Augustus The Movie

[spittle]

"He inherited the Roman Empire. He decided the fate of the World. AUGUSTUS, The First Emperor." The title of the film is dumb (If he was the first emperor how did he inherit an empire?) but it is nothing compared to the actual film.

Peter O'Toole plays the elderly Augustus, sharing a palace with his adoring daughter Julia and her twin infant sons. They are a very loving family and Augustus is the nicest Grandad and Dad possible. The Praetorian Guard stand around smiling and the emperor never fails to single out individuals and ask if their son got over the flu or if they had managed to fix the roof of their house.......Are you starting to grasp the type of film this is?

The film flashes back to the time when Augustus was Octavian. He arrived in Rome with his buddy Agrippa and they stop a small gang of thugs from raping a beautiful young woman called Livia. Although it is obvious that they are instantly in love with each other Augustus must leave Rome to help his Uncle Julius in Spain.

Despite being half dead with an illness he and Agrippa ride to Caesars camp where they are greeted by Caesars sage words "Never show your ill!". So Octavian/Augustus joins in with the entire army (J G Caesar included) digging a ditch....

I'll not go into too much detail, I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone, but all those history books and contemporary sources were drastically different to the events in this. Just to emphasize how ahead of his time Augie was, he and Agrippa had a very camp scribe (or friend or cook or something, its never very clear) and they defend his rights against nasty homophobic types (such as Cassius and other Caesar assassins -who are most definateley 'baddy's'). But the humour is never far away and they regularly push each other into lakes or rivers or baths or oceans or any source of water. Despite being the most cultured peoples in history the Italians have a way of making Benny Hill look subtle compared to their attempts at humour.

 

O'Toole seems to be taking the p*ss. He either overacts outrageously or becomes as inactive as a statue. He must have known after one page of the script that this was going to be crap but did it for the wad of cash, making sure to do the bare minimum and express his lack of interest as best he could without losing his payday.

Rampling does Rampling, again. She's a one trick pony by anyones standards.

 

Te rest of the cast are attractice Italian starlets who probably pleasured the producer for a chance to escape the Italian soap opera that has found reason after reason for her to wonder around in various states of undress, and be pushed into water for comedic value.

 

THIS IS A FIVE STAR FILM. OSCAR NOMINATIONS MUST SURELY BE EXPECTED

[Antiochus of Seleucia]

Peter O'Tool strikes again! He already made Josephus roll over in his grave with his movie on Masada. I take your review religiously.

[phil25]

The title of the film is dumb (If he was the first emperor how did he inherit an empire?)

 

The head of state does not have to be an "emperor" for a country to possess an empire.

 

The Roman republic had an empire befre Augustus and the term "Imperator" (which he took as a name) had nothing to do with territory - it was the title given to a victorious general by his troops.

 

The USA has an "empire" but not an emperor - so if George W got even bigger ideas, he could declare himself anything he wanted and "inherit" the empire from the previous republic.

 

Sorry just being picky, but I don't think the title is that daft.

 

As for the film, I thought O'Toole touched greatness once or twice (though at others he is as far off/or so static that it makes no sense).

 

But on the whole, though the film does not touch ROME or I Claudius, I am of the opinion that it does have some good touches (the design is again quite impressive) though structurally all over the place. At least Agrippa and Maecenas (is he the one you thought a cook?) are there, and given their correct roles.

 

As for Charlotte rampling - I thought she was a good corrective to Sian Phillips in I Claudius (though not such a technically proficient performance as the latter).

 

I might wish for a better use of resources, but at least someone made the film and I don't regret that.

 

Phil

[DecimusCaesar]

I saw this film at Blockbusters about a year or more ago but I didn't rent or buy it. I was intending on getting it one day but I soon forgot that it existed. I thought Peter O'Toole hated 'historical' epics after he had done Troy, which he said was awful after it was panned by critics.

 

As for his role in this film I can't say as I haven't seen it, but, O'Toole once said that "Acting is a matter of farting around in costumes."

[spittle]

So, an Empire doesn't necessarily have an Emperor?

Can a Republic have an Emperor? I have often seen French History portrayed has Emperor Napoleon's Republic verse King Louis' Monarchy.

[phil25]

Bonapartism was a form of republicanism - the ultimate outcome of the French Revolution as Napoleon saw it.

 

From Augustus angle did the roman republic ever end? If so in what way - because all the elements of the old constitution continued to operate? He never claimed to have "conquered" an empire - just found a better way of running one.

 

It's odd that titles a fashionable element to them

 

These days it is president (as in Putin) where in effect he is the Tsar (and would have called himself that in C18th Russia). Once it was King or Emperor.

 

Under the Communist spell the title of choice was "Chairman" (as in Mao, or Kruschev).

 

Tsar and Kaiser are of course developments of the name Caesar!! Often translated Emperor, is that what they meant really when assumed as titles?

 

Who is to say what the title of choice of the future will be?

 

By the way, turning to fiction, the TV series Babylon 5 had the Centauri Republic which was headed by an Emperor!!

 

Phil

[Pertinax]

Britain is unusual in being a Monarchy , run by a man, who thinks he is a President.

[The Augusta]

Spittle - such an entertaining review! I did actually read a synopsis of this film on Amazon and realised immediately that it was not for me. You have renewed my faith in myself! I can't quite convey a scream of blood-curdling horror on the Forum, so I will resort to the tried and tested comic book 'AAARRRGGH!!!' Livia being raped?! This is almost comic. I would imagine that the great lady would have attacked her attackers with a verbal barrage of caustic sarcasm, while sneering at their manhood so much that they would not dare have gone any further for fear of being laughed at.

 

Phil - an interesting comment regarding Rampling. I always see Rampling as voluptuous, something which Livia never was. If Sian Philips was not in her early 70s now, I would still cast her as Livia regardless of how the script of a film portrayed the woman. She is definitive. And by the way - as she is O'Toole's ex-wife, I wonder how he compared the two performances and portrayals?

 

I have no problem with Maecenas being 'camp'. He probably was, but not effeminate - two different things.

 

Pertinax - a catchy statement. If we had a 'most memorable' section on the Forum, I would nominate that succinct summing-up of our fearless leader. Although I hasten to add it is somewhat kind.

[spittle]

I never had any Latin lessons (we were lucky if we got Maths and English in the comprehensive I attended!) so I was surprised to hear Caesar being pronounced Kaiser (Passion of the Christ). But it reminded me that both Kaiser and Tzar were derived from Caesar. As for Putin being a Tzar by another name....I thought the Tzars were a hereditary monarchy?

 

Is monarchy the correct term for Emperors who inherit their positions?

 

The Augusta. Have you ever considered attempting a biography of Livia? I feel she deserves one and that you could do her justice.

 

I'm not getting into modern politics. Thats when arguments turn nasty. But I will say that I am earning twice as much since Blair became PM. Now if I could only earn twice as much again so I could afford a one bedroom hovel in the area of town known for brothels and crack dealing.

[phil25]

There have been elective Emperors - the Holy Roman Emperors were "elected", but gradually it became effectively and then totally hereditary in the Hapsburg family.

 

Technically an "empire" simply denotes a state that is not tributary or subordinate to another power. Hence Henry VIII, breaking with Rome and the authority of the Pope, declared "this England is an empire" - meaning that the kingdom of England was no longer anyone's to command save it's own Government.

 

The Queen wears the "imperial" State Crown (ie one with raised arches rather than depressed) after her Coronation and at the annual State Opening of Parliament because she is "sovereign" - ie subordinate to no one.

 

Empire as a term for an assemblage of foreign territory ruled by a state comes, I rather think from the Roman "empire" which was ruled by men bearing the title/name Imperator. This is a more modern useage of the term - though it dates back many centuries - Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman "Emperor" (Imperator) in 800AD.

 

I don't know how (say) Alexander's conquests were titled in Greek - that is before the Latin term came into use.

 

 

Phil

Phil

[Pertinax]

"Pertinax - a catchy statement. If we had a 'most memorable' section on the Forum, I would nominate that succinct summing-up of our fearless leader. Although I hasten to add it is somewhat kind" Quoth The Augusta..

 

Fair Lady, I was going to add "but is actually a turnip" , however I felt this spoilt the ambience.

[The Augusta]

The Augusta. Have you ever considered attempting a biography of Livia? I feel she deserves one and that you could do her justice.

 

Ah...thereby hangs a tale! But you are too kind. And speaking of biographies, Anthony A. Barrett's Livia, The First Lady of Rome (published in 2002) is well worth a read. Barrett does a fine job in attempting to rescue Livia from the malignant tradition associated with her, and paints a picture of a woman I have known for quite some time He even adds some charming little anecdotes that I certainly did not know of before - such as her recipe for toothpaste and a cure for sore throats! The book is readily available on Amazon or from the online Blackwell's at a realistic price of around

[Julius Ratus]

I tried watching it once. The movie has a cool cover, but I couldn't finish it, it was too horrible. I CLAVDIVS was infinately better. ROME too for that matter.

[spittle]

Is the book 'Livia: First Lady of Rome' factual history or historic fiction?

 

My name is Paul Spittle. Please feel free to call me Paul.

[The Augusta]

Is the book 'Livia: First Lady of Rome' factual history or historic fiction?

 

My name is Paul Spittle. Please feel free to call me Paul.

 

Paul - Barrett's biography is factual history, and worth a read. And his theory on the 'poisoned figs' anecdote related by Dio as a rumour, is enlightening. He gives an extensive bibliography incorporating both modern scholarship and the old stalwarts such as Mommsen and Syme, together with evidence drawn from a wide collection of inscriptions etc. He has certainly 'done his homework'.