Empires - The Roman Empire in the First Century
List Price:
Our Price: $14.99
You Save: $5.00 (25%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 2 days
Buy Used: from $11.95 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Sigourney WeaverBrand: Paramount
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 219 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-04-05
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS Paramount
Movie Reviews of Empires - The Roman Empire in the First Century
Movie Review: A superb and all too brief look at the Roman Empire of the first century CE and how it was able to reach political stability
Summary: 5 Stars
The Roman Empire was truly an amazing political, economic and social entity. A wide variety of cultures and tribes were conquered and absorbed into the Empire. From the dark skinned North Africans to the blonde and fair-skinned people of Northern Europe to the swarthy inhabitants of Judea, they all brought their cultural heritage, religious beliefs and history into the Empire. Slavery was a fundamental part of the functioning of the Roman Empire, as the majority of people were slaves of one form or another. However, as is pointed out on this video, the slavery was not based on skin color, but on your history and social condition. If you were part of the aristocracy and were loyal to the Empire, then skin color was irrelevant. No political entity then or since has been able to command such loyalty from so diverse a population.
As the Empire generally ceased to expand and began the process of consolidation, many problems appeared. In a relatively short time, the Empire had expanded from the leg and boot of Italy to encompass nearly all the Mediterranean coastline and most of Europe. This led to severe political and social problems that took decades to resolve. Once an Emperor ascended the throne, the twin problems of succession and how to remove a mad tyrant were the most serious issues. The Emperor's word was law, yet that word could be used to cause the deaths of political rivals. At the end, assassination was the only means where an insane Emperor could be removed from his position.
This video is a superb recapitulation of that most dynamic of times. The imagery and narration answer many of the questions as to how the Empire was able to weather the first storms of political instability. Inherent in that stability was the first rumblings of a major new religion created from the life of a humble Jewish martyr. If you are interested in the history of the Roman Empire in the first century of the Christian Era, then this is the natural and best place to begin.
Summary of Empires - The Roman Empire in the First Century
Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the ancient world was ruled by Rome. Through the experiences, memories and writings of the people who lived it, this series tells the story off that time -- the emperors and slaves, poets and plebians, who wrested order from choas, built the most cosmopolitian society the world had ever seen and shaped the Roman empire in the first century A.D.The compelling PBS Empires series explores the first hundred years of the Roman Empire in this fascinating documentary. The story begins with the ascent of Augustus, who almost single-handedly rescued Rome from the chaos of civil war and forged a collection of colonies into an empire. Augustus was a shrewd statesman, and his manipulation of the common people allowed him to begin a dynasty that would eventually endanger everything he had created. After the death of Augustus in A.D. 14 the Roman Empire continued to expand even as the imperial family fell into turmoil. Augustus's successor was Tiberius, who was then followed by the notorious Caligula, but it fell to Claudius, who came reluctantly to power after Caligula's murder, to further Augustus's imperial ambitions. Under Claudius Rome finally occupied the distant island of Britain, and letters from the period offer fascinating glimpses into everyday life at the edge of the world. Claudius was followed by Nero, who brought the empire to the point of collapse. His death, which ended the Augustan dynasty, was followed by years of infighting between rival factions. The final episode of this film shows how the empire survived political chaos and natural disasters like the destruction of Pompeii to end the first century in a position of strength.
The Roman Empire in the First Century is filled with information about everyday life in the Roman Empire, and interviews with historians are supported with eyewitness accounts by dozens of Romans, from the poet Ovid to unknown soldiers in the forests of Germania. This gives great depth to the story of imperial ambition, which forms the backbone of the documentary, to make this the most successful installment in the Empires series. --Simon Leake
Documentary DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Listmania - History on DVDs (Documentaries and Applicable Movies)
The Vietnam War (History Channel)Unknown; Release date: 2008-01-15; DVD
Best price: $14.59
Price in other shops:
Korea - The Forgotten War (History Channel)Release date: 2005-09-27; DVD
Best price: $8.68
Price in other shops:
Band of BrothersWarner Brothers; Release date: 2002-11-05; DVD
Best price: $41.50
Price in other shops:
Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition)Release date: 2007-02-06; DVD
Best price: $4.30
Price in other shops:
Enemy at the GatesFIENNES,JOSEPH; Release date: 2001-08-14; DVD
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)HANKS,TOM; Release date: 1999-11-02; DVD
Best price: $6.95
Price in other shops:
The World at War (30th Anniversary Edition)Release date: 2004-08-24; DVD
Best price: $48.72
Price in other shops:
American Experience: FDRRelease date: 2006-01-10; DVD
Best price: $14.09
Price in other shops:
The Nazis - A Warning from HistoryWarner Brothers; Release date: 2005-07-19; DVD
Best price: $25.82
Price in other shops:
Biography - Joseph Stalin: Red Terror (A&E DVD Archives)Release date: 2004-08-10; DVD
Best price: $8.92
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
The Dark Ages (The History Channel )A&E; Release date: 2007-05-29; DVD
Best price: $13.95
Price in other shops:
The History Channel Presents Rome - Engineering an EmpireA&E; Release date: 2007-09-25; DVD
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
Decisive Battles of the Ancient World (History Channel)A&E; Release date: 2006-11-28; DVD
Best price: $11.10
Price in other shops:
Empires - Peter & Paul and the Christian RevolutionRelease date: 2005-03-08; DVD
Best price: $11.98
Price in other shops:
The True Story of Alexander the Great (History Channel)Release date: 2005-01-25; DVD
Best price: $6.97
Price in other shops:
Empires - Islam: Empire of FaithRelease date: 2005-03-08; DVD
Best price: $12.16
Price in other shops:
Empires - The Medici: Godfathers of the RenaissanceParamount; Release date: 2005-04-05; DVD
Best price: $11.96
Price in other shops:
Empires - Egypt's Golden EmpireRelease date: 2005-04-05; DVD
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops:
Rome - Power & GloryRelease date: 2000-08-15; DVD
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops:
Empires - The Greeks: Crucible of CivilizationRelease date: 2005-04-05; DVD
Best price: $11.87
Price in other shops: