Rome: The Complete Collection [DVD] [2005] [2007]

I watched Rome when it first aired on the BBC in 2005 and thought it was amazing. It's been 5 years, now, and I saw it was fairly cheap on Amazon so got it for Christmas. It's only 3 days later and I've already seen most of the first series! The thing that stands out this time around is just how good Rome was. The fall of the Roman Republic is quite possibly the most tumultuous period in Political history so the writers were always onto a winner when writing a big-budget drama. Watching the drama and violence may seem over-the-top, but practically all the major events and murders depicted here happened. In fact, if anything, despite this being one of the most violent and perverse mainstream dramas broadcast, the writers have shied away from the darker and more indulgent aspects of ancient Rome -- Mark Anthony, for instance, had several gay (as well as countless heterosexual) affairs and used to attend wild parties dressed as a god, in a chariot pulled by lions! (Anthony here, played superbly by James Purefoy, is still outrageous by modern standards, but surely the reality would have been too much to stomach for the BBC). Where the writers succeed, though, is meshing this story onto strong, utterly-compelling character-driven plotting set within a landscape so fantastically realised that practically every shot takes your breath away. The day-to-day dirty, violent, horny reality of life in ancient cities has surely never been more accurately and beautifully portrayed. The streets of Rome are alive before your eyes, and the characters whose lives you follow through them are equally captivating (the hilarious and brutal story of unlikely friends, Centurion Lucius Vorenus and legionarie Titus Pullo; the family drama of high-society Atia and her children Ovtavia and Octavian (the future emperor Augustus); the political and military careers, the lives and loves of Anthony and Caesar; and supporting plots concerning the plotting against Caesar, the working conditions of Rome, the pagan religions and sacrifices, not to mention the careers and demises of Cato, Cicero and Brutus). As I say, the writers already had writing gold before they even put fingers to keyboard, but the effort they have put in to covering so many of Rome's facets, to also create memorising and loveable characters, has to be lauded as one of the best written dramas of our age. Rome does have its faults (some historical inaccuracies and -- largely due to the events covered in series one being so powerful -- the second season isn't quite as strong), but there is nothing else like it (if you have been put off watching this from seeing the Tudors, give it a go, I think you will be surprised by the difference). I think I enjoyed Rome more second time around. I guess because it has been and gone and nothing has come close to matching it for sheer extravagance, debauchery and spectacle. I can't wait to watch it on Blue-Ray ) If (as I) you are interested in reading more about Caesar and Rome after viewing this, I'd recommend Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic (which covers the same period as season one) and Caesar: The Life of a Colossus (which is a comprehensive biography of Caesar, and covers his early life and military career in Gaul as well as events after the Rubicon).

Great series. Saw it years ago on TV. Enjoyed it again

'Rome' is quite simply the best TV series I have ever seen. It has everything - outstanding acting, a superb set, unforgettable characters and a plot line which, though not always historically accurate, really did make you feel like you were there in the dying days of the Roman republic. Oh, and did I mention the extremely attractive actors, male and female? It's hard to choose a favourite from so many brilliant performances - Ray Stevenson as Roman 'everyman', Titus Pullo; the lovely James Purefoy as the unscrupulous Mark Antony; Polly Walker as the rather camp Atia; Lindsay Duncan as the ice-cold Servilia; Kevin McKidd as the conflicted Lucius Vorenus, Indira Varma as his guilt-ridden wife ..... so much to love. HBO executives have apparently said that, with hindsight, cancelling 'Rome' was a mistake and they regret their hasty decision. So do I. There was enough material in this story to easily last 5 seasons, yet we had to make do with two, albeit two seasons of the best TV I have ever seen. If I was to nitpick, I'd say that season 2 is definitely not quite as good as season 1, especially in the second half, when the need to squeeze years of highly eventful history into a few episodes makes the storyline and characters somewhat distorted. I also disliked the portrayal of Cleopatra as a manipulative, squeaky voiced druggie, with little of the intelligence and charisma she was so famous for. But that's just a nitpick. Even if you're not normally a fan of ancient history, or or historical dramas in general, watch 'Rome'. You will not regret it. You'll merely find yourself wistfully wondering about what might have been had the show been allowed to reach its full potential. 'Rome' is a wonder. That is all.

Generally a good series, relies perhaps on soft Porn and imagined hard Drug addiction (Bong Pipes) to make it "appeal to modern viewers" but makes up for it in the "Road to Rome" on-screen information on the ways of ancient Rome etc. As with the soon-to-be-released film "Exodus" it mostly relies on white actors to play Romans and uses a lot of south Saharan African actors to depict Alexandrian Egyptians, who would have been more like the modern Copts, Levantines etc. This is done for expediancy and maybe to make it looks "more exotic". Nothing new, all in the tradition of Hollywood mega productions, such as "Quo Vadis?" Also I think the film "Gladiator" has been used as a template for all subsequent Roman dramas, turbaned south Saharan African actors and cod-eulalations that have more to do with a weekend in Marrakech than the ancient past of the Mediterranean. What made the BBC drama "I, Claudius" a success was the acting and story quality, not depending on dollops of soft Porn, Hard Drugs and Pantomine Costumes. People liked "I, Claudius", watched it, still watch it after almost 40 years and like it. Why is that?

La più bella opera su Roma antica

Il cofanetto è discreto, nella media sia come concept che come realizzazione. Le confezioni al suo interno sono 2 (una per stagione) semplici, senza libretti, ma comunque con i dvd di tutti gli episodi. La serie invece è molto bella e interessante, segnalo la mancanza di audio italiano per entrambe le stagioni.

Serie avvincente ed ambientazione storica accurata: la consiglio. Lovely and catching series with a pretty accurate history background : I recommend it!

Dans cette édition, la saison 1 dispose de sous-titre VF (et d'une VF audio si cela vous intéresse), tandis que la saison 2 ne dispose ni de sous-titre en VF (anglais et plusieurs autres langues), ni d'audio VF. Inutile d'ajouter à ce qui a déjà été dit de la série, qui est formidable.

Ottima serie