Best On Screen Potrayal Of Ancient Rome

[Germanicus Nero]

Best portrayed Rome in all it's splendor decadence and glory.

 

BBC's I,Cladius was an incrdible surprise for me. Cleopatra (Burton,Taylor) while not so accurate was very entertaining. Rex Harri's Caesar was the best to this point imho.

[Primus Pilus]

A difficult question really. Each of the 'epics' offer their own unique perspectives. I think after considering everything I have to pick Caligula

 

Just kidding of course.

 

Seriously, I think Spartacus did a fabulous job of recreating the environment.. despite the usual Hollywood inaccuracies/modern reflective interpretations.

 

The roles of Laurence Olivier as Marcus Licinius Crassus (the aristocratic military dictator type that would be more appropriate for a character other than Crassus but still captures a certain mood of the Late Republic) Charles Laughton as Sempronius Gracchus (a wonderful example of the scheming Senator) and Peter Ustinov (especially) as Lentulus Batiatus (the conniving, money grubbing slave trader/merchant).

[P.Clodius]

I love the part where the legions are marching over the hill in checkerboard formation. It gives you a real feel for it.

[Caesar]

I tremendously enjoyed the movie Cleopatra, made in the 1990's with Billy Zane and Timothy Dalton, although from what I understand it was not as historically accurate as it was entertaining. But, you do get the general feel of the times from the movie, in my opinion.

[Primus Pilus]

I didn't even realize there was such a film from the 90's. I'm out of touch. Was it theatrical, made for TV, or straight to DVD?

[Ursus]

Spartacus has always been my favorite as well, mostly for Olivier and Ustinov's performances. But Douglas' idealistic Spartacus is way over the top, as was the opening prologue about the "tyranny of Pagan Rome."

 

And the guy who played Crassus' henchmen - named Glaborus, I think - really couldn't act worth a damn. Most people would diminish next to Olivier, but they must have found that guy off the street. What were they thinking?

[Guest lucullus]

I claudius has to be the best as a depiction of roman society however it lacks the visual appeal of some of the higher budget hollywood movies.

 

I think that for accuracy of the forum probably the fall of the roman Empire with sophia Loren set around the death of M Aurelius and the rise of commudus. The same time period was more entertainingly depicted in Gladiator but the director played fast and lose with his depiction of Rome which is funny considering how much effort they put into having an accurate depiction of the colosseum.

 

I must say that i enjoyed the remke of Spartacus made last year however it cant compare with the original Spartacus.

 

I thought Cleopatra was ridiculous because of the 50's hair do's and Burtons short Skirt. His depiction of a man who ruled half the empire and was a close colleague of Caesars was also laughable.

[Joe Geranio]

I would have to say the 1989-91 version of "Quo Vadis" with Klaus Maria Brandauer...........not the old 1950's version. THe newer version was by RAI entertainment in ROME.

 

Multa Cum Amicitia,

 

Joe

[Skarr]

Spartacus makes the top of my list, not only for the splendid performances by Olivier, Laughton and Ustinov but also the authentic recreation of the gladiatorial fight sequences. Kubrick was a stickler for accuracy and spent a few months filming the fight between Graba and Spartacus, after poring over paintings, murals and other historical information that was available on the specific techniques used. Kirk Douglas whined a lot and complained but I still think the final cut that made it to film was one of the best, ever. I was very disappointed by the fight sequences in Gladiator and it wasn't really clear, with a lot of fast cutting and close ups. Russell Crowe may be a good actor but he's no gladiator. I have the Criterion edition on laserdisc and the transfer is just stunning, much better than the DVD version. Of course, you need a good top of the line LD player too like the CLD 99 or something similar to appreciate its quality. The "I'm Spartacus" sequence is also unforgettable, absolutely brilliant. I read the novel by Howard Fast and it's interesting upto the point where the gladiators escape from the school in Capua and after that, it's a pretty boring book.

[Felix Casus]

My personal favorite is I, Claudius. I have the series on video and pop it in whenever it's a yucky day outside and I have nothing to do. The acting is just amazing and it's like watching a play - simple sets and no special effects, just stellar portrayals.

Hmm I have nothing to do tomorrow....all of a sudden I'm totally in the mood for a re-watch!

[longbow]

I havent seen I claudius ,you would think the BBC would run a repeat of it!they do with everything else,i really want to watch it,how many episodes is it?

L

[Felix Casus]

It's 13 episodes, 50 minutes each. I wonder if your local library would have it?

[P.Clodius]

Get it on DVD. Later in life you will look back and think that it was among your best spent $$ in life

[Princeps]

I haven't seen I, Claudius either. However, I have seen I, Caesar (a series of 6, made by seventh arts, shown on UK history). A totally EXCEPTIONAL series, I would reccomend it to anyone. The visuals are excellent, and the narrator is a god amongst broadcasters). It covered Caesar, Augustus, Nero, Hadrian, Constantine, and Justinian. As I say, truly excellent (surely some of you UK guys have also seen it? Back me up here guys!).

 

P.s, you can still but it from seventh arts website. It is hideously expensive, but if you can afford it, get it!

 

http://www.seventh-art.com/pastproduction.asp

 

(bottom right of page).

 

Oh yeah, they also did "Nero's golden house" (also good, not a patch on I, Caesar though).

[Skarr]

I have the entire DVD set of I,Claudius and for any Roman history buff, this is a must have in your collection.

 

I did see "Cleopatra" starring Billy Zane and it is more like a rich fantasy. I guess the real Cleopatra wasn't a sexy babe either, contrary to Hollywood's standard take.

 

However, she was rich, she was incredibly powerful and for generals like Caesar and Antony, that would be more than enough attraction as power acts like an aphrodisiac. After all, these generals could buy the best slaves whenever they chose, why would mere physical beauty seduce them? Caesar had the best Gallic women always sent to his tent and went out of his way to prove his 'manhood' especially after the scurrilous rumor spread about him after his Bithynian adventure in his youth. That man was a known homosexual and I think the Roman men did not mind if Caesar had an affair with him, provided he was the 'pitcher'.

 

Caesar was always a threat as he was everything that Roman men aspired to and he had no equal, as he was an extremely talented, intelligent man with the world at his feet. Also, he was loved by not only his own tough soldiers, as he was always ready to live like them, do any task along with them but also the people of Rome, who genuinely loved him, as they considered him one of their own. After all, he did live in the Subura.

 

I wish they would make a movie about Caesar focusing on only his early life. The young Caesar and the arrogant Pompey - that would be a real clash of wills that I would like to see on screen, including Caesar's tough decision to compromise with him by offering up his own daughter. Although it was a set up, I think Pompey did genuinely love Caesar's daughter and grieved a lot when she died.