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Rome II
The big budget historical drama Rome, spread over two series, is the result of collaboration between HBO, BBC and Italian television company RAI. In common with other big budget dramas produced by HBO in the past (such as Band of Brothers) it is ambitious and produced to movie quality standards.
Largely filmed at the Cinecitta studios outside Rome the series are impressive in scale and execution. The large cast is filled with recognisable faces but there are no stars, the stars are the sets and the authenticity of the production.
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Series 1 Summary~ Having finally conquered the tribes of Gaul, Julius Caesar finds himself at odds with his former friend Pompey and threatened with exile. Marshalling his large and battle hardened legions he returns to Rome, in the process defying one of the guiding principles of the Republic that no army should march on Rome. Realising that he doesn't have the forces to defend the city, Pompey leaves with several leading senators and attempts to build an army capable of recapturing Rome. Upon entering the city Caesar declares himself Dictator and while reinforcing his political position embarks on a pursuit of Pompey through Italy and Greece, finally defeating him in a climatic battle that all but wipes out his opposing forces. He pursues the remaining legions of Scipio and Cato through Egypt and North Africa before returning to Rome in triumph. Declaring himself Dictator for life Caesar's list of enemies grows until they are driven to murdering him on the floor of the senate. I'm sorry if it seems I'm giving too much away but you really should know all this already.
That is the headline story arc of the first series but by no means the only one. The main aim of the series is to show us a less familiar view of ancient Rome, away from the marbled senate house and the battle field. So it is that we follow the story through the eyes of other groups of people representing different strata's of Roman society. We have the noble families led by Atia and Servilia, two powerful matriarchs but both dependent on Caesar and the new order (Atia) or the return of Pompey and the re-establishment of the Republic (Servilia) for their survival. At the other end of the spectrum there is Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, two common soldiers from Caesars legions. Caught up in the civil wars by their sworn oaths to their legion they represent the everyman Roman and through them we see what life was like at street level. All these characters play significant parts in the headline story but they each have their own tales to tell.
Series 2 Summary~ The second series opens in the immediate aftermath of Caesar's murder and all the key characters are quickly re-introduced. Although initially in fear for his life Mark Antony turns the situation to his advantage and forces the conspirators Brutus and Cassius into exile. After
learning of his wife's infidelity Vorenus becomes lost and desperate and has to be rescued by his friend Pullo. Initially triumphant at the overthrow of Caesar Servilia is quick to press her advantage over rival Atia but with the departure of her son Brutus she is soon on the back foot as Atia resumes ascendancy. At the reading of Caesars will Atia's son Octavian is named as his adopted son and sole inheritor of his estate and titles, much to the chagrin of the over looked Mark Antony
As the series progresses Octavian reaches adulthood and grows in strength and influence and embarks on a bitter and violent power struggle with Antony and Brutus.
For Vorenus life isn't so good, after losing his wife he now finds his children abducted. Having killed the man responsible, a local gangster, the area becomes wild and lawless and he is asked by Mark Antony to take over the dead mans gang to restore and maintain order. With Pullo at his side he takes to this with relish and quickly becomes feared and powerful in the criminal underworld.
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Characters and Casting~ The casting of these series is superb; just about every actor fills their character with complete believability and there is barely a misplaced step.
Kevin McKidd heads the cast playing the stoical Vorenus, a man driven by his own integrity and moral code. Loyal to a fault, when he pledges his allegiance, to Caesar in Series 1 and to Antony here in Series 2, he will not stint in carrying out their orders even when they conflict with his own beliefs. Not the biggest of men he manages to bring a completely believable sense of power and, where necessary, menace to the screen.
At his side is Titus Pullo, a fellow soldier. Through their journey in Series 1 these two are now inseparably bonded and are usually found together or looking for each other. A rough and ready character he is often used for light relief but is never far from personal tragedy. A loyal friend to Vorenus, and also to Octavian, as the series progresses he finds himself on opposite sides to Vorenus, who is with Antony, but this is never going to challenge their friendship.
Returning as Atia and Servilia are Polly Walker and Lindsay Duncan. Two arch schemers, they plot and connive against each other with bloody consequences. Each actress performs brilliantly; Walker's Atia is hot-headed, promiscuous and rash while Duncan's Servilia is cool and calculating, sometimes eliciting tragic sympathy for the wrongs done to her by Atia, she is not afraid of a little dirty work herself. Both will make any sacrifice to see their sons rulers of Rome but as Atia's ambition approaches reality will it be everything she dreamed it would be?
James Purefoy plays Mark Antony and again does a fine job. Handsome and loved by both his troops and the people, the womanising, heavy drinking boor must be a joy to play and Purefoy takes to it with relish. As the main threat to Octavian Antony has a much bigger part here than in the first series but a strong performance is given throughout.
Two other secondary characters return for the second series, Cicero and Brutus, and if there is a glitch in the casting or characterisation it is with these two. Brutus, played by Tobias Menzies, is a frustrating character. Born to greatness he often founders under the pressure of his famous name and the high expectations it places on him, maybe this was the intention but I feel his weakness is overplayed and it's hard to buy into the character. Cicero is another I feel is misplayed. Although well-born Cicero was by no means nobility, he made himself very wealthy and rose to great power and sat as Consul at a relatively young age. These things didn't come easy in Ancient Rome yet the character is played as a slightly foolish coward. Repeatedly manipulated and deceived he continually chooses the losing side in any conflict. For someone who has achieved so much the characterisation just doesn't ring true.
The central character in Series 2 is Octavian and this is my biggest grumble as far as casting goes. In Series 1 and the first couple of episodes of Series 2 he is played by Max Pirkis, a terrific young actor who really brought the character to life. For the remainder of Series 2 he is played by Simon Woods who suffers in comparison as he is rather wooden in his delivery. Octavian is meant to be a person of great intelligence and insight and while Pirkis gives the performance of someone capable of such incisive thought Woods doesn't. It is more like he is reciting earlier briefings and his power is drawn from a coldly calculating attitude rather than being the smartest person in the room.
The first series had a clear, linear structure. Following the arc of Caesar's rise and ultimate fall, seen from a variety of viewpoints, it flowed smoothly and built resolutely towards its conclusion. The second series, however, is a more disjointed affair. Many of the characters are moving in their own directions and their fates are less tied to the central story. That's not to say that Series 2 isn't very good, quite the opposite in fact as it is excellent and progresses the characters and the history very well it's just that it moves in the manner of a soap opera with multiple storylines and the largely inconsequential overlapping of characters. It gives the impression that many situations have been engineered to allow the lead characters to share screen time and dialogue. This is particularly true of Octavian and Pullo, with Woods in the role of Octavian their ongoing friendship doesn't retain the authenticity that was present with Pirkis. In Woods' hands Octavian is far too cold and distant to make the ongoing friendship with the lowly soldier believable.
Accuracy versus Authenticity ~ We know quite a lot about the Romans. The names of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Brutus are as familiar as the kings and queens of England and
Pictures of Rome - Series 2 (DVD)
Kevin McKidd as Lucius Vorenus
it wouldn't be much of a stretch to place others such as Pompey, Scipio, Cicero and Augustus. The Roman structure of government and its legal system continue to influence even today and then there are the buildings, the aqueducts and the roads (obviously the roads). What is being discovered more and more now though is the everyday life of a Roman citizen. What it would have been like to be a tradesman, a shop keeper or a slave in ancient Rome has been the subject of much research in recent years and these series seek to bring a lot of this current understanding to the screen.What the producers have sought to present is a blend of accurate or authentic historical detail. The movements and proclamations of the senior cast are well recorded and closely adhered to by the writers and can be considered accurate, with suitable allowances made for dramatic purposes. Where they have resorted to authenticity is with the lower class cast members. No one is going to record the history of common soldiers such as Vorenus and Pullo, or the machinations of nobles like Atia and Servilia but enough is known to give an authentic representation of how they would have lived and acted.
On the DVD the most prominent contributor is Jonathan Stamp, the historical advisor. Almost every DVD extra contains his input and he is a regular on the commentary tracks. Every scene is littered with historical detail, be it in the style of the buildings and streets, the food being eaten or the religious attitudes of the time and in their own way these are as interesting as the main stories. One of the features of watching this on DVD is 'All Roads Lead to Rome', by turning this on boxed text will pop up on the screen providing background information about what is happening in the story or what the characters are doing. At times this can be obtrusive, as the boxes can obscure the action, but they are very useful for second or third viewings and genuinely provide a good insight into the history being told or day to day Roman life. If they occasionally veer towards self congratulation this can be forgiven for the extra depth they give to the story.
Fun for all the family? ~ This is most definitely not family viewing. As I mentioned above the historical accuracy of the series is taken very seriously and this stretches to the Roman attitudes towards sex, violence and morality. It all may look very familiar but this pre-Christian society is very different to anything we're used to. Every episode is dripping with bloody violence and explicit (for prime time television anyway) sex. There is full frontal nudity (male and female) and the language is best described as barrack room English, even the old 'C' word gets a regular airing. But don't be misled into thinking any of this is gratuitous or titillating, it's nothing of the sort, it merely reinforces aspects of Roman society that will seem very strange to the modern viewer.
The DVD ~ The series is spread across five discs, held in a sturdy wooden box with a printed insert providing an introduction to the leading characters. Unlike Series 1 there is no bonus disc but four of the five discs have an additional feature covering a range of historical, technical or character backgrounds. Each feature is well made and presented with good contributions from the cast and crew.
The DVD presentation allows three ways of watching the episodes. There is the option to watch the series as screened on TV, with audio commentaries from a selection of crew or cast members or finally it can be viewed with the 'All Roads Lead to Rome' feature mentioned above. This is the kind of series that benefits from repeat viewings and you'll have been through these options long before you tire of watching it.
Conclusion ~ This is a fantastic series, perhaps not quite as good as the first series it still stands comparison with anything else broadcast in recent years. Unless you are particularly squeamish don't be put off by the sex and violence, they are part and parcel of an enthralling story, expertly told.
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
![Rome - Series 1 And 2 [Box Set]-DVD](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/99223064.jpg "Rome - Series 1 And 2 [Box Set]-DVD")
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