Pantagathus Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Salve Citizens, I was at a dinner in Hollywood Friday with some industry execs and the scuttlebut was HBO is disappointed with the number of viewers to Rome. WHen I mentioned that they ordered a second season, they said they did it to justify the very expensive price tag and hoping it will find it's audience. I know some series like The Sopranos and Star Trek Next Generation took two seasons to gather a wide audience. I just hope a show as smart as Rome doesn't fall so soon. Make sure and tell your friends to tune in to HBO's Rome and get their numbers up. *&@%(*% See, I don't have HBO and so I was just planning on buying the 1st Season DVD when it comes available. I guess I better just pay the extra for HBO to help the show out because all I've heard is overwhelmingly positive feedback... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 I have a question for the authors on the forum.... Why pass up such a fabulous plot hook? Why make her hatred so much about Atia??? Perhaps because Cato was Caesar's enemy long before the affair between Servilia and Caesar came to an end. There clearly was a definite motive beyond the political that helped bring about her wrath. The path of least resistance was used because its a generally acceptable view even if we can clearly see some other motivational factors. Its definately something that could've been pursued, but I think the additional efforts that would've been necessary to explain the theory may have nixed any thought of exploring further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Including the fact that Servilia was Cato's half-sister provides an additional dramatic benefit--it helps to explain how well Brutus knew Cato, why Brutus might have married Cato's daughter, and why he assassinated Cato's scourge. As it is, "Rome" portrays the opponents of Caesar as motivated entirely by mindless traditionalism, hatred of the poor, personal enmity, or fear of one's mother! I know it's supposed to be a soap-operatic, and I really do love the show, but I don't like how it portrays the optimates. Isn't there some way to dramatize their political convictions more sympathetically? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Isn't there some way to dramatize their political convictions more sympathetically? Perhaps, but its terribly difficult to convey the political position in support of an oligarchy in a way that modern sensibilities find appealing. Personally, I think they did a fine job of portraying Caesar as the manipulative politician that he was (which is no different than the vast majority of politicians in the late Republic) and giving Brutus a position that is easily understood and respected. I think the real problem is that Caesar wasn't portrayed with the charisma necessary to explain why it happened. Because of this, I think the layman viewer leaves the show without a solid understanding of what was really happening, regardless of political leanings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 We get a fair bit of stuff from the BBC; Australia's ABC works pretty closely with the BBC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Germanicus Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 As it is, "Rome" portrays the opponents of Caesar as motivated entirely by mindless traditionalism, hatred of the poor, personal enmity, or fear of one's mother Sounds like they did an excellent job then ! We get a fair bit of stuff from the BBC; Australia's ABC works pretty closely with the BBC. It's comming to us on channel 10 in Melbourne Tobias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skarr Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 The way you put it Skarr makes me go crazy for more Rome. Thank you, Flavius. The only problem is that we have such a long wait between seasons, it is going to be difficult for all "Rome" fans. Many of them are already in "deep depression", as apparent from the various posts in the HBO Forum, which has been really humming since the airing of the final episode. It's a pity that in the UK, they showed a chopped version of the first 3 episodes, chopping a number of scenes to reduce it to a mere 2 episodes. Funnily, I thought it should have been longer but again, I'm not with the BBC or HBO and therefore, cannot understand their rationale. One would think that they would shoot for more airing time with the footage they have, not less. It doesn't make a lot of sense. Well, I guess I can look forward to the DVD box (- it's amazing, but bootleg DVDs are already on sale at Ebay) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pertinax Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Skarr- it was mooted that a shortened version in the Uk ws acceptable (leaving a lot of the political intrigue out)beacause "the British audience would know the history anyway". I think they got cold feet and went for as much glossy sex and violence for shock impact,the politics would have added greatly to the show.I hope I will be able to get a "director's cut " someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.Clodius Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 The only reason I can guess is that they are attempting to whitewash Caesar's crimes. What crimes would these be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyricVT Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Someone commented on Octavian's look at Servillia at the end of the season finale as an "emotionless" look. Personally, I saw it not as emotionless, but as a death stare. It suggested what was coming to those who murdered Caesar. As great as Caesar's death scene was, I think this scene was my favorite of the episode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pertinax Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Weve just had "the Ram has Touched the Wall" -this series gets better and better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princeps Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Weve just had "the Ram has Touched the Wall" -this series gets better and better. Aye, it was a good episode again (though I will have to catch the repeat, as I kept flicking over to "life in the undergrowth" when the action slowed. I have no idea why they chose to run this at the same time as Rome ). It was good to see Octavian's character develop and show his intelligence. I'm kind of hoping a future series will flash forward a few decades, so we can see him as Augustus. The plot this week centred around the personal issues of the two main characters and not the main event (for me) of Caesar and Pompey, I hope next time the action between these two intensifies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tribunician power Posted November 24, 2005 Report Share Posted November 24, 2005 Someone commented on Octavian's look at Servillia at the end of the season finale as an "emotionless" look. Personally, I saw it not as emotionless, but as a death stare. It suggested what was coming to those who murdered Caesar. As great as Caesar's death scene was, I think this scene was my favorite of the episode. I too would put it in rank with emotionless. HBO has done a good job of making him appear emotionless quite frequently in order to show how calm and calculating he was. I would imagine they were showing him in this manner to illustrate his use of Caesar's death as an oppurtunity and sometimes a tool and not a point of rage. Weve just had "the Ram has Touched the Wall" -this series gets better and better. Aye, it was a good episode again (though I will have to catch the repeat, as I kept flicking over to "life in the undergrowth" when the action slowed. I have no idea why they chose to run this at the same time as Rome ). It was good to see Octavian's character develop and show his intelligence. I'm kind of hoping a future series will flash forward a few decades, so we can see him as Augustus. The plot this week centred around the personal issues of the two main characters and not the main event (for me) of Caesar and Pompey, I hope next time the action between these two intensifies. I agree with you, seeing Augustus would be great but the plot certainly thins during Augustus' reign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted November 24, 2005 Report Share Posted November 24, 2005 I await the dvd if there is one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viggen Posted November 24, 2005 Report Share Posted November 24, 2005 I await the dvd if there is one. There will be a Rome DVD, and i make sure to post it in the forum the moment it is out... cheers viggen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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