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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Jul 25, 2020 2:08:07 GMT
One of the best acting ever. Everyone involved. Brian Blessed as the bumbling Augustus, George Baker as the cheerless then perverted Tiberius. Sheila White as the nymphomaniac Messalina. But three above all. Sian Phillips as the utterly evil Livia. Derek Jacobi as the complex Clau-Clau-Claudius. And John Hurt and the insane Caligula. Hurt was one of the few performances that sent a chill up your spine. The sets were cheesy, not an outdoor scene in all of it but a masterpiece
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Post by The Herald Erjen on Jul 25, 2020 6:29:12 GMT
It busted the Romans down to life-size.
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Post by paislene on Jul 25, 2020 6:41:28 GMT
Not bad for a BBC/London Film production . The standouts for me were Tiberius
and Sejanus , both who were frightening , and the actress who was abused by
Tiberius . I found the production a little spotty , due to financial limits ,
but the acting was superb . Claudius as the narrator , detracted from Jacobi's
acting a little .
I have seen Jacobi's Cadfael , where Sir Derek's acting is more prominent , but
the series again is a little spotty lacking some continuity between the seasons
and episodes .
Rome is very good , but people who prefer the classic shows don't seem to like it .
Spartacus is enjoyable if you like a classic war series or Gladiator the movie .
Lots of violence with oily muscled warriors and wild loose women in this .
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Post by Prime etc. on Jul 25, 2020 6:58:18 GMT
Killer series. I read the books and also the 12 Caesars (which did not paint a pretty picture). We get to see John Rhys-Davies without a beard and Patrick Stewart with hair! Some favorite lines: Augustus: Is there anyone in Rome who has not slept with my daughter!?! Claudius: Well, is there no one among them you can trust? No man of integrity? Tiberius: Not that I know of. Caligula: Isn't that a terrible comment on our times, Uncle? On the other hand, if you can't find a man of integrity, I always say look for a man of ambition. Find a dog who'll eat a dog. Tiberius: Do you know of such a person?
Caligula: Yes, I do. Sertorius Macro, Sejanus' second-in-command. He's very popular with the troops.
Claudius: He arrested Gallus.
Tiberius: Isn't he loyal to Sejanus?
Caligula: Oh, yes, of course, but he can't move up while Sejanus is still there, can he? And he is very ambitious.
Tiberius: Do you know him personally? Caligula: No, but I've slept with his wife several times. Tiberius: And is deception with the wife regarded these days as a sound introduction to the husband?! Caligula: Oh, he knows about that. I told you. He's ambitious. Tiberius: I shall make you my successor, Gaius Caligula! I’ve decided. You shall stay here with me. Rome deserves you. I will nurse you like a viper in her bosom. Caligula: Is that a joke, uncle? Tiberius: Not yet, but it will be. Guard: The girl is a virgin. It's unprecedented to kill a virgin. It will bring bad luck to the city. Macro: Then make sure she's not a virgin when you kill her. Now get on with it! Caligula: Do you think I'm mad?...Sometimes I think that I'm going mad. Do you — be honest with me — has that thought ever crossed your mind? Claudius: Never. Never. The idea is preposterous. You set the standard of sanity for the whole world. Claudius: Oh, god of gods! Never have I witnessed a dance that gave me such profound spiritual joy! Caligula: Oh. Did you like it? Claudius: It was indesc-cribable. Caligula: Well, it was only a rehearsal. Claudius: Oh. Whatever will the finished performance be like? Caligula: Get up. Come here. What did you think of the girl? Claudius: Oh, beautiful Caligula: You old lecher! Bring the girl back! I'm going to marry her to you tomorrow! |
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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Jul 25, 2020 7:24:07 GMT
a couple fun facts
The original choice for Clau-Clau-Claudius was Charlton Heston. Somehow, I can't picture Heston stuttering and twitching around.
The infamous ending of Episode 8 was much, much more graphic. It really showed Caligula cutting out the infant from his sister Drusilla's womb. Shown twice, cut (pun unintended) and destroyed.
I forgot about curly headed Patrick Stewart. I'm not a Trek fan but I still see him more as a baldy.
Damn, John Hurt ruled this miniseries. One of the true monsters to be on film/TV. Somewhat Hannibal Lector-esque.
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Post by bluerisk on Jul 25, 2020 16:01:40 GMT
Sporting?!
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Post by claudius on Jul 25, 2020 20:39:57 GMT
TheGoodMan19 by episode 8 you’re probably referring to the 12 episode edit that combines the Marcellus (ep 1) and Drusus (2) episodes into one. I will always think of it as 9.
Actually Caligula disemboweling his sister was always offscreen (good example of Less is More). What was deleted was the ending where Claudius leaves the door which opens to reveal Drusilla’s butchered corpse.
Other fun facts:
John Hurt did his own makeup for the drag dance, because he felt the artists were being too restrained for the decadent look.
Hurt and Jacobi kept laughing take after take over the exchange where Claudius telling Caligula he sets the standard for sanity.
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Post by forca84 on Jul 25, 2020 23:12:49 GMT
I remember writing a report on him for a History class in Jr. High a long time ago.
Apparently the DVD of the series is crazy expensive. I've never watched it.
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Post by claudius on Jul 26, 2020 2:46:57 GMT
Really? Amazon puts the present dvd (The 35th anniversary Acorn edition) at a reasonable price.
I remember 19 years ago the VHS set as expensive, ranging at about 150 and I got it on a cut price of 100.
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Post by Prime etc. on Jul 26, 2020 7:28:18 GMT
Hurt cuts open a chest and in ALIEN he gets the honors.
Ralph Bates was Caligula in THE CAESARS from the late 60s tv series. Freddie Jones was Claudius in that one. Less dramatically extreme and even cheaper set-wise but interesting to compare.
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Post by Dirty Santa PaulsLaugh on Jul 26, 2020 9:40:42 GMT
I saw this years ago like in the 70s I think. Great show.
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Post by claudius on Jul 26, 2020 12:44:28 GMT
Ralph Bates was Caligula in THE CAESARS from the late 60s tv series. Freddie Jones was Claudius in that one. Less dramatically extreme and even cheaper set-wise but interesting to compare. Indeed. THE CAESARS (which also featured Andre Morell, Roland Culver, Barrie Ingham, Eric Flynn, and Caroline Blakiston) also shares similar actors- Kevin Stoney plays astrologer Thrasyllus in both versions, John Paul goes from killing Caligula (as Cassius Charea) to being the guy's grandpa (Agrippa), Donald Eccles advises Tiberius (on how he failed as an Emperor) in one serial and advises Claudius (on survival) in another. CAESARS covers 27 years (14 AD to 41 AD) while CLAUDIUS covers 80 years (24 BC to 54 AD). One Serial covers aspects the other reduces to exposition (CAESARS covers the Germanicus mutiny, portrays the third Germanicus daughter (Livilla or Lesbia), portrays the fates of Agrippina and Macro; CLAUDIUS portrays Antonia and Herod Agrippa, covers the fates of Livia and Livilla). Too bad CAESARS' writer Philip Mackie didn't write a novelization like he did NAPOLEON AND LOVE and THE CLEOPATRAS. |
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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Jul 26, 2020 18:34:19 GMT
I was the first time I seen nudity on TV. My parents didn't notice for a while. Me and my brother did, the very first scene. It took a while (might have been Messalina) before my mom finally yelled "Good God, that woman is topless!!!" We still laugh about that.
You have to wonder what the first four Emperors were really like. I've seen sources argue that Tiberius and Caligula might not have been that bad. Certainly no saints, but some say that the histories were skewed and that Caligula wasn't that big of a monster. Most of the sources used, Suetonius and Tacitus were written after the Julio-Claudian Dynasty were done. They used other sources, most of which are lost. The only history written while they were alive was Seneca. And Seneca was almost executed by Caligula, so he might not have been unbiased. Read somewhere that Suetonius "never met a scandal he didn't like".
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Post by Prime etc. on Jul 26, 2020 19:29:12 GMT
I would doubt some of the stories but considering how cruel the arena was reported to be (public acts of forced bestiality were a form of capital punishment), it's not like it would be that surprising if it were all true.
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Post by forca84 on Jul 27, 2020 1:11:05 GMT
Really? Amazon puts the present dvd (The 35th anniversary Acorn edition) at a reasonable price. I remember 19 years ago the VHS set as expensive, ranging at about 150 and I got it on a cut price of 100. It's $34.16 for the 5 disc set... (Or a dollar per episode on Prime)... I admittedly haven't bought any movies online in a few years now. Mostly I hunt in the wild at Dollar stores or Walmart. |
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Post by claudius on Jul 27, 2020 12:45:38 GMT
I guess that would seem expensive compared to the alternative.
Me, I have the 1996 FoxVideo VHS set, the Acorn DVD set, and the PAL DVD.
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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Jul 27, 2020 20:07:14 GMT
I guess that would seem expensive compared to the alternative. Me, I have the 1996 FoxVideo VHS set, the Acorn DVD set, and the PAL DVD. I bought it form Amazon Prime, streaming. Not sure of the cost but it couldn't have been too steep
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Post by claudius on Jul 27, 2020 21:27:21 GMT
And its the 12 episode cut correct?
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