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"I, Claudius"


Drusus Nero

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I loved the movie, but have never read the book. The portrayal of Augustus was a bit off, Rome's was far more accurate, but I left I Claudius with a good opinion of the first Emperor. After Rome I was rooting for Antony. I think that comparing I Claudius with Rome is good, because I Claudius really takes up where Rome left off.

 

Overall, I was especially pleased by the performences of Caligula and Sejanus. I will never look at Jean-Luc Picard the same way ever again!

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I loved the movie, but have never read the book. The portrayal of Augustus was a bit off, Rome's was far more accurate, but I left I Claudius with a good opinion of the first Emperor. After Rome I was rooting for Antony. I think that comparing I Claudius with Rome is good, because I Claudius really takes up where Rome left off.

 

Overall, I was especially pleased by the performences of Caligula and Sejanus. I will never look at Jean-Luc Picard the same way ever again!

 

 

Yes, I think you're right, the way Caligula was played was spot on :lightbulb: .

I've read the book twice and I think most of the important plotlines were included in the programme.

 

I enjoyed Rome too, particularly the way they showed how the lives of Caesar and Anthony were so closely linked to the destinies of the ordinary soldiers.

Edited by Drusus Nero
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I think "I, Claudius" is the best Roman Empire drama I've ever seen. :)

The way the political intrigue and suspense was played out in each episode was amazing.

 

An official grand welcome to you, Drusus Nero - may you live! Thank the gods we're getting a few more Claudians in here. We've been very thin on the ground. ;)

 

You will get no argument from me regarding 'I, Claudius' being the best Roman drama ever to hit TV - so please feel free to comment on my review. I have outlined there exactly why I think the series can still captivate an audience.

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I want to thank you, Augusta, for the gracious welcome.

I enjoyed reading your review of the show, it was very good, it sums up the whole premise of the story Robert Graves wanted to put across.

By the way, did you know Robert Graves was a friend of George Baker?, and used to visit the cast on set when they weren't filming.

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The interesting thing is most of the actors were apparently unsure of how to play their roles. The triumph of the series really is down to how adaptable the actors were.

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The interesting thing is most of the actors were apparently unsure of how to play their roles. The triumph of the series really is down to how adaptable the actors were.

 

Quite right Caldrail. This comes across in interviews the likes of Derek Jacobi and Brian Blessed give. But no-one has noted that most of the top actors/actresses were all Shakepearean that played in this series. The quality was extremely high.

 

When the Beeb tried to do another series of this sort in the Borgias they used lesser known actors and the series failed miserably.

 

They were extremely adaptive and put their own slant on things at times. What makes this far superior to Rome is that it used little poetic license to deviate from the true stories as opposed to the more modern saga. However, having said that I do think Rome is brilliant in its own right. I do not see how we could truly compare them anyway. I have yet to see the second series as we in little ol' England are being subjected to the grossest tortures the Beeb could dish out and will soon compare to the Romans themselves if they do not put this out this year at some stage!!!! Come on Beeb......

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Yes, I think you're right, the way Caligula was played was spot on :angry: .

 

I dunno. For an alternative estimation of all the stories about Caligula, take a look at this. It seems that at least some of the Caligula stories as we know them are drawn from stories about other emperors. Here's a quote:

 

All six writers were hostile to Caligula for one reason or another, and they agree that he was not a very nice guy, to say the least. But there is a strong tendency for the stories to get progressively wilder the further removed the writer is from the emperor's times. The trend continues apace, with some of the wildest stories of all being invented for twentieth-century fictional works: the 1934 novel I, Claudius by Robert Graves or the 1976 miniseries based on it and on its sequel Claudius the God...

As for the miniseries, I had seen bits and pieces of it years ago, then read the books, and finally bought the DVD set so I could watch it all, and in order. Quite frankly, it made me sick to my stomach, and we got rid of it. Sort of spoiled any urge I might have had to reread the books, too.

Edited by Marcus Caelius
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I want to thank you, Augusta, for the gracious welcome.

I enjoyed reading your review of the show, it was very good, it sums up the whole premise of the story Robert Graves wanted to put across.

By the way, did you know Robert Graves was a friend of George Baker?, and used to visit the cast on set when they weren't filming.

 

I didn't know that, Drusus. But I do know that Robert Graves smoked 40 cigarettes a day and drank a bottle of vodka a day and lived to be 90 years old! It only goes to show that if you live in an idyllic setting in the hills of Majorca for donkey's years without any stress, you can do all kinds of things to your system without harm. :angry: However, I wouldn't suggest you try this at home, folks!

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I dunno. For an alternative estimation of all the stories about Caligula, take a look at this. It seems that at least some of the Caligula stories as we know them are drawn from stories about other emperors. Here's a quote:

 

All six writers were hostile to Caligula for one reason or another, and they agree that he was not a very nice guy, to say the least. But there is a strong tendency for the stories to get progressively wilder the further removed the writer is from the emperor's times. The trend continues apace, with some of the wildest stories of all being invented for twentieth-century fictional works: the 1934 novel I, Claudius by Robert Graves or the 1976 miniseries based on it and on its sequel Claudius the God...

 

Marcus, the writer you cite is saying nothing that we who 'support' (if that's the right word) Gaius ( I WILL NOT call him Caligula) have not said before. The world knows his life has been sensationalised from the time of Suetonius onwards. The only point I would take issue with, however, is the accusation of 'some of the wildest stories of all being invented' by Robert Graves. Graves' books say nothing at all about Gaius that had not been said by Suetonius and others. The only purely invented thing in the mini-series was the eating of Drusilla's baby - and that was NOT in the books at all.

 

Hehe - it's interesting to say that the series made you sick to the stomach. It all looks very tame these days. But I can sympathise, because I have become well and truly 'sickened' by Rome but perhaps not in the same way. It is being re-run at the moment on a satellite channel here, and the other night a few excerpts came on as an advert. It was amazing to see how 'tawdry' it began to look in a montage - but that is perhaps more a case of bad editing than anything else. But I know I'm in the minority on this Forum when it comes to Rome. I gave away my DVDs and judging by the comments in the Season 2 thread, I won't be watching it if and when it finally airs on the BBC.

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The only purely invented thing in the mini-series was the eating of Drusilla's baby - and that was NOT in the books at all.

 

Nevertheless, I'd be interested in your comments on the full article I linked to (or should that be "to which I linked"?).

 

Hehe - it's interesting to say that the series made you sick to the stomach. It all looks very tame these days.

 

My tastes seem to be getting more "vanilla," the older I get. I've developed a certain fondness for Jane Austen, and won't go near Quentin Tarentino. And I'm a rather macho kind of guy. :angry:

Edited by Marcus Caelius
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I don't know if it's true?, but I heard that the BBC actually filmed alot more of the scene where Caligula ate Drusilla's baby than was seen in the final edit, it is quite understandable that they decided to not show all of it in the programme.

As it is, the camera cuts away after Claudius is shown opening the door and he turns away looking sickened, what he must have seen in that room is left to the viewer's imagination.

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For me, 'I, Claudius' was TV at its best. The actors were all perfect for their parts. Their faces, emotions and actions fit well for the real ones. Tiberius was my hero. Even the young Claudius was perfect.

 

Yes, Gaius Octavius, I think you're right!.

 

What did you think of the character of Livilla?.

I know, because of the crimes the "real" Livilla committed during her lifetime, that no record exists of her in the public archives. So each person must form their own opinion of what she was really like.

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For me, 'I, Claudius' was TV at its best. The actors were all perfect for their parts. Their faces, emotions and actions fit well for the real ones. Tiberius was my hero. Even the young Claudius was perfect.

 

Yes, Gaius Octavius, I think you're right!.

 

What did you think of the character of Livilla?.

I know, because of the crimes the "real" Livilla committed during her lifetime, that no record exists of her in the public archives. So each person must form their own opinion of what she was really like.

Now you've done it ! Just wait until The Augusta gets her mitts on this post!!

 

Hope you've got your reading glasses! :angry:

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