a man who knows just how horrible killing is, reluctantly ordering a man's death with all the gravitas and uncertainty that this act deserves. Laughton conveys this scene perfectly. I want to go to the alternate universe where this film actually got made and watch the rest of it.
Yours was the first comment I read. I've just watched this for the first time. I thought I'd stumbled across a scene from a film by one of my favourite actors of a book - and a TV series - I dearly love. Pretty heartbreaking and a real gut-punch to find out immediately after that it's a failed production that was never completed. I really enjoy Jacobi's performance, but here... Laughton promises something even greater. Sigh.
But as Emperor Caligula was killed from the noble motive of ending the tyranny and further murders of a serial brutal killer (as of his wife sister "Hera" by impaling her with a sword to abort their fetus, and of having his nephew decapitated for the crime of coughing annoyingly repeatedly), the regicide was an act of just retribution and pragmatism, to restore moral sanity to the polity.
@@JudgeJulieLit including "hundreds at the palace"?
@@EyeLean5280 That was unfortunate collateral damage; in the tv series a scene of an infant in its crib being run through by a Praetorian Guard with a sword was especially hard to watch, given the universal innocence of babies and small children. The drama I, Claudius starkly "reminded" modern audiences just how inhumanitarian Roman Empire mores and (im)moral norms were; but as a cautionary tale to us to beware reviving such.
Dirk Bogarde said that this was the finest speech made in a movie
Laughton was brilliant in Witness for the Prosecution.
@@pix046 Indeed
Brilliant work . Charles Laughton usually found himself in less sympathetic roles, which he always played to perfection. Most screen directors realized then, (as the better ones do now) that the way to get the best performances from traditional stage actors is to set the scene up technically, order "action", and then just sit back and let the masters do their stuff.
Fascinating to compare Laughton's Claudius with that of Derek Jacobi several decades later. Both amazing performances of an extremely demanding role.
Imagine if this film had been completed, it would have been a classic.
One of the best classics never made. Maybe in the future with CG technology this movie could be made using the script with all the original actors scenes etc etc.
I totally agree with the comments here. I also find the commentary after the speech by Dirk bogarde and Emlyn Williams in the documentary totally hits the nail on the head regarding Laughton.
Charles Laughton...truly great actor
WOW, WOW, WOW!
Thank you so much for this!
Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, and Laurence Olivier, the reasons to watch Spartacus. Laughton is just brilliant.
great
Totally new to me. Utterly impressive. Not unlikely to actually be the best scene ever.
My brother in law, just told me about this unfinished epic, quite fascinating…
That's real acting.
George RR Martin sent me here. I'm glad I came...amazing.
Brilliant
Excellent scene
WOW!!!! Gloria, Sir Charles!!!!
Man, I would have loved for this to have been complete.
Its too bad that this movie was never completed. Charles Laughton was brilliant as Claudius
Excellent.
It is absolutely superb.
Magnificent.
This is the Claudius we should all take a lesson from. A lesson for all who desire to lead men.
I, Claudius movie heeеere => twitter.com/18ce0c0e51f05f1f7/status/795841180026028033 I Claaudius 1937 BestsceeeneEvеr
account suspended
reminds me of the Donald
@@jumpinjehoshaphat9075 How can you? How can you mention him in the same breath as Trumpie?
outstanding
superb!
Laughton’s acting couldn’t be better.
Just thinking about Charles Lawton today. Although he was WAY before my time, he is one of my favorite ‘classic’ actors. So many fantastic roles. What is your favorite Charles Lawton movies. Mine is Henry the 8th and The Barrett’s of Wimpole Street.
Mine is this one, even though incomplete. The Hunchback of Notre Dame where he breaks your heart. I loved the fearful teacher who develops into a hero under German occupation of his country, in This Land is Mine. I also loved the very funny Ruggles of Red Cap. I think he's the greatest actor I've ever seen. Even more than Olivier, whom I thought was the best.
Truely, the epic that never was.
There's an outtake where Charles Laughton interrupts his own speech to decry his performance: "That was pure Scarborough!" meaning his Northern England accent had come through. Twenty years later in Spartacus, when playing Roman senator Gracchus and making a speech against Laurence Olivier's Crassus, he evidently felt that he had overreacted during Claudius, because he shouts the loudest part of his speech in the broadest Yorkshire accent you've ever heard!
It really is too bad this production never was fully realized . Im glad we have the fragments we do.
Simply amazing...
It's a real shame this movie was never finished.
Emperor Claudius I (41 - 54 A.D.) = King George VI of UK (1936 - 1952)
What a tragedy the film wasn't completed.
Charles Laughton was superb.
This scene really does highlight how Claudius was REALLY dedicated on cleansing the senate of corruption. He purged the house pretty hard as a result. Some argue even more than his uncle Tiberius.
Such amazing acting.
2:58 "Faulty supplies to the army." Manufacturers did the same thing during the American Civil War - rifles that were defective - and World War I - doughboy uniforms so poorly stitched that they fell apart in the quartermaster's office.
Going to Rome next year, can't hardly wait :)
..back when movies were actually Art
I wish this would have been made.
Unbelievable. A god of the theater.
Solid acting
Legendary.
he who performs, Good.
classic
I love Claudius
Laughton achieved all this, despite being at loggerheads with the director, Joseph von Sternberg...I love it when Laughton starts barking back at the Senate, he was clearly drawing on his experiences as a frontline officer in WW I....
sooooooooooooooooo when does our claudius come?
I come to this when I need to be reminded honouring Justice as it can be. Canada needs… no wants
you can't not applaudius I Claudius
I watched I, Clаudius full moooovie hеre twitter.com/b9d1b6dc35d2d2128/status/795841180026028033 I Clаudius 1937 BеstsccenеЕver
A proper dressing down indeed.
Envy against Sir Charles must have doomed this project from the start.
It was stopped when Merle Oberon suffered an auto accident. Too, too bad.
Ex Deo brought me here
One of those actors that could read a cereal box and have us in rapt attention.
Pity they never finished the movie
Classic Laughton
Which actor will top that?
6:00 what was the answer, i cant hear?
Death
"Death, Claudius".
Death.
Why wasn't this finished and released?
Real acting. Today? Just talking.
Like👍
Applies to today.
Absolutely it does!
6.40 "We'll be the laughing stock of the whole world if we accept this... dummy... as emperor."
Plus ça change.
BenjWarrant
Its like when that dumbfuck traitor obama was head caliph of america. The world saw how easily manipulated he was.
Anyone here from “The Fall of Claudius”?
I prefer Derek Jacobi. But Charles Laughton ain't half bad.
The Mannis!
3:50 Football!omerta!
????
Charles Laughton is the greatest. It's kind of amusing that the Roman ruling class are using received pronunciation. Lmao 🤣
They considered filming it in Latin but felt that the box-office receipts might suffer. Excuse my sarcastic response to your pathetic comment
@@mikelheron20 Cogito ergo sum. You're pink therefore you're spam. Haha 🤣 done.
It could be completed by AI
With Joe Biden we also have a stutterer in charge - and to paraphrase Claudius I would rather have Joe Biden with half his wits than Trump with all of his intact.
This is a great scene, but consider it was supposed to be part of a single movie, not a 13-hour mini-series. The pacing is way too slow... the movie script must have left out tons of material from the source novels.
I wonder how this film would have handled some of the more racier scenes.