Rome (2005)

Watchseries; This show is excellent from start to finish. It is the only show that I loved so much that I rushed out to buy the box-set. The acting, all of the casting, the story and character development, the sets, everything was superb. The only point against it is that it ended too soon, it should have been renewed for a few more seasons.

This show is excellent from start to finish. It is the only show that I loved so much that I rushed out to buy the box-set. The acting, all of the casting, the story and character development, the sets, everything was superb. The only point against it is that it ended too soon, it should have been renewed for a few more seasons.

Rome watchseries. I only wish there was more seasons. It has it all, love, war, death

WHY was this series canceled?!!! While waiting for the new season of Game of Thrones to return, my husband and I started watching Rome on demand to stave off our epic genre addiction and we Love it! We were so disappointed to find out that it had been canceled! What a shame and only 2 seasons? Why?

Fans FYI: Having never heard of the characters Vorenus and Pullo, I assumed they were probably fictional characters but I did some digging and found that Vorenus and Pullo are only semi-fictional characters and were two of the very few plebeians/soldiers mentioned by Caesar in his writings, whose names appear as 'Titus Pulcio' and 'Lucius Varenus'. The first mention of Varenus and Pulcio comes in Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War.

Caesar tells us that the camp of the XIII legion was attacked by the Nervii in 54 BC and was about to be overrun. Pulcio jumped the ramparts to fight hand-to-hand with the Nervii. Varenus, not wanting Pulcio to reap all the glory, then jumps the ramparts too, killing many of enemy. As a demonstration of "brotherly love" and comradeship, they each save the other's life at certain points during the fight. Caesar said it was impossible to decide who was braver.

HBO, PLEASE bring Rome back!

HBO does it again. I got my start with the network back in 1990 with a sitcom called Dream On. From there, I have followed the yellow brick road through Sex and the City, Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Band of Brothers, From the Earth to the Moon and Deadwood (not to mention hours and hours of boxing, documentary specials and tons of movies).

HBO now presents a miniseries about the Roman Empire, appropriately called "Rome". The story revolves around the time Julius Ceasar conquers Gaul, and the subsequent years following that (Ceasar's rise to dictator). The series delves into historical and archaeological records, with a dash of artistic licensing to create an environment that seems so real. For the most part the series is divided into 3 parts :

1) Julius Caesar's rise to unanimous political power.

2) The exploits (in the field and at home) of a Roman officer, Luscious Vorenus, and one of the soldiers under his command (whom becomes his friend), Titus Pollo.

3) The various political and social interactions and manipulations of Caesars relatives, namely Atia and her two offspring, Octavian and Octavia.

4) Post Caesarian Rome.

The production of this series is quite breathtaking. It seems like they took into account so many of the variables ; costumes, jewelry, architecture, religious practices, mannerism, military units, social venues, politics, class structure,etc. to bring the empire back to life in the 21st century. They went as far as to train the extras portraying the Roman soldiers in boot camp fashion. All were to sleep in tents outside and were provided with no modern amenities.

This series has something for everyone with a strong stomach and inclination towards the graphic. The show is going for authenticity. This is not Rome seen through the eyes of 21st century people, but rather through they eyes of 1st century BC Romans. It has action, graphic violence, sex, incest, betrayal, murder, Machiavellian scheming, politics, family bonding, war,etc. I just can't begin to describe just how authentic the show feels and how hypnotically captivating it is to watch (especially in High Definition). I can't help but feel that John Milius (as a writer and executive producer) has brought some of the same grit and grime from Conan (albeit with a more historic flavor). Also on the writing credits is work from Entourage, Sex and the City, Band of Brothers and Desperate Housewives.

The acting core is quite good, consisting mostly on an English cast with theatrical experience. Their performances are quite good and contains many veterans and some newcomers (at least to me). Such standouts would include : Indira Varma (of Kama Sutra fame) who plays Luscious' wife Niobe, Kerry Condon (whom I first saw in Jet Li's Danny the Dog) as Atti's daughter Octavia, Kenneth Cranham (Jimmy from Layer Cake) as Pompey, Kevin McKidd (from Trainspotting and Dog Soldiers) as Luscious, Polly Walker as Atia and Ray Stevenson as Titus.

To add to the authenticity, the series was shot at Cinecitta Studios in Rome. This gives the series an extra flavor. I highly recommend this series, but only for those that can stomach graphic sex, violence and a lot of the Queen's English. It is currently my favorite show, and wishing it could last 1000 years.

-Celluloid Rehab

One of the grand stories of history, Julius Ceasar and the beginnings of the Empire, told in a style which is both compelling and historically accurate. I am an art historian with a particular interest in Ancient Rome, and I find this to be the best evocation of Ancient Rome yet on screen.

Rome at the time of Julius Ceasar was the major power in Europe and northern Africa, but it was not yet the great city of the Emperors. For once the set designers have got it right. It is colorful (not the pure white city of Hollywood), squalid, profane, reverent, brutal, and alive with life. We know of the graffiti from ancient sources. We know the outlines of the history, which this series treats very accurately. What we cannot know is the souls of the major actors in this great drama. This mini-series gives us a glimpse into the motivations, both grand and petty, of the people who brought down the Republic but did not quite replace it with the Empire. Not quite yet.

Aside from the sets and set decoration, which is superb (first time a Roman insula or apartment building is accurately shown on film to the best of my knowledge), what this series does is give us a sense of the possible motivations behind the historical facts. Is this the way it really was? No one can say. It does fit the historical data we have. What this series does, beyond everything else, is remind us that these figures were people with all the complexity of motivation that we experience in people today. The producers, directors, and actors have admirably avoided the cardboard cut-out and pretentious posturing.

Be warned, this mini-series is just as casually brutal and profane as Ancient Rome was. I would not let young children watch it, at least not without serious guidance. I will say that it is just plain excellent and well worth your attention. You will be entertained and informed. It will make you think about characters that we know only distantly from books or from far more conventional Hollywood cardboard characterizations. Unequivocally a great production.

I've become so bored of mainstream television over the last decade that I now make a point of only watching series that are history-related, given my huge love of the subject matter. I missed ROME when it was first shown, but heard so much good about it that I caved in and bought the box set on Blu-ray. I'm so glad I did; believe the hype, ROME is the ultimate in costume drama.

The series only lasted for two seasons before cancellation, but every episode is a winner. There are two story strands running through: the big story and the little story. The big story is concerned with the legendary figures of history - in the first season Julius Caesar and his cohorts, and in the second Mark Antony. The little story looks at the minor characters, the soldiers and families involved with the politics of their era.

The script crackles with realistic dialogue and the characters are superb. Not just Pullo and Vorenus, but also Atia and her offspring, Brutus and his mother, even the minor players who are awarded little dialogue. Every actor is amazing, with Ciaran Hinds stealing the show in the first series and James Purefoy in the second.

I'm pleased that the producers went all-out in making an adult drama, not skimping on the sexual content or the violence. It's hard to pick highlights in a series that never puts a foot wrong, but Pullo's diversion in the gladiator arena is hard to beat in terms of its sheer power. The ending of season two, with Antony descending into madness, is chilling and moving in equal measure.

It took a good few years, but I'm pleased to report that TV producers are finally capitalising on ROME's success and beginning to make similar products as they realise a market for adult-focused historical drama. Already we're seeing the likes of SPARTACUS (three series and counting), CAMELOT, GAME OF THRONES, THE BORGIAS and THE TUDORS, each of them indebted to ROME in some way. I'll enjoy watching them, but I doubt any will equal the quality of this.