Rome: The Complete First Season
by Michael Apted, Allen Coulter, Timothy Van Patten
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ciaran Hinds, Indira Varma, James Purefoy, Lindsay Duncan, Polly WalkerDirector: Allen Coulter, Michael Apted, Timothy Van Patten
Brand: Rome
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Unknown
Running Time: 619 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2012-01-17
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 92848
Studio: HBO Home Video
Movie Reviews of Rome: The Complete First Season
Movie Review: Sprawling, mammoth and a lot of good dirty fun in Rome: The Complete First Season
Summary: 5 Stars
Forget what you've read about ancient Rome, or suffering through a dull Latin class where you had to translate Caesar or Cicero. Forget the Hollywood blockbusters such as Gladiator or Fall of the Roman Empire or even that hoary old chestnut, Cleopatra.
They've all just been blown out of the water by a joint HBO/BBC2 production called Rome. Set in the waning years of the Roman Republic, it's a bawdy, violent spectacle of a series, full of battles, political machinations in and out of the bedroom, lies, graffiti, murder and other assorted bits of life that made ancient Rome, well, the center of the world for centuries.
The Stolen Eagle
The story opens with a battle, and two men, Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pollo (Ray Stevenson) are slugging it out with the Gauls. They win, but sadly for Pullo, his bad temper is enough to land him in gaol, after a flogging for striking Vorenus, and he?s looking forward to being executed in a public arena. The battle is that of Alesia, where Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds) has finally defeated the Gauls, and spread Rome?s dominion over what is now France. But the rebels aren?t taking it all well, and they steal the gold eagle from the top of Caesar?s personal standard ? a terrible insult and point of pride to the legion. Pullo and Vorenus are the ones chosen to get it back. Meanwhile, back in Rome, we are introduced to Atia (Polly Walker), the lovely, amoral niece of Caesar, and the mother of Octavian (Max Pirkis) and Octavia.(Kerry Condon) She?s married her daughter to a young nobleman, but when word comes that Pompey?s () wife has died in childbirth, she?s not above forcing her daughter into a divorce, and dangling her in front of Pompey as a bride. Octavia doesn?t take this too well, and that will have some serious repercussions later on for everyone concerned. Other characters that are introduced include Brutus,(Tobias Menzies) and his mother, the aristocratic Servilia,(Lindsay Duncan) and Mark Anthony,(James Purefoy) Caesar?s right hand man.
How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic
Now that Pompey and Caesar no longer have any sort of an alliance, war and division is breaking out in Rome. Caesar is marching on Rome with his legions, and in an attempt to prevent war, puts forward Mark Anthony for political office ? a move that doesn?t please the Senate, and spurs on war. As for Pullo and Vorenus, they have returned to Rome after eight long years away. Vorenus is also married to the beautiful Niobe (Indira Varma), but it isn?t quite the perfect homecoming, for his daughter has gotten herself pregnant and given birth to a child, a boy that is doted on by Niobe. We get to see how hot-tempered the usually calm Vorenus can get to, and Pullo ? well, we learn soon enough what he is like, especially when it comes time to settle an old score with a tavern cheat. Too, both of them were instrumental in saving Octavian?s life in Gaul, and something that the young aristocrat isn?t about to forget. By the end of the episode, any chance of peace has been shattered, and everyone is choosing sides.
An Owl in a Thornbush
Pompey decides to finance his war by taking the gold stored in Rome?s temples, an act of sacrilege, and an omen of ill luck. And let?s not forget Atia, who is furthering her own schemes and making plenty of trouble. For Vorenus and Pullo, advancing towards Rome on a scouting mission, but encounter little resistance.
Stealing From Saturn
Vorenus, now that he has left military service, goes into business for himself, but the party to kick off the venture doesn?t quite go as planned. We?re treated to Niobe slowly falling victim to stress and unhappiness as her secret is looking to get loose. And the young slave, Eirene () that Pullo met, is brought into Vorenus? household.
The Ram Has Touched the Wall
Mark Anthony is well tempted by an offer from Pompey, but will he take the bait? Vorenus finds that life as a Roman businessman is not quite what he had expected.
Egeria
Told to make a man of Octavian by Atia, Pullo decides that a visit to one of Rome?s finer brothels is in order. Vorenus and Niobe try to make a new start to their marriage, with some success.
Pharsalus
Pompey not just loses his army, but goes on the run, dwindling down from a mighty leader to a former shell of himself.
Caesarion
Caesar has found himself chasing Pompey all of the way to Egypt, but finds himself forced to sort out the quarrels of Egypt?s rulers ? a young boy, and his sister, Cleopatra ? who comes off more as a dope addicted nymphomaniac than as a clever woman. I do have to say that her tent has to be the most creative mode of transportation that I?ve seen.
Utica
Two of Caesar?s enemies meet a final end in exile in Africa. Caesar consolidates his power in Rome, and Vorenus takes another leap up the political ladder. As with most things, he finds out that it?s not as easy as it looks.
Triumph
Caesar?s triumph in Rome, and his taking of sole power for himself. It?s not a move loveable to everyone, and his enemies decide that something has to be done. Pullo truly screws up, and is sentenced to die in the arena, a fate that he resigns himself to ? but when the executioners start to denigrate his old legion, he finds out that he still has a spark of life left in him.
The Spoils
Vorenus gets the most surprising reward from Caesar for his actions in helping Pullo in the arena, which only increases resentment. Eirene decides that it?s time to take revenge on Pullo for the murder of her would-be husband.
Kalends of February
Murder in the Senate, and secrets come out in a day of horrible tragedy for everyone concerned. The season ends on a high note, and with plenty of suspense for the next season.
Each episode has some additional features, from an interactive guide titled All Roads Lead to Rome, which gives little pop-up boxes through the episode that help to explain the small details, or background, and also an audio alternate track from the directors, producers and historian Jonathan Stamp ? but not all episodes will have the audio commentary. It was these additional goodies that really made the series for me, as I?ve always been fascinated by ancient Rome, and being able to learn more was a real plus.
But don?t think that this is a dry, educational show ? the emphasis here is mostly focused on the sensational. Characters here arrange murder, have sex ? often ? and plot and scheme and fight. It?s more of a look at Rome from the bedchamber as it were, and parents are cautioned that this is not for the teenage crowd, and what with the various cursing ? the legionaries curse continually and creatively ? bloodletting and mayhem, most adults are going to find themselves cringing.
I did find a few liberties in this one; for one, many of the characters in this, especially the female ones, have little resemblance to the ones found in the actual Rome. While women in Rome were certainly scheming and politicking just as much as the men were, I doubt that they would be committing such sexual escapades I could see here. Servilia, the mother of Brutus, however, was very well known for her calculating nature and I found her here to be one of my favourite characters for how she manipulates people. Another problem I had was the lack of scope in this ? many of the outdoor sequences are lacking in terms of spectacle, especially the events of Caesar?s triumph and the battle scenes. Too, I found the depiction of Egypt laughable, looking like a dingy, muddy town, with sand ankle deep in the throne room, when in reality, Alexandria was one of the grandest cities in the ancient world, and with a decidedly Grecian look; not just that, but the makeup for the Egyptians was very strange, looking more like children?s dabbling on their faces than anything else.
All in all, it?s a superb series to watch, and those who like history and especially Rome will delight in this. Fans of Colleen McCullough?s series on Rome will enjoy it, and so will those who loved watching I, Claudius in the 1970?s. If you can handle the violence, brutality, sex, nudity and murders, I suspect that you will like this one too, and even though we know what will happen by the last episode, it?s still a tremendous thrill ride, and I am really looking forward to when the second season of this is released on DVD.
Summary of Rome: The Complete First Season
(HBO Dramatic Series) Four hundred years after the founding of the Republic, Rome is the wealthiest city in the world, a cosmopolitan metropolis of one million people; epicenter of a sprawling empire. The Republic was founded on principles of shared power and fierce personal competition, never allowing one man to seize absolute control. But now, those foundations are crumbling, eaten away by corruption and excess. After eight years of war, two soldiers, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo unwittingly become entwined in the historical events of ancient Rome. A serialized drama of love and betrayal, masters and slaves, husbands and wives, ROME chronicles a turbulent era that saw the death of the republic and the birth of an empire.Family dysfunction. Treachery. Betrayal. Coarse profanity. Brutal violence. Graphic (and sometimes brutal) sex. No, it's not The Sopranos, it's Rome, HBO's madly ambitious series that bloodily splatters the glory of Rome just as savagely as Monty Python and the Holy Grail soiled the good name of Camelot (but with far fewer laughs; very few funny things happen on the way to this forum). Set in 52 B.C. (Before Cable), Rome charts the dramatic shifts in the balance of power between former friends Pompey Magnus (Kenneth Cranham), leader of the Senate, and Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds), whose imminent return after eight years to Rome after conquering the Gauls, has the ruling class up in arms. At the heart of Rome is the odd couple friendship between two soldiers who fortuitously become heroes of the people. Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) is married, honorable, and steadfast. Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) is an amoral rogue whose philosophy is best summed up, "I kill my enemies, take their gold, and enjoy their women." Among Rome's most compelling subplots is Lucius's strained relationship with his wife, Niobe (Indira Varma), who is surprised to see her husband alive (but not as surprised as he is to find her upon his homecoming with a newborn baby in her arms!) Any viewer befuddlement over Rome's intrigues and machinations, and determining who is hero and who is foe, disappears the minute Golden Globe-nominee Polly Walker appears as Atia, Caesar's formidable niece and a villainess for the ages. In the first hour alone, she offers her already married daughter as a bride to the recently widowed Pompey. One eagerly awaits to see what (or who) she'll do next as much as we anticipate her comeuppance in the final episode.
Rome is a painstakingly mounted production that earned eight well-deserved Emmy nominations in such categories as costumes, set design, and art direction. Michael Apted (Coal Miner's Daughter) was honored with a Director's Guild Award for the first episode, "The Stolen Eagle." But artistic considerations aside, instantly addicted viewers will agree with Atia, who notes at one point, "I adore the secrecy, the intrigue. It's most thrilling." --Donald Liebenson
Stills from Rome (click for larger image)
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