Rome

Plot synopsis:
Rome Opening Credits Intro.Seven years have passed and at the Aventine Collegium Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) deals with restless Romans who are amassing at his gates demanding more rations because they are starving as a result of a dire shortage of grain. As Gaia (Zuleikha Robinson) watches from his balcony eating an apple, Pullo delivers an impassioned speech telling the masses to go home and wait for the next days ration. In the interim, Titus Pullo meets with Octavian (Simon Woods) to update him about the grain shortage and asks for more grain. Octavian tells Titus Pullo that he has only the grain left to feed his military and they have to eat, too. Agrippa (Allen Leech) advises Octavian to send part of the troops to Africa this freeing up extra grain for the people that would give them an extra month's worth of rations. Octavian agrees with the short-term solution, but realizes that something else must be done to feed the masses. Before parting, Octavian asks Titus Pullo what the people are saying about him and the situation. Choosing his words carefully, Titus Pullo advises that the people are blaming Octavian and not Marc Antony. Titus Pullo points out Marc Anthony's popularity with the people. Octavian describes himself as "cold and harsh." Titus Pullo says, he wouldn't say that, but offers that Octavian isn't exactly known to be "affectionate" and after all Marc Antony "loves the people.Cut to Egypt, where Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) seemingly awakens in bed next to Niobe (Indira Varma) where they share and affectionate moment which ends in a nightmare scenario. Vorenus awakens in real life next to a bald, and naked Egyptian prostitute who as she places a black, braided wig on her head complains about Vorenus' evil dreams and that he should pay more money. Vorenus tells her to be quiet as he splashes water on his face and dresses for duty in legionary gear. Vorenus enters the palace of Cleopatra (Lindsey Marshal) and encounters Posca (Nicholas Woodeson) who wears eyeliner and Egyptian apparel while lounging in an office filled to the rafters with various scrolls. Vorenus asks what's going on and Posca tells him that Mark Antony (James Purefoy) and Cleopatra are receiving Bibulus (Jack Ellis), who Octavian has sent to barter with Mark Antony to get new shipments sent from Egypt. Vorenus asks why he is not with Mark Antony and Posca answers that he chooses to get out of sight when Cleopatra shrieks at him. Vorenus heads to the room where Mark Antony is negotiating with Bibulus while also giving Cleopatra a lesson in archery amid luxurious cushions. Antony has altered in that he wears Egyptian attire and jewelry plus various tattoos and kohl around his eyes . Cleopatra wears a revealing metal brassiere and skirt with two slits up the front revealing her bare thighs. Cleopatra has lesson includes a slave dressed as a dear who crawls on all fours as Antony directs him to sip from a bowl of water on the floor. During the grain negotiation, Cleopatra misses her target and with every miss, the slave dressed as a deer cowers in fear and yelps aloud.During the negotiation, Mark Antony and Cleopatra continually increase their demands in exchange for grain, eventually driving away Octavian's negotiator when Cleopatra also asks for Spain which proves to be a deal breaker. As the talks break down Cleopatra finally hits her deer target and the slave his shown on the floor pierced by her arrow and bleeding profusely from the neck. Vorenus orders the other servants to remove the body. As Bibulus exits, he asks Vorenus what has happened to Antony and Vorenus gives Bibulus the brush off.
Antony hopes to push Octavian into declaring war, which Antony believes he can win due to his support among the Roman people.Realizing the tight spot he's in Octavian sends for Atia of the Julli (Polly Walker), who preparing for the opera and Octavia (Kerry Condon), who now has a young daughter by Mark Antony named Antonia, to join him at a luxurious dinner. As a last resort to sway public sentiment to his side, Octavian tells Octavia and Atia he needs their assistance to mediate a grain settlement with Antony. Atia tells Octavian that she has no desire to go on a long sea voyage and that neither she nor Octavia are "hungry" and basically what's in it for them? Octavian counters with, "What do you want?" Atia asks for a Villa in Capri and turns to Octavia asking her of she also desires a new villa. Octavia cannot make up her mid so at Atia's suggestion, Octavia tells Octavian she will settle for cash. Octavian agrees and sends Atia and Octavia to Alexandria, knowing that Antony will reject his lover and lawful wife respectively. During a post-coitus moment of pillow talk, Livia Drusilla (Alice Henley), Octavian's new wife, asks Octavian about Atia and Octavia sailing off to Egypt for the mediation. Livia figures out Octavian's strategy out loud. Octavian refuses to discuss it with her, rolls over and ends the evening by saying, "Good night, dear."Atia and Octavia are seen on a Roman vessel down below. Octavia suffers from sea sickness and Atia asks Octavia if she's changed very much since Antony last saw her. Octavia says now and gets even sicker upon hearing a slave vomit within earshot. Atia looks out of the window as a shipman announces land. Atia and Octavia disembark for the Egyptian capital for an audience with Mark Antony who ends up in a a violent tussle with Cleopatra after Mark Antony first insults her by referring to her as "like a queen" and then further refuses to agree to kill Atia and Octavia or arrange for a sea disaster while the two sail back to Rome. Cleopatra's position is that if Mark Antony no longer loves Atia, killing her should not be an issue. Carried by slaves, Atia and Octavia arrive at the front door of Cleopatra's palace. It is sweltering hot. Atia says, Egypt is strange. Octavia marvels at the sheer size of the palace. They wait. There is no one to either greet them or receive them and the women complain that no one brings them water. Meanwhile the violent argument between Cleopatra and Mark Antony has turned into a rambunctious sexual interlude. Antony then calls for Vorenus to handle a "delicate matter."In the meantime, Jocasta (Camilla Rutherford), who's garbed in Egyptian attire per Cleopatra, sneaks out of the palace to talk with her old friend, Octavia and Atia. Atia and Octavia marvel at Jocasta's Egyptian appearance. Jocasta says she must wear her hair in the Egptian or face the wrath of Cleopatra who despises Roman styles. Jocasta compliments Octavia's hairstyle and asks Octavia if that's how Roman women are wearing it now. Posca furtively comes out of the palace a few minutes later to retrieve Jocasta fearing that harm will come to both of them if Cleopatra discovers them talking to Atia and Octavia, and whisks her back into the palace. Cut to Cleopatra's two children by Antony tumbling out of a palace hallway to greet their father who is tired and falls asleep before they go. Cleopatra looks at Anthony in wonder.Ultimately, Octavian is proven correct: Antony refuses to see Atia and Octavia (owing to the fact he was in the middle of having sex with Cleopatra) and with Vorenus' assistance sends them packing back to Rome. Atia, who at first is happy to see that Vorenus has not "gone native" sees him as an ally to no avail, takes the rejection very hard and attempts to storm the palace while calling out Antony's name. Vorenus intervenes. Atia tells Vorenus that he would not manhandle them, but Vorenus points to Cleopatra's Nubian guards who step forward in a show of force to dispatch them forthwith. A distraught Atia turns leave and head back to the ship without being carried. Before also parting on foot, Octavia tells Vorenus to deliver a message to her husband, Antony that he is a "Coward" and scum.Caesarion (Max Baldry) commands Vorenus to play ball with him after her bullies a servant away by hitting him with the ball. Vorenus agrees while hitting Caesarion with the ball striking him in the shoulder. Caesarion winces in pain but continues to play while asking Vorenus for information about his father. Vorenus tells Caesarion ambiguous stories about Caesarion's father (the boy believes his father to be Julius Caesar though Vorenus is speaking of Titus Pullo).Again--Vorenus chooses to stay in Alexandria with Antony, but before Posca departs the ship bound for Rome (Vorenus catches Posca and Jocasta in the act of packing to flee Egypt but plays along with their fiction of taking a walk to see the ships at port), Vorenus tells Posca that if he sees Titus Pullo to tell them Vorenus asks him to kiss his children for him and next advises Posa to make haste for the wind is picking up and the ships shall sail with the winds thus, jeopardizing his and Jocasta's chance "to see the ships" before they set sail. Posca and Jocasta are next seen surreptitiously leaving the palace, making their way through the crowds to the seaport.
In truth, Posca secretly leaves Antony's service, stowing away with Jocasta on the ship carrying Atia and Octavia so that they can defect back to Octavian. Antony wakes up from his nap and runs into Vorenus while searching for Posca, who he cannot find. Vorenus tells Antony (dressed in yet another Egyptian garment) he doesn't know where Posca is, but delivers the message from Octavia to Antony. Vorenus tells Antony that he is not a coward as Octavia suggests, but that he recognizes his symptoms of having a sickness of the soul. Antony looks at Vorenus for a prolonged moment and walks away after sighing.Octavian greets Atia upon her return to Rome. Atia in turn, slaps Octavian, and says to hell with the villa she wants Antony dead. Posca also delivers to Antony the last will and testament of Antony and Cleopatra. Octavian uses this as evidence that Antony has gone mad due to the bewitchery of the sorceress Cleopatra, blackens his eyes like a prostitute, worships idols and has become a threat to the state, spreading such news to the public via the Newsreader (Ian McNeice) and gaining the Senate's support in a war against Antony.Octavian summons Titus Pullo for a personal audience in the Senate house and requests that Pullo come with him to Egypt, hoping that Pullo could reason with Vorenus and mediate for Antony. Pullo expresses his doubts, but agrees to escort Octavian.At the Aventine Collegium, where Pullo is rationing out grain to increasingly restless Romans, Pullo makes final arrangements with his men and Vorenus' children, and leaves Mascius in charge. However, the night before Pullo leaves, he is attacked by Memmio, who Pullo had imprisoned in a small cage since his defeat in the gang wars to serve as a warning to the ranks of his men about betrayal. Memmio knocks Pullo unconscious and moves in to kill him with a knife. Gaia intervenes and kills Memmio, but she is severely wounded. As Gaia is being treated, she says she is not a good woman, that she is troubled by "Nemesis." Pullo asks why she is troubled by Nemisis and Gaia then confesses to Pullo that Eirene was a good woman and that because she wanted Pullo for herself, she killed Eirene and their unborn child by spiking Eirene's tea with poison. Pullo, seething with anger, chokes her to death, then carries her corpse through a crowd of shocked onlookers, who watch Pullo as he dumps her body unceremoniously into a muddy pool, which ensures that Gaia is doomed to never enter the netherworld and her spirit will wander aimlessly in limbo because she has not received proper funeral rites.

Tags: romantic, intrigue, murder, historical fiction

Review:
I've been a Roman history buff ever since my own high school triumvirate of Caesar, Cicero and Virgil, and I say that this historical fiction is both exciting AND quite accurate with the important stuff.So far, every player has been terrific, in particular Ciarán Hinds as Caesar and Max Pirkis as Octavian.
Rome makes the parallel stories of the Optimates and Centurian, now Prefect, Vorenus and Legionnaire Pullo a perfect vehicle for comparing the travails of different classes  their love lives, social lives, how they treated the servants, how they practiced their faiths, how they fought.
Seen from these different perspectives (which we did not get with I Claudius), we get a three-dimensional view and, for me, the closest to feeling like one is actually there of any historical fiction ever produced.And look at the production values.
HBO's "Rome" is perhaps one of the best historical TV shows there ever was and one of the best HBO has ever produced.Set during the first century B.C., this TV show tells the tale of two Romans serving in the army, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pollo.
This TV show is mostly fictional, but it incorporates historical characters like Caesar, Pompey, Cato, Mark Anthony, and Atia, the most of Octavian, soon to become Rome's first emperor, Augustus.
I've read some stupid comments here that somehow the series is less than authentic because these Romans speak English - and most absurd - that the actors are all too old because the average male died in his 40's.
After seeing the first episode, the show promises to be an excellent production showing the civilization and intrigue of the Rome of Julius Caesar.
The filmmakers felt that ancient Rome would have been more like Bombay, India, and I tend to agree with them.The series shows life as it was in those days.
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".
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.
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.
All of the intrigue that was Rome is presented well, considering that no one involved lived during that time that could give accurate details on Roman life.
I was surprised to read some of the negative reviews on this forum.Political intrigue, great acting, sex, violence (the hand to hand type not the I'll shoot ya from a mile away kind), booze, gambling, prostitution, HOT HOT women, macho guys, murder, what's there not to like?!
Obviously they have their history consultants, they are using the names of real people of Rome who lived 50 BC or there abouts and of course most is fictionalized to entertain us, so the plots are thick.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Rome the Series has it all, a literate script, a superb cast, fantastic production values, unbelievable special effects, makeup and stunt-work, brilliant directing by ALL directors involved, excellent pacing and a terrific music score throughout.
Standouts in a perfect cast are: Kevin McKidd & Ray Stevenson as Vorenus & Pullo; James Purefoy aptly schizophrenic as Marc Antony; Ciaran Hinds properly regal as Julius Caesar; Polly Walker schemingly wicked as Atia; Max Pirkis & Simon Woods as the younger and older Octavian; Lyndsey Marshal voluptuous and cunning as Cleopatra and Kenneth Cranham wonderfully sympathetic as Pompey Magnus.
After the excreable "Empire", which I think might have killed this whole genre for the next 5 years, Rome arrived to save the day.From the eerie whimsical new ageish opening music and the credits with animated little graffiti to the characters, I knew from the 1st I was hoping to really really like this.One of my degrees was in Ancient History and I just love the reality of the times coming to life on the screen.
It shows us how the happenings between high officials like Caesar and Pompey affect everyone and not just those in power.Many people have objected to the graphic use of sex and violence and I thought I would probably count myself in the same group before I watched the first episode.
While many TV shows do use the sex factor to draw people in, this series only shows it when it speaks to characters and how they live and need.For anyone who wants to be captivated not only by excellent scenery, but by wonderful characters, excellent dialogue, political intrigue, and a world filled with diversity, I would highly recommend checking this one out..
Rome's Empire and history were not created over a couple of years and two seasons are definitely not enough to portray the story, but this is probably the best we're going to have, audio-video, for a very long time.
However the movie is sometimes inaccurate as it makes it look as though Julius Caesar immediately chased Pompeii when he actually spent ten years in Rome before setting out.Rome is a feast to the eye, at least in the Blu-ray version.
Every single actor in this show delivers an amazing acting in ever scene, makes it completely believable, the plot is very intriguing, intelligent, the dialogue is clever and precise in every shot, the music definitely adds an emotion in each scene, everything is so believable you can almost smell how Rome smelled back then.Special mention to Ciaran Hinds (Caesar), Polly Walker (Attia), Lindsay Duncan (Servilia), James Purefoy (Mark Antony) and Kevin McKidd (Vorenus) for an amazing acting, they brought the show alive and with their complicated personalities, I felt sympathy for each one of them.So, if you like history, are not afraid to see a little sex and decapitation every now and then (nobody said the show was pretty anyway), and are up to admire a real piece of art that was on TV and that no show nowadays even compare to this one (ok maybe Game of Thrones), watch it..
This time is no different.'Rome' depicts the historic story of the late roman republic, following the time-lines of events such as Gaius Julias Ceaser's grasp of power from Pompey Magnus, his assassination and the young Augustus (Octavian) Ceaser's own continuous battle to secure the beginnings of the Roman Empire from threat of the dying Roman Republic and Brutus in particular.
Now that I just finished watching the first season of "Rome", I can say in all honesty: This is the best dramatic TV show I have seen in years.The series focuses on the events leading to Julius Ceasar's rise to power and finishes gloriously with his death through the hands of conspirators.
This series makes you feel like you're really walking the streets of Rome two thousand years ago, replete with graffiti and p***pots, populated by whores (of both sexes), murderous shylocks and pious pagans.
Such realism seems to have offended some of the reviewers here, but the world then, as now, was a filthy, pestilential place where the main pastimes involved sex, booze and blood in copious amounts, and if you insist that all of human history be sanitized for your Sunday School class, you won't gain a thing from this excellent production.Objections to the characters' use of British rather than Italian accents are ridiculously misguided, especially considering that Italian did not even exist as a language until about a thousand years after this series takes place, and I fail to see how trying to replicate authentic Latin accents would serve any dramatic purpose.
I think this new production of "Rome" is at least as good as the great BBC series "I Claudius." But this isn't just a Tacitus/Graves book on screen...it's a fully drawn picture of Roman history and society with real, living characters everyone can identify with, not just a bunch of perverted, murderous Julio-Claudian aristocrats.What this production offers, uniquely, is the taste and smell of a distant culture which yet is so similar to ours...in fact, Rome is our parent.I love ancient Rome, and thank all the gods I lived long enough to see this great series..
Against the exciting background of Caeaser's conquest of Gaul and transformation of the Roman Republic, the made for HBO TV movie Rome tracks the historical account through the adventures of Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd)and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) legionnaires in Caeasar's Leg XIII.
As for who fathered Cleopatra's child, well who knows, she was desperate to have Caesar and Rome believe he had got her pregnant, making sure she was already pregnant before seducing him is one way to make that occur.Best drama series ever made.
Something not seen until recently in historical dramas (like "The White Queen" and "Black Sails" and "Reign").Best "buddy" series ever made.
I am writing this after having completed the viewing of the second season, and my rating would be 8.5 for the first season and 7 for the second.On the good side I would mention the effort made on reconstructing the life and landscape of ancient Rome, even if some limits of the budget may be seen especially in the dimensions of the set.
I also liked the script which makes of many of the historic characters real people, does seldom fall into rhetoric, does not hesitate to take distance from some of the classical approaches in literature and theater, and succeeds to stay credible and interesting for most of the time.
All looks like a god soap opera set in ancient times, and I am using this term in a very positive way, because good soap operas catch the attention and make the viewers care about the fate of the heroes.On the bad side I would mention the repeated use of modern day slang, which breaks the convention and hurts credibility.
However, right at the moment I'm caught up in the struggles of one character, the vibe is instantly killed when the narrative changes to another scene.Overall, if you like a bit of history, a lot of sex without the courting part of romance, and gratuitous violence, this is the TV show for you.
An interesting thought and good then for this series to examine what Ancient Rome was like for such a person.
Titus Pullo , Vorenus come to live and we can , for the first time, see Rome as a living city filled with vibrant life not only as a computer generated picture.
It depicts one of the most interesting times in roman history, the end of the republic and the rise of Caesar, making it come to life by mixing historic figures we all have read about and their actions, with scenes from everyday life in ancient Rome.
Through the extensive set and costumes, a good cast and well developed characters, one gets a deep insight into life at that period and it makes that show not only fun to watch and highly entertaining, but also provides an incentive to go back to those history books and figure out the backgrounds to those events.
A continuing theme throughout this lengthy series is the friendship between two soldiers, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, played by Kevin McKidd (of Grays Anatomy) and Ray Stevenson.Julius Caesar is played by Ciaran Hinds.
This is the most accurate depiction of what life in real Rome must have been like, with all of its misery and glory, sex and violence, humanity and barbarity (oh, the irony).If this does not appeal to you, or disturb you, on some level, I seriously suggest checking your pulse.Another reviewer incorrectly mentioned that this is a "A Geriatric Drama - in 50BC"..
All I'll say is that the truth is likely far more shocking than imagined here and by creating a world that is both exotic and identifiable, the show's creators have given us a version of Ancient Rome that feels infinitely more real than any that has preceded it.The BBC and HBO should be applauded because 'Rome' is truly an ambitious work of art that should be cherished for all time..
Action, suspense, drama, superb action, fantastic sets, authentic looking costumes, you really cannot ask for more, and it's truly amazing this kind of quality of kept up over two seasons (unfortunately cut short due to the high production costs).Rome will truly have you begging for more, as I was, after watching the first season in about two days, and then finally obtaining the second season and watching it in a few sittings.
It's an epic tale of so many different epic tales (season one really gets you involved with the emperors and the republic and the assassination of Caesar).If you are at all into the history of Rome, you will truly appreciate this series, and even if you're not, I promise you you'll enjoy it as well.
In fact it was a fascinating look into Roman life, so accurate in feel that I felt that I was living in Rome.
Even though they are historical characters, they are mentioned in one of Caesar's works, its fun to see a plot line built around 2 insignificant people in terms of Roman history.
A realistic portrayal of Rome starting in 42BC & going forward, including the politics of the day and an in-depth Look at what the life of the wealthy Romans at that time was like.
This is probably the most accurate and well acted series about the ancient Roman times, ever.
As I reviewed the information about these TV series I didn't read anything new that wasn't made and told before, however after watching the first episode I was astonished, I remembered what I read about that age a long time ago and realized that at last someone had the guts to show it on screen i.e. the way the Romans treat slaves and the fact that people back then had sex with almost everything that moved.
I don't remember the historical story about Ceaser after watching and reading so many versions about his life, and I believe that even these series will be an insult to historians, but unlike what was made before, here we don't see the presence of our age..
Rome is shown in the UK on BBC on Wednesday nights I like the series very true to life, especially the two roman soldiers who work for Cesar it is a bit bloody and violent but it is worth watching to see what Rome got up to back then.
I immediately started watching it with my wife, who loves a lot of the same HBO original series as I do (Sex and the City, The Sopranos, True Blood, Game of Thrones, etc).
The show constantly reminds you that you are not watching actual ancient Rome, but a bunch of British actors acting like one-dimensional, uptight jerks.
I believe that HBO had done a horrible advertising job, i never even heard of the show till i was cruising around IMDb. But enough with that.*Acting* Some of the greatest acting i have ever seen, after seeing all 22 episodes one cannot help but to fall in love with all the actors in the story, they all portray their roles very well, i disliked no character in the entire series.*Costume/Setting* Absolutely fabulous costume design, makeup, and settings.
The production costs must have been extremely high, one cannot help but feel as though they are watching a movie filmed from the times of Ancient Rome.
Rome stomps out the competition, shows like Smallville (which i adore) compare nothing to the acting talent, and mere pleasure gained from watching this series.
I do not have HBO and so I was lent series one of Rome by a great friend of mine at work.
Political and social corruption, violence and bloodshed, love and betrayal meets the roman soldiers and citizens Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo as they return to Rome after years of war.
It simply feels like the genuine article with believable characters and an engrossing story.All credits to the actors, writers and not to mention the director for making a true masterpiece, and I hope this wont be the last we see of this, nor other historical series.
It is historically accurate enough to take the series as almost educational view into the Roman history.