Empire building (Rome - The Complete Season 1 (6 DVDs))

Member Name: tallpete33

Product:	Rome - The Complete Season 1 (6 DVDs)
Date:	21/07/09 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great acting, action, script, plot...you name it

Disadvantages: None

Take plenty of sex, violence, skulduggery, silk and armour, scenery and mix well with a dash of humour and you have Rome: Season 1. I loved this series and older viewers who enjoyed the classic I Claudius will be in their element here.

There are many reasons to like this. There is a strong British cast who work with a good script (say one thing but MEAN another), plots and sub-plots to make this hugely watchable. Unlike say Troy or Alexander, this is about the people and not the epic battles, which are often portrayed in a few blurry scenes but not detracting from the story as a whole. The action is on a smaller scale but no less bloody - you have been warned.

The title says it all in this production. Whereas Julius Caesar is the "main man" (eventually), this series is about Rome from top to bottom, and we are shown the stories of the senators and the slaves, generals and infantry. An ambitious undertaking but one that works very well. BBC quality with HBO backing is a good partnership that will hopefully bear more fruit for us to enjoy.

Ciaran Hinds shines as Caesar, brim-full of decorum and sleaze, more cunning than a fox who studied advanced cunning at night school - he keeps his friends close and enemies closer. With the charming but ruthless Mark Anthony at his side he generally gets his way, though he is not without mercy, and is genuinely distraught at the death of his adversary and one-time friend Pompey Magnus (Kenneth Cranham - Harvey Moon). The machinations at the top are only part of the story with the warring ladies of the "noble" families pulling strings, swapping sides and using their charms to fight for influence and often survival. Lower down the food chain, honourable centurion Vorenus and Titus Pullo (less honourable) form a great team and with the Gods on their side, generally manage to escape from the scrapes that Pullo gets them into. Not-so-gentle giant, Ray Stevenson, plays Pullo with great charm and a Geordie accent . . .

As mentioned, the budget obviously did not run to huge battle scenes and legions of men are represented by a motley crew of a couple of dozen but this does not detract greatly, if anything adding to the charm of the production. Rome itself looks pretty small and squalid, the senate being not much bigger than my local Barclays from the outside, but no matter, the performances and storyline keep the interest and enjoyment high throughout.

I'm sure Roman historians will be getting themselves in a tiz about historical inaccuracies and I'm not qualified to comment on those but as far as entertainment is concerned, this delivers in spades. It comes beautifully packaged on 6 discs with a character guide that is very useful at the start and for...um (sorry!) fifteen pounds, I highly recommend it.

(also reviewed on amazon)

Summary: The life and trials of Julius Casear