Saturday, September 6, 2008

DVD Alert: 'I Claudius"

    Watch the trailer although it hardly gives you a hint of what's to come: http://www.videodetective.com/?publishedid=3378
 
 We missed watching this acclaimed British miniseries when it debuted on PBS in 1977. The DVD set is expensive but I used a Borders' 30% discount coupon. I Claudius is based on two novels about the Roman emperor Claudius who managed to live a long time while everyone around him was killed off for political or personal reasons, usually the former choice.  Imagine history told as a classy soap opera but with lots of violence & sex. Not the usual toga party.....
  This enthralling saga is spread over 13 sections/hours and you will get hooked after watching the first one. Ancient Rome's upper class is a vipers' nest of opportunists who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Poison seems the easiest and untraceable method of disposing of rivals and enemies but there's plenty of stabbings when they are in a hurry. You will see many famous actors of the 70's and some who became famous later. You will never think the same about Patrick Stewart who later went on to the second  Star Trek TV series. Spoiler Alert:  He's not very nice here...  If you saw the movie Dune and thought Sian Phillips was a plotter there, she's an amateur there compared to her character as the Empress Livia. You will be dazzled by her performance as she steals every scene. I was afraid the series would suffer without her presence but it's evenly good though to the conclusion.  John Hurt is creepy and fascinating as the mad Caligula. As for the title character. Derek Jacobi deserved every accolade for his performance as he ages with his role, playing the stuttering, limping fool who survives by not posing as a threat to anyone's ambition.  
    This production is stagy because it was filmed in studios but it's the venomous dialogue and acting that carries you into this dark era. Example: When a soldier protests killing a young child because she's a virgin, his superior orders him with "Well make sure she's not a virgin when you kill her.'' Your imagination fills in what's not shown. The aging makeup for the cast is marvelous.  A DVD bonus is a documentary about an aborted movie attempt in 1937 using surviving footage and is a must for film buffs.
   Maybe your library or rental store has the set. Watching every chapter is like reading a good novel. The Mrs. bought the novels so I hope to read them soon. Here's a website for the miniseries with plot summaries and  fiction vs. history comparisons: http://www.anselm.edu/internet/classics/i,claudius/

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