I, Claudius
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Movie Reviews of I, Claudius
Movie Review: Ave Claudius!
Summary: 5 Stars
A great adaptation of Robert Grave's fictional work. All of the actors render a stunning and convincing portrayal of what life was like at the core of the early Roman empire.
Derek Jakobi brilliantly performs the character of Claudius as he ponders his life and impresses his thoughts on to his "autobiography." The audience is then taken through the ambitions and intrigues of the Julio-Claudian dynasty from the reign of Augustus to Nero's. Through the eyes of Claudius, the audience has a bird's eye view into the dynastic contests played with wit and humor; seeing the evolution of the empire from the remnants of a crumbled republic to a sophisticated imperial beuraucracy that is protected by the notorious praetorian guard. With this insight, Claudius is soon appreciated by the audience as having a keen intellect as opposed to being dull and slow of wit (Claudius addressing the Senate: "Many have called me half-witted and yet they lost their heads with all their wit while I still have mine. I suppose then that quality of wit is more important than quantity!") His desire for truth and his loathing of the imperial struggle gives his story clarity and impartiality. All of the characters are brilliantly played; their actions and motivations all come to light in the course of the mini-series.
The acting of Derek Jacobi as Claudius is brilliant. The same goes for Brian Blessed and Sian Phillips as Augustus and Livia. There's even a brief appearance by Patrick Stewart. John Hurt's performance as the sociopathic Caligula is undoubtedly the best one ever presented on screen. The only downside is that the screenplay was prepared on purely British aesthetics as opposed to precise historical accuracy. The characters are much too stiff in their postures and mannerisms to pass off as Romans who were similar to their Italian descendents in overall behavior and expression. At one point Brian Blessed as Augustus whistles something akin to a modern beat and style that could not possibly fall within the aesthetics of musical composition prevalent during that period. The characters therefore come across more as English Victorian aristocrats than anything else. Some of the historical aspects are also incorrect such as the characters feasting on watermelons which would be extremely unlikely to impossible since the crop is from the Americas and was brought to Europe more than 1500 years after the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
This presentation has a full cast of some of the finest Shakespearean actors in recent memory and their acting more than makes up for limitations of this 1974 production. For audiences looking for action or special effects, there isn't much to find here; this is a theatrical adaptation and so the sound and stage have their limitations. This is not an action story anyway; if you're looking for that kind of film see "Spartactus", "Cleopatra", or "Gladiator." Despite its limitations, this is a fine BBC production of one of the greatest works in historical fiction. A must see for anyone who enjoys history or just a good story full of intrigue and suspense.
Movie Review: A brilliant portrayal of intrigue in the Roman Empire...
Summary: 5 Stars
Think history is boring? Think again! I Claudius is proof that an educational film can also be one of the most popular and entertaining series ever produced. A 1976 mini-series, starring many of the best known theatrical performers of its day, I Claudius is one of, if not the, greatest productions chronicling the history of the Roman Empire. Covering the period from the later years of Augustus's rule as the first emperor of Rome to the death of Emperor Claudius, I Claudius takes a look at the social and political underpinnings and developments of the Roman Empire through the eyes of Claudius, an often overlooked member of the emperor's family. An epic in the true sense of the word, I Claudius should be on every film buff's viewing list...
A young male connected to the family line of Emperor Augustus, Claudius suffers from a strange limp and an odd stutter which make him appear to be a simple-minded youth. But Claudius maintains a keen intellect, and he observes the events around him with meticulous precision. As the end of Augustus's long reign as emperor nears its end, the ruler is in desperate search of an heir. But what he doesn't know is that his wife Livia is determined to see her son from a previous marriage, Tiberius, ascend to the throne. As such, Livia will stop at nothing to murder and ruin those who stand in the way - such as far more noble and deserving heir Germanicus. Through drowning, poisoning, and less subtle means, she insures Tiberius becomes the next in the line of succession...
Meanwhile, Claudius observes from the shadows as the ambitious Sejanus (Patrick Stewart) conspires to obtain the throne and the infamous Caligula rises to power. When his relative is murdered because of his terrible reign of insanity, Claudius is thrust upon the throne, and he attempts to rule with a firm hand of justice and restore the republic to its rightful place of power...
Wrought with suspense, I Claudius will make its viewers question how any human survived the era known as the ancient Roman Empire. The murders, double-crossings, and various affairs seem to be drawn from a fictional paperback found on drugstore shelves - not in the pages of a history book. But I Claudius stays true to the written account of Roman Emperor Claudius who wrote his memoirs during the few years of his reign as the supreme leader of the greatest empire ever to exist on Earth. The result is a story more intriguing than any book or film since produced...
With superb theatrical performances by the entire cast (including Patrick Stewart as Sejanus), I Claudius is an engrossing storyline about the true-to-life people and events that shaped the history of ancient Rome. Like the popular prime-time soap opera Dallas, viewers are drawn to the intrigue surrounding the various characters without even realizing they're learning history in the process! Given its historical accuracy, brilliant dialogue, and ingenious performances, I Claudius ranks as a definite must-see series of films. In fact, one of the top five best of all time...
The DVD Report
Movie Review: Excellent series, DVD's picture is unimpressive and sound very poor
Summary: 5 Stars
I last saw this series on VHS 10 years ago and it was an absolutely delicious treat to see it on DVD again. I watched all 13 episodes in one sitting. Started earlier in the day and couldn't tear myself away from it.
This is a very high quality production with such high quality production and some absolutely marvelous performances. An absolute must see for anybody with any interest in quality acting, especially in an era of talentless sitcom and movie stars who command the adulation of the masses without having any artistic talent to be worthy of it.
I could not possibly do justice to the multilayered excellence of this series in a review here. I could talk for a page full, and it still wouldn't convey to you a feeling of watching this for yourself. So I shall simply say, "see for yourself".
I want to make just two critical observations. Firstly, the only weak performance in the series is that of Sheila White as Messelina. She overplays the twistedness of her character, a cheap soap opera like exaggerated performance of face twisting, screaming and blubbering that is quite annoying. But if I cannot say that she is bad actress, that is only to show that at its worst, the series is still very good. But, compared to the performances given by actors playing the roles of Livia, Lavilla, Julia, for instance, it IS weak. Sheila White's performance lacks the natural easy grace of the others that makes one forget that it is only an acting performance. All the other actors metamorphose into the characters they are playings so completely, its simply marvellous.
The other comment I wanted to make was about the DVD itself. The picture quality is nothing special. Its passable but does not seem any better than what one might have seen originally on TV nearly 30 years ago. There seems to have been no effort made to do a restoration on the original material. But it's passable. What is inexcusable is the sound. Its at a very low level. Watching on a TV through its built in speakers (my home theater is in storage), the sound had to be turned up to maximum just in order to hear all the dialogue clearly. In a time when DVDs have rich sound with wide dynamic range, that exploits high technical quality to make the performances powerful and commanding, its VERY poor show that this DVD has such crappy sound. I just wonder to think that had it a broad dynamic range to where the softest whispers to loudest thunderings were reproduced and clearly and sharply heard at their respective realistic levels, the enjoyment would have been that much greater. That the studio has put this series on DVD with such indifference towards its audio/visual quality is downright disgraceful.
However, the series is so good and so pleasurable, that you must not even consider letting poor technical quality deprive you of this superb series. The loss would only be yours. If in the future the series is released again done properly, I shall buy it again. But for now, I am glad to have seen it as it was.
Movie Review: FAO MacGuffin
Summary: 5 Stars
Hi MacGuffin! I live in England and own a copy of the new five-disc region 2 'I Claudius'. I will do my best to explain to you what material it has on it. The first four discs contain three episodes each (the first episode is double the length of the subsequent eleven). You have the option of playing it all the way through, of selecting a particular episode or a particular scene - each episode has eight scenes, except the first which has twelve. The picture and sound quality are excellent and the production is completely intact in its entirety. The opening and closing credits for each episode are included as is the 'Caligula/Drusilla' scene at the end of episode eight. That scene was never actually omitted in the UK.
The fifth disc offers a wealth of extras. There is the seventy minute documentary 'THE EPIC THAT NEVER WAS', narated by Dirk Bogarde, and featuring interviews with Merle Oberon (Messalina), Flora Robson (Livia) and Emlyn Williams (Caligula), as well as all the remaining material of the aborted film. There is also a second seventy minute documentary entitled 'I CLAUDIUS - A TELEVISION EPIC'. This features interviews with Derek Jacobi (Claudius), Sian Phillips (Livia), John Hurt (Caligula), Brian Blessed (Augustus), George Baker (Tiberius), Margaret Tyzack (Antonia), Christopher Biggins (Nero) and the director Herbert Wise, as well as many great clips from the programme. There is then a bit where the seven actors I have just listed and the director select their favourite scenes that they worked on (Herbert Wise selects two) and then we get another chance to see the particular scenes. Then we have archive footage of the award ceremonies where Sian Phillips received the 1977 BAFTA Award for Best Actress, Derek Jacobi received the 1977 BAFTA Award for Best Actor and the 1977 Variety Club Award for Best Actor. When 'I Claudius' was first made, it was originally going to be thirteen fifty minute episodes, but for some reason it was transmitted as twelve, with the first episode being twice as long. Here we get a chance to see the original ending of episode one and opening of episode two. Finally there is a very helpful family tree.
I do hope you now have all the information you wanted MacGuffin and I would seriously advise that you invest in a multi-region DVD player and buy this set. I bought a multi-region DVD player for just £50 on amazon.co.uk and it works perfectly.
I would seriously reccommend this drama serial to anyone who is interested in history or simply appreciates great acting and quality entertainment. It is superbly written by Jack Pulman, expertly directed by Herbert Wise and magnificently acted by the entire cast, especially Jacobi, Phillips, Hurt and Blessed.
One to keep beside Brideshead Revisited (GRANADA TV 1981), Pride and Prejudice (BBC TV 1995), The Jewel In The Crown (GRANADA TV 1984), The Singing Detective (BBC TV 1986) and War & Peace (BBC TV 1972).
Movie Review: The very finest vintage champange.
Summary: 5 Stars
The BBC's mid 1970's 13 part adaptation of Robert Graves novels "I Claudius" and "Claudius, the God" has always been considered to be one of the finest pieces of television ever made (The Bollinger of the Beeb if you like.) and in many ways puts most big budget films to shame. I first saw this when I was about 8 or 9 years old (my parents allowed me to stay up and watch it) and I remember being transfixed by it. Up until then history as it was taught at school was all about cavemen with rocks or pitch battles between army's, quite boring really, but these characters who were ready kill, steal or do what ever was necessary to get and hold on to power really fascinated me. I bought this DVD a couple of months ago, just to have more than anything else, but once I started watching it, the magic started all over again. With the perception of an adult I can see just what a masterpiece this series actually is.Covering the greater part of reign of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, of the most fascinating periods in history, I Claudius begins 7 years after Octavian's defeat of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actuim and ends with the accession of Nero. The individual performances from Derek Jacobi as Claudius, stammering his way through life with only the occasional hint of the man beneath, Sian Phillips, as the scheming almost lady Macbeth like Livia and John Hurt's Caligula are all acting master classes. Hurt in particular is in amazing form, many actors have tried to portray the unpredictability and sheer manic insanity of Caligula, but none have come with in spiting distance of Hurt or for that matter any of the three above. This overt display of genius seems to lift the rest of the cast along with them, Patrick Stewart, Brian Blessed, George Baker, Isobel Dean, James Faulkner, Barbara Young, Fiona Walker and Margaret Tyzack, all superb actors and actresses in their own right, give the performances of their careers here.
Although the picture looks slightly crude (not surprising considering that it was shot on video rather than film), the soundtrack is almost nonexistent and the sets look Spartan by the standards set by modern cinema (compare the palaces in here with those in Gladiator to see what I mean), yet despite these shortcomings, the viewer very quickly looks beyond that as he or she is carried away by the truly engrossing story and magnificent performances of all concerned, approach this more as a stage play than a movie and you'll get the idea. Ok so, authorised history is sacrificed in favour of a good story, although Robert Graves himself always claimed it was accurate based on a manuscript he discovered in the aftermath of World War 1, what we have here are the back stairs whispers and not the facts as set down in the history books. But isn't the servants gossip is always much more juicy and often far more revealing than the press release?