I, Claudius
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Movie Reviews of I, Claudius
Movie Review: one for the boyos
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow! Now THIS is entertainment. Great adaption of the Graves Roman soap opera in which a whole troupe of veteran british actors finally get to come out of the closet and bare their inner Roman. My theory is this: unwilling to embrace their savage Germanic Angle/Saxon roots, and unable to warm to the idea of a Celtic or Norse ancestry, the brits just wanna be Romans in the WORST WAY! Like a horde of long suppressed transvestites let loose in the Young Miss dept. in Harrods, these boys don their togas and literally go berserk. William Hurts' Caligula may be the most inspired performance I have ever seen, as he single handedly establishes that the brits actually ARE (faux) Romans, no longer rootless in the ancient world but instead the essential vessel of Civilization itself as it is born into the modern world via the glorious British Empire! American neo-cons would give their eye-teeth to get in on this game! Where are Cheyney and Wolfowitz's togas? Pax Americana indeed! Seriously, though, this is fun stuff.Movie Review: Machiavellian Politics at its Best
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, the DVD's sound could have been better. It should have had subtitles and widescreen too.
I first saw this on PBS. My roommates and I were mesmerized and couldn't wait for the next episode. I love Livia - what a woman! I understand why the historical Augustus was mesmerized by her (and he wasn't a weak man by any stretch). That woman is got to be one of the best actresses I seen ever. Derek Jacobi plays a perfect bumbling/stammering/doltish/club-footed Claudius (and he fooled them all to boot!) and John Hurt the perfect psychotic Caligula.
I loved the Senator's wives being used as prostitutes scene where Claudius is the gatekeeper. It truly was absolutely hilarious.
Again, this is one of the BEST series I've ever seen. No action, just fantastic acting and script. For those with an IQ above room temperature mind you.
Finally, if you're into constant stimuli like a ADHD 10-year old and with the attention span of a gnat this won't be for you.
Movie Review: Possibly the Best Television Series Ever Made
Summary: 5 Stars
In High School our Latin teacher assigned us the task of watching--yuck--a Masterpiece Theatre production of I, Claudius. After the first week, we were hooked. By Episode V (when Augustus dies) a cult had formed. What British television series can capture the minds of a bunch of callow 14 year olds? Quite possibly the best television series ever made.Where can you begin? It's based on Robert Graves superb novels (I, Claudius and Claudius the God), and brilliantly adapted for television. Then there is the hard-as-diamonds perfection of the cast: Sian Phillips as the ice queen, Livia; Derek Jacoby's stunning Claudius; Brian Blessed's paterfamilias, Augustus. John Hurt turns in one of television's towering interpretations of the mad, bad, and dangerous-to-know Caligula. The list goes on and on.
The only defect in this masterpiece is that it was shot on video and not film, but that does not affect the enjoyment you will derive from these wonderful episodes.
Movie Review: 12 Hours of Absolutely Superb Drama from Roman Times
Summary: 5 Stars
This set presents a superbly acted soap opera from 1975 or so of the Roman emperors from Augustus through Nero, through the eyes of Claudius (Derek Jacobi). This is no dry telling of tales of the noble Roman emperors, but rather a very graphic telling of adultery and murder from the two books by Robert Graves. The acting in this series is absolutely fabulous, especially of Jacobi who pretends to be dull-witted for much of his life to escape the carnage around him and who has the last laugh in the end having survived most of his peers. Other standouts are murderous, yet ultimately sympathetic Sian Phillips (wife of Augustus) and the deranged Caligula of John Hurt. Even if you watch this once, the 3 DVD set is a bargain -- If you watch if over and over again, then it becomes a steal!A nice feature of the DVD set is a documentary about "The Epic That Never Was," a grand 1937 attempt to put I, Caludius to film that was left unfinished.
Movie Review: Not to be missed
Summary: 5 Stars
I was nine years old when this first aired on PBS, and I didn't really appreciate the story until I was an adult. But, this drama is one of the best made for television miniseries ever. If you are interested in building a quality DVD collection, this belongs in it. The only way it could be better is if the Alistair Cooke commentaries had been included. After reading some of the other comments about the quality of the DVD format, I was a little apprehensive about buying it over the VHS. I am happy to report that the DVD format I received is perfect. There are three episodes per disc, with the documentary on the last disc. I haven't seen any of the problems that other DVD purchasers experienced. For those of you who have never seen it, Amazon provides a good synopsis. But be aware that this is a British BBC production; the emphasis is on the story. There are no "famous" actors, or elaborate sets. But it is good, quality entertainment.