I posted this in the CFC 'TV shows you watch' thread but it occurs to me others might be interested too... If anyone has access to British TV and wants to do themselves a favour they could do a lot worse than catch a complete re-run of the 1976 version of the BBC's 'I, Claudius', starting on BBC4, 19th March, 10PM. http://www.tvguide.co.uk/detail.asp?id=150959357 http://www.tvguide.co.uk/episodeguide.asp?title=I, Claudius Based on Robert Graves 1930's novel of the same name, and it's 'sequel', 'Claudius the God'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Claudius_(TV_series) This is the beginning of the first episode... It starts off rather slowly for most modern viewers, (AKA, those with the ability to concentrate of a goldfish ), but it really rewards perseverance. Here's part of a later episode with the REAL star of the series, (IMHO, anyway), Sian Phillips. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siân_Phillips and the one following... Although John Hurt catches the eye as well. Hard to believe he had an alien bursting through his chest a few years afterwards, isn't it. Certainly when compared to the 'sword and sandals' drivel that passes for historical fiction now, the series is light years ahead.
Been on my to-do list for more than a decade. Any yanks know if it's on BBC America? If I find out, I'll post.
We've been waiting for my son to get old enough to appreciate, and we may be a year away, but this production is first rate. Plus, Star Trek fans get to see Patrick Stewart with hair...
Yes, that's a definite plus looking back but, of course, he wasn't that well known at the time. Better known were people like Brian Blessed who played Augustus in I, Claudius and who, strangely enough, is an old mate of Patrick Stewart's. He played PC 'Fancy' Smith in the very popular TV show 'Z Cars' in the early to mid 60's. He's also well known as having one of the loudest voices in British television and theatre work, as amply demonstrated in this episode of 'Room 101'... Many of the other people were also much better known than Patrick Stewart because they appeared in TV shows. People like Margaret Tyzack had been in The Forsyte Saga. Actually, looking through the cast list it appears that the Royal Shakespeare Company was essentially dumped into the BBC casting department for this production which gives some clue as to why even the 'small' parts are so well done. It IS sometimes rather 'theatrical' and gives the impression more of a recording of a stage play than a TV production but, to my mind, it's the better for it. Here's another 'bit... the last part of episode 6, 'Poison Is Queen', again with the excellent Sian Phillips and Derek Jacobi. She's just murdered her husband, Augustus, so that her son, Tiberius, can become Emperor. Good stuff
Livia is the greatest evil character on the screen. She's absolutely first rate. Was it her daughter, Oliiva, that she locks in a room to die of starvation while she listens outside the door? I haven't seen the show in 25 years, but there is no way to forget that scene.
Those of you who want to get a Rome via Robert Graves fix can always read the novel. Also, I recommend Graves' translation of Suetonius' Twelve Caesars. I swear, if this was required reading in Junior High, most males would learn Latin by the time they started college
Augustus would only eat food he, himself prepared. Therefore, Livia had to climb the fig tree and paint poison on the fruit.
My favorite story in Suetonius was when one of the Caesars (Julius I think) travelled on state business to Macedonia. While he was gone, some of his opponents spread the rumor that he was going there to, ummm.... Be the catcher in a homosexual relationship. The rumor took hold. When the Caesar returned to address the forum, he was introduced as the Emporer of Rome and the Queen of Macedonia. As you can imagine, hilarity ensued. "Hilarity" in the Caligulean sense of the word, that is.
I watched I Claudius on its U.S. release, on Masterpiece Theater hosted by Alistair Cooke. My favorite show at the time was Six Million Dollar Man. I was flabbergasted. Never seen anything like it. I still remember that series vividly. Agree that Sian Phillips was the highlight. As great as Hurt, Blessed, Jacobi, etc. were, I can imagine others filling in for them. Can't envision any other Livia, however. The novel is terrific, I highly recommend. This is not the instance where the series is better than the book, they both are very fine.
Not sure if that was her, I just googled and apparently it was Antonia who starved Livilla. Livia is a great monster yes. It is not because she is pathological. She is not nuts like Caligua. She has a heart. She just does her very very best to repress her humanity, to steel herself not to listen to her conscience, to ignore remorse, to subvert all in her single-minded goal to have her son become Caesar. She is a self-taught Borg.
The two Graves books are great start to finish. They are one WTF! moment after another. I see Livia as having all the same motives as all the dynasticists. She is trying to put her DNA on the throne. Is it any less legitimate to do it by killing a dozen than it is by killing a hundred thousand? Also recommended...Masters of Rome is a series of historical fiction novels by author Colleen McCullough (b. 1937) set in ancient Rome during the last days of the old Roman Republic; it primarily chronicles the lives and careers of Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Pompeius Magnus, Gaius Julius Caesar, and the early career of Caesar Augustus. It spans from January 1, 110 BC through to January 16, 27 BC. The novels of the series are The First Man in Rome (1990); spanning the years 110–100 BC The Grass Crown (1991); spanning the years 97–86 BC Fortune's Favourites (1993); spanning the years 83–69 BC Caesar's Women (1997); spanning the years 67–59 BC Caesar (1998); spanning the years 54–48 BC The October Horse (2002); spanning the years 48–41 BC and Antony and Cleopatra (2007); spanning the years 41–27 BC
My understanding is that Claudius developed his stutter from Livia forcing him to place his hand inside the box and after speaking in the voice.
Just watched the first one tonight and it was every bit as good as I remember. I read the first novel when I was about 14 or 15, (my father and elder brother having read it first), but never got around to reading the second for some reason... an error I'll be correcting in the very near future
I was in 9th grade taking first year Latin when this came on, and my teacher urged us to watch it. My mind was blown. Huh? I don't understand.