Rome. Season One: *Discuss* (1 Viewer)

[Quentin]

I was going to drop the show. But, as long as Joe continues to update shows with accurate history lessons, I'm stayin'!

 

[Jeff_CusBlues]

Can't seizures also be non-violent. I seem to remember learning that most seizures leave the afflicted person in a non-lucid, spaced out state and the person can be mistaken for being under the influence. Sorry about veering off topic, but I have no first hand experience and was wondering if what I remember learning was true. Thanks.

Jeff

 

[JonZ]

Answer in PM so we dont go more off topic.

 

[Jason Adams]

Certanly it looked more convincing then the seisures in Cleopatra.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

I have a pro-calibrated monitor, and I don't find the show to look very dark in HD.

OTOH, when I've watched stuff like Sopranos on DVD, that looks too dark to me. Maybe HD is the difference?

 

[MarkMel]

I do not have an HD monitor, just a 36" crt so, the HD must be difference. So it looks like I'm going to have to fiddle with the settings for this show.

 

[Luis Esp]

A few weeks ago here in Toronto, the Movie Network was giving out the first episode on dvd at a Blue Jay's game.

The dvd is presented in 16:9 widescreen with 5.1 surround.

Has anyone heard when the full season will be released?

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I was righter than I knew when I wrote that. I had quite forgotten this detail but by 50 B.C. augurs were being elected again, and Marc Antony, of all people, had gotten himself voted in to a rare opening in the college. Hat tip to Tom Holland's Rubicon, which I just finished reading and highly recommend. Anyone interested in the genuine history of the period covered by the series would be hard-pressed to find as concise and readable (Hudson is a novelist and script-writer, not a professional historian) a one-volume guide. And the sturdy trade paperback is a steal at a little over ten U.S. dollars.

Regards,

Joe

 

[TravisR]

Like most HBO shows, they'll probably release it about a month before the new season starts. In other words, it'll be awhile

 

[Greg Krewet]

It should be a very long while. Season 2 is scheduled for Mar 2007. I would imagine that Jan or Feb of 2007 would be about right for the DVD release. I believe filming of season 2 is scheduled for April of next year.
Best
Greg

 

[Phil Florian]

I have enjoyed all the episodes so far. While not the level of "Band of Brother's" or "Deadwood" it is still a really entertaining run up until now. I like the build up of characters and situations. Sure, it is soap opera but episodic television will tend to get that way. Deadwood does it and where would the Sopranos be without it. I am not looking at this like a Band of Brothers situation which was attempting to tell the real stories of a group of soldiers from a recent war (and even in those situations they changed things to fit the flow of a television show) but as people have noted a piece of historical fiction.

Sure, if they did a biopic of Clinton and changed Al Gore to a woman to get a different demographic to the theater that would be silly. But I really enjoy Henry V, Julius Caesar and Richard III from William Shakespeare for their dramatic presentations of historical characters as seen through the lens of an Elizabethan playwright. Are these same arguments about absolute historical accuracy played up when that version comes to town? Why not? Or why? I think it is apparent that while "Rome" is meant to be an entertainment in an historical setting with historical characters (ala Deadwood), it also is a look at that particular world through the eyes of 21st century storytellers. We have discussions of power, misuse of power, wars fought in far off lands for curious reasons with no clear need, gender politics, family relations, etc.

I have no real taste for digging deep into history of that period (though "Rubicon" sounds fun, as mentioned above) so I am content for Shakespeare's version as much as this one. I am watching it with a guy who is also a history major and he is, like some on here, using the show and time after to talk to me about some of the dramatic license taken, the real history, etc. While the discussion on here comes off as if someone's family name was slandered in the press, our in-person discussion is more of an amused look at how TV and history don't always meet but dang wasn't that a fun episode. It is first and foremost a show with actors, storylines, action, sex, etc. If all these add up on their own merit, which to me they do in spades, then it is fun. Sure if the history was there that would be wonderful. But I am content with the larger picture that at some point in history a guy named Caesar chased a guy named Pompey around Europe (and I believe the next episode or one after is named after one of their bigger battles so I am excited).

As for people looking for the $100 million...jeepers. Am I the only one impressed with their giant Rome set? There is a lot of great scenery and the houses of the major players are all well done and detailed. It is a HUGE piece of scenery that really is not usually done that much for television. C'mon!

Anyway, cool stuff. Things I like that haven't been mentioned include the roles of the slaves which in the last episode took on more and more importance). I like Caesar's slave in that he has the big man's ear and Julius allows him a lot of license to speak his mind. I like that it is among these slaves that some business of the big guys gets done. In fact, that was one of the more interesting aspects of the last episode with Lucius taking on two slaves in his home and the cavalier attitudes of the people around them. I loved that the children wanted to name their slave after their pet that recently died. Kind of creepy but cool to see them play off slavery honestly for the time and not make them PC and "OMG, slaves!"

I hope this show does well for HBO so they will continue to invest in challenging and entertaining programming that can't be seen anywhere else on TV.

 

[KyleC]

Has anyone else been completely bored with the last three episodes? I had high hopes in the beginning but this show just doesn't seem to be moving at all.

 

[MarkMel]

I'm fading fast...........

 

[TravisR]

Yeah, I've seen all the episodes and I think it's an extremely well made show but it's just not interesting me very much.

 

[JonZ]

I cant belive Im saying this but they need to spend less time with sex and unintersting subplots and get going.

While Im enjoying the performances,Im beginning to loose interest too.I thought things would get going 2 episodes ago.

Caesar is the most interesting character and he's been spent very little time onscreen.(Major spoiler, dont read if you dont want to know how the season ends) this is especially discouraging since the first season will end with his death

Caesar and Pompey are fighting over Rome - and were watching Octavius loose his virginity and more of Lucious wife and home life.

The scope has seemed way to small. The scene on the sea during the storm was a delight after being stuck is a (seeming)small Rome for 6 episodes.


I miss Deadwood.

 

[Chris Tedesco]

I like it...well everything but the long shots on the elephant penis.

 

[todd s]

Do we even know if Octavius have sex?

Off topic with regards to Roman History. When Julius Ceasar died. Why did Rome continue with emperors? I always figured it was Ceasar's influence with the Army that kept Ceasar in power.

Also doesn't Octavius
Succeed him?

JonZ, If Ceasar dies at the end of the shows 1st year run. Do they skip a few years into the future? Since he was in power for a while, never mind the who Marc Antony/Cleopatra affair/

 

[JonZ]

Todd,
I dont know. I happened to come upon that spoiler by mistake actually.

I dont know any more details.

Regarding the Cleopatra affair, shes supposed to show up soon.

 

[Kenneth]

I can understand spoilering the point were the season ends, but I would hope we don't have to spoilerize the historical questions.

As to the question of Octavian and the Antony/Cleopatra business those all occur after the assassination of Caesar which plunges Rome back into civil war (with Brutus/Cassius/Caska on one side and Octavian/Antony on the other). It ends with Octavian/Antony the victors and they assume the consul positions. Antony marries Octavian's sister Octavia but then starts romancing Cleopatra. When he deserts Octavia for Cleopatra Octavian brings an army to look for him and it is that battle that results in the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra. Octavian then becomes sole dictator and changes his name to Augustus Caesar.

Since the show takes some artistic license with the historical facts (and since it is hard to know how many seasons it will last) it is hard to tell how much they will ultimately make it through.

Cheers,

Kenneth

 

[JonZ]

Thanks for the info