Did anyone see "Rome" on HBO last night?

[AlCzervik]

They showed the Roman senate a few times and a few senators declaring Caesar should be jailed for "illegal war" and spening all of Rome's money. I'll be watching next Sunday.

http://www.hbo.com/rome/

[Cleita]

1. I'll bet all the sex and frontal nudity didn't hurt either.

:-) Yeah, I rather liked it. It looks like they are trying to be as authentic as they can with British actors instead of Italian ones, but I can see why because of the dialog being in English.

The battle scenes are gruesome if not the way things were and the crucifixion to get information. We are the new Romans it appears.

[Inland]

2. Why didn't they just borrow the war funds from China?

Fucking savages.

[jaxx]

3. Yep, it could be interesting if they keep it up

[Lex]

4. Loved it! I've been waiting for it for a year!

I fell in love with all things of this time period from reading this excellent series of novels by Steven Saylor: http://www.stevensaylor.com/RomaSubRosa.html

This HBO series makes it all even better!

[Aristus]

5. As usual, with every Roman epic, I'm too distracted by what they

did wrong to enjoy it. One thing they got right that no other Roman film has so far: No stirrups on the saddles. Stirrupped horses were brought west by the Huns in the fourth century a.d.; the Republican Romans didn't have them.

Wrong: The legionary helmets - Wrong design; legionary armor - The legionary tribunes stopped using leather armor in the second century b.c.; Slave tattoos - I've never seen any evidence that the Romans tattooed their slaves.

Although they went for the right look in terms of the city, muddy, dirty and grimy, they may have overdone it; several scenes set in or near the Forum showed mud streets in areas that were actually paved in real life.

Overall, not bad. I'm looking forward to the rest of it.

[Cleita]

7. Picky, picky.

I thought they did pretty good. I remember these epics back to the old "Quo Vadis".

[Lex]

8. And they were speaking English!

How inauthentic!

:hi:

[Cleita]

9. Yes, shouldn't they be speaking classical Latin.

Would we read the titles?

[CatWoman]

14. Ah Aristus

DU's very own historical watchdog

:loveya:

[Aristus]

16. Okay, I'm SORRY!

:-)

It's instinctive by now. I'm such a nut on Ancient Rome, I wanna see it the way it WAS, you know. I don't actually demand Latin dialogue, but it would be nice to see Caesar portrayed as bald once in a while. B-)

[CatWoman]

17. no need to be sorry

I think it's very sexy :D

[Aristus]

20. Aw shucks!

As sexy as you, maybe? B-)

[Emendator]

25. A great pick for someone to play Caesar

would be Peter Woodward, who was on Babylon 5 and also had a military show that used to be on TLC. He is balding, has the high cheekbones, angular chin, and piercing eyes. He'd be perfect.

I think it looks like a good show. I'm like you in terms of nitpicking. But if it makes people interested in history, then so what if it's not totally accurate? I'm not going to be a party pooper.

They're totally going over the top with Atia, as if she's Livia on steroids. Atia was a kind and doting mother. I guess they needed to give something Octavius and Octavia something to do in this episode.

[Cha]

6. I don't have hbo but I saw

"Empire" on abc at the end of June and it was OUTSTANDING! It was about the same thing, same era..Caesar, Mark Anthony, and Octavias. Fascinating history.."The Senators were drunk with power".

The acting was breath taking..and a friend of mine's daughter is married to one of the stars, "Jonathon Cake"..he played the gladiator, Tyranus.

[DeepModem Mom]

10. I thought it was about Bush; I thought it was about Iraq, and empire....

Caesar was in Gaul, neglecting his domestic duties, in an illegal war. Caesar was aristocratic by birth, but somehow had gained the affection and support of the "plebes." There were warnings that Caesar intended to destroy the Republic, and establish his own tyranny. There were scenes of brutal torture.

It sounded mighty familiar.

[Lex]

15. Yes, I think that's one reason HBO & BBC pursued this project.

from: http://www.canmag.com/news/4/21/1730

"Since, as a culture, we seem to desire the combination of fictionalized and real history to give us a sense of overall human history on this planet, and since both its critics and its proponents constantly compare America to Rome, HBO, in conjunction with BBC, has picked an appropriate time to run a series entitled, tellingly, "Rome."

One of the promising aspects of "Rome," which begins on HBO August 28, is that the two protagonists are Roman soldiers: Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo played by, respectively, Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson.

Unlike its movie counterparts, the show tells the story of historical Rome mainly through entirely fictional characters who are not historically instrumental. Because HBO has a good reputation for blunt honesty (and sometimes violence), the realistic aspects of the life of two average Roman Soldiers (the ancient equivalent of the everyman) in "Rome" will likely yield harsh truths that will undermine that false nostalgia that does lie dangerously close to these backwards-looking programs. Of course characters like Julius Caesar and Mark Antony will appear with regularity since the show intends to portray the change of Rome from a republic to, essentially, a dictatorship."

[DeepModem Mom]

18. Well, there it is -- thanks! Reminds me of Lucas, earlier this summer --

"This is how liberty dies...to thunderous applause."

[Lex]

19. Clearly the Roman Republic thought it was as invincible as we

have a tendency to think our republic is.

Scares the hell out of me, frankly.

[Emendator]

28. Caesar was right

He realized that the old republican system wasn't conducive to running an international empire. He realized reform was needed and that they old system of competing individuals and factions, replacing each other every single year, would tear the empire apart - by treason trials, corrupt governors, etc.

He was fair minded, progressive, and lenient towards his enemies. Ironically, when Octavius won his final victory ending that chaotic 1st century BC, he was considered to have restored the republic. It wasn't as if someone flicked a switch and said that we're an empire now. Some sort of strong executive, a refinement of the office of the dictator, was inevitable. And Augustus did defer to the Senate on many things. However, the succession problem remained and would come back to haunt Rome.

Had Caesar lived, maybe there would have been a better solution to determine a successor. But probably not. Augustus was very good at government and he couldn't keep it from inevitably breaking down. But most of the emperors were OK. Regardless, Rome had quite a run at things.

[Chovexani]

11. I missed it, totally forgot it was going to be one

Good thing HBO repeats stuff ad nauseum. Glad to hear it was good, I'm a sucker for period stuff of any kind (especially ancient times).

[The Revolution]

12. No, but it looked interesting

I don't have HBO anymore, since our cable company only offers it now if you buy the whole digital package. As it is now, I have the expanded package and only ever watch a few channels.

But a show about Rome seems like it could be cool. I've been playing the Rome:Total War computer game a lot lately though :)

[Maple]

13. There is a write-up on it

you fans might like then. What they did, and why they did it in this series, and the authenticity of it.


"In striving for "normality," the producers have done their best to make the cast look like real Romans, with bad teeth and complexions and rumpled looks, the product of a time without shower gel, shampoo or designer hairbrushes. Stamp cannot abide what he calls the Holly-Rome look - "starched white togas and everything sanitised. The whole ethos of our Rome is to do something entirely different."

Different, but genuinely fascinating. In this reinvented (and, they assure us, entirely true) Rome, a jumble of garish buildings, grimy air and filthy streets, a grand lady can visit a temple and have a shower in bull's blood as the animal is butchered in an upstairs room."

http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article301393.ece

[Aristus]

21. Um...your link is broken, Maple.

:-)

[Maple]

24. Confound it, I was just there

and it was fine. Maybe the site is down.

In the meantime, here is a Wiki item on it...with this #$%^ link at the bottom.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome_(TV_series)

[Maple]

26. Ahhhh HAH ! NOW it works!

The aforementioned writeup .....

http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article301393.ece

[Lex]

27. Great article!

Thanks for the link. :thumbsup:

[Maple]

29. Well at least

you got to see it! :7

[ellenfl]

22. so far, not as good as

'i, claudius' which was on pbs many years back. one of my all time favorite shows. catch it if you can. it is a 13 part mini-series and is still available in video stores.

ellen fl

[Corgigal]

23. We enjoyed it at our house

but Man, those women are bitches. Must take notes....