← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · il ragno
Thread ID: 8682 | Posts: 7 | Started: 2003-08-02
2003-08-02 04:32 | User Profile
Riveting, brilliant, wonderfully bloodthirsty and true to (in)human nature, the BBC series I CLAUDIUS is in reruns all this weekend on the Trio network. It will run complete on Saturday afternoon beginning at 2pm EST, then again on Sunday morning beginning at 8am EST.
If you get Trio on your cable system, fish out a few blank VHS tapes & get cracking.
2003-08-02 05:24 | User Profile
il ragno,
I saw it years ago. I CLAUDIUS is great!
**I, Claudius (1975) Price: $76.49 Based on Robert Graves the novel 13-part 668 min. ASIN: B00004U12X
Editorial Reviews Amazon.com essential video
This superbly acted, mordantly funny romp through 70 years or so of Roman history is one of the best-loved miniseries ever made, and deservedly so. Derek Jacobi plays Roman Emperor Claudius, who reflects in old age on his life and his remarkable family, giving us a history lesson that's unlike anything you learned in school.
The story begins in 24 B.C. during the reign of Augustus Caesar, Rome's first emperor, and ends in A.D. 54 with Nero on the throne. In between, I, Claudius details the scheming, murder, madness, and lust that passed for politics in the early years of the Pax Romana. The biggest worm in the Roman apple is Augustus's wife, Livia (the superb Siân Phillips), whose single-minded pursuit of power shapes the destiny of the Empire. With a carefully planted rumor here and a poisoned fig there, she gradually maneuvers her son, Tiberius, toward the throne, creating an atmosphere of suspicion and treachery that starts Rome on its helter-skelter slide into bloody chaos. Phillips somehow makes us understand this extraordinarily wicked woman. As she ages and her carefully wrought webs begin to unravel, it becomes clear that Livia has been as thoroughly poisoned by her own ambition as her victims were by her carefully prepared meals.
Further acting honors go to George Baker as Tiberius, who resists but eventually succumbs to the destiny forced upon him by his mother, and to John Hurt as a hilarious and absolutely terrifying Caligula. In one breathtakingly tense scene, the mad Emperor performs a dance in drag, then asks Claudius to critique it, perfectly capturing the horror of a world where one wrong word means death, or worse. Jacobi is the perfect Claudius, hiding his intelligence behind a crippling stammer and shuffling around the edges of events--until he finds himself pulled to the very center. His wry comments give shape to the tangled story of his family and help the audience make sense of a dauntingly complex cast of characters.
I, Claudius might seem a little studio-bound to viewers brought up on more recent big-budget costume dramas, but the topnotch cast and the incident-filled plot are more than enough to hold the attention through almost 11 hours of gripping, deliciously wicked Roman follies. This boxed set also includes a documentary entitled "The Epic That Never Was," about Alexander Korda's failed attempt to film I, Claudius in 1937. The film, directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Charles Laughton as Claudius and Merle Oberon as Messalina, was abandoned unfinished, and it remains one of Hollywood's great lost movies. --Simon Leake
Description Roman history comes alive in this magnificent 13-part series. "I, Claudius" (1976, 668 min.) ranks among the most acclaimed productions in BBC history. Tracing the lives of the last of the Roman emperors, it's an epic of ruthless ambition, shocking debauchery and murderous intrigue set in one of history's most fascinating eras. Bearing witness to the saga is Claudius, whose stutter and limp have marked him a fool--yet whom prophesies have foretold will one day rule Rome. This collector's edition set includes a unique documentary feature, "The Epic That Never Was" (1965, 71 min.), a remarkable behind-the-scenes look at Alexander Korda's ill-fated 1937 screen adaptation of "I, Claudius." Starring Merle Oberon and Charles Laughton, the chronicle of this uncompleted masterpieces is an unforgettable coda to one of the greatest stories ever told.
Brilliant, Fearsome; A Great Work of Art, May 30, 2002 Reviewer: An Amazon.com Customer from Biloxi, MS USA
Based on Robert Graves' famous novel, I, CLAUDIUS is the ultimate soap opera, vicious, cruel, manipulative--and this famous English miniseries grabs the attention and holds fast throughout the entire length of its complex tale of ancient intrigue.
The great strengths of I, CLAUDIUS are in the driving pace, sharp wit, and ferocity of Jack Pulman's script and the host of brilliant performers who play it out. Chief among these are Sian Phillips as the calculating, murderous, and unspeakably cold Livia, wife of Augustus; although Derek Jacobi gives a justly famous performance in the title role, it is Phillips who dominates and drives the story with this, the most brilliant performance of her career. But this is not to disparrage the overall cast, which is remarkably fine and includes such noted artists as Brian Blessed, John Hurt, Patricia Quinn, Patrick Stewart, and a host of others.
Like the serpent that appears in the open credits, the story twists and winds--and covers several generations of the ruling family as Rome slips from the republic to royal rule, largely due to the manipulations of Livia, who has few if any scruples in her determination to rule first through her husband and then through her son. Although the look of the film is somewhat dated, it in no way impairs the power of the piece, and I, CLAUDIUS remains one of the handful of miniseries that actually improves upon repeated viewings. Strongly, strongly recommended.
[url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004U12X/]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...l/-/B00004U12X/[/url] **
2003-08-02 08:42 | User Profile
Jacobi is great, but he's got plenty of company in this ensemble, starting wth Sian Phillips' Livia and Brian Blessed's Augustus.
As for Hurt, he utters the best line of all: "Uncle, there's a terrible galloping in my head and your stuttering is making it worse!**"
Considering PBS recently ran, in uncut & pristine restored episodes, the complete run of THE PRISONER only last week or so, there may be hope for the boob tube yet.
And I disagree about the sets & stageyness. I thought, given the budget limitations and the 10-hr length of the thing, the production design was marvelously evocative. Watch it again and marvel at what a little inspired camera movement and lighting can accomplish. The events, and the era, of I CLAUDIUS have always been real and alive to me in all the subtle ways that a megabudgeted turkey like GLADIATOR never even approached.
2003-08-02 09:28 | User Profile
As for Hurt, he utters the best line of all: "Uncle, there's a terrible galloping in my head and your stuttering is making it worse!"
And shut that coughing brat up pronto, or I damn sure will..... :lol:
Wonderful show. That Livia really was a chilling monster. Too bad I don't get Trio.
2003-08-05 05:30 | User Profile
Originally posted by il ragno@Aug 2 2003, 02:42 * *Jacobi is great, but he's got plenty of company in this ensemble, starting wth Sian Phillips' Livia and Brian Blessed's Augustus.
As for Hurt, he utters the best line of all: "Uncle, there's a terrible galloping in my head and your stuttering is making it worse!**"
Considering PBS recently ran, in uncut & pristine restored episodes, the complete run of THE PRISONER only last week or so, there may be hope for the boob tube yet.
And I disagree about the sets & stageyness. I thought, given the budget limitations and the 10-hr length of the thing, the production design was marvelously evocative. Watch it again and marvel at what a little inspired camera movement and lighting can accomplish. The events, and the era, of I CLAUDIUS have always been real and alive to me in all the subtle ways that a megabudgeted turkey like GLADIATOR never even approached.**
Solid suggestion, signore Spider...consider it bookmarked. It's noteworthy that, according to the Historian/Court Gossip Suetonius, Claudius was the only Caesar of the first 12 whose carnal predelictions would have been deemed normal by our standards.
By pre-MTV/Eisner standards, at any rate. ;)
2003-08-05 08:51 | User Profile
This is an excellent series. After seeing the first one I was so impressed that I went out and bought Graves' books on it.
Certainly alot better than the trash ginned out today.
2003-08-05 15:50 | User Profile
"I, Claudius", and "Claudius,the God", were my dad's favorite books. He had me reading them at a very early age. He always swore he had been a Roman foot soldier. I think he was still trying to be, as he retired after 30 years in the Marine Corp, 27 of them spent as a Master Sargeant.