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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9786303980812 Format: Box set, Collector's Edition, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC ISBN: 6303980813 Label: 20th Century Fox Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Number Of Items: 7 Publisher: 20th Century Fox Release Date: October 09, 2001 Sales Rank: 2727 Studio: 20th Century Fox Theatrical Release Date: November 06, 1977
Amazon.com essential video: This superbly acted, mordantly funny romp through 70 years or so of Roman history is one of the best-loved miniseries ever made, and deservedly so. Derek Jacobi plays Roman Emperor Claudius, who reflects in old age on his life and his remarkable family, giving us a history lesson that's unlike anything you learned in school.
The story begins in 24 B.C. during the reign of Augustus Caesar, Rome's first emperor, and ends in A.D. 54 with Nero on the throne. In between, I, Claudius details the scheming, murder, madness, and lust that passed for politics in the early years of the Pax Romana. The biggest worm in the Roman apple is Augustus's wife, Livia (the superb Siân Phillips), whose single-minded pursuit of power shapes the destiny of the Empire. With a carefully planted rumor here and a poisoned fig there, she gradually maneuvers her son, Tiberius, toward the throne, creating an atmosphere of suspicion and treachery that starts Rome on its helter-skelter slide into bloody chaos. Phillips somehow makes us understand this extraordinarily wicked woman. As she ages and her carefully wrought webs begin to unravel, it becomes clear that Livia has been as thoroughly poisoned by her own ambition as her victims were by her carefully prepared meals.
Further acting honors go to George Baker as Tiberius, who resists but eventually succumbs to the destiny forced upon him by his mother, and to John Hurt as a hilarious and absolutely terrifying Caligula. In one breathtakingly tense scene, the mad Emperor performs a dance in drag, then asks Claudius to critique it, perfectly capturing the horror of a world where one wrong word means death, or worse. Jacobi is the perfect Claudius, hiding his intelligence behind a crippling stammer and shuffling around the edges of events--until he finds himself pulled to the very center. His wry comments give shape to the tangled story of his family and help the audience make sense of a dauntingly complex cast of characters.
I, Claudius might seem a little studio-bound to viewers brought up on more recent big-budget costume dramas, but the topnotch cast and the incident-filled plot are more than enough to hold the attention through almost 11 hours of gripping, deliciously wicked Roman follies. This boxed set also includes a documentary entitled "The Epic That Never Was," about Alexander Korda's failed attempt to film I, Claudius in 1937. The film, directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Charles Laughton as Claudius and Merle Oberon as Messalina, was abandoned unfinished, and it remains one of Hollywood's great lost movies. --Simon Leake
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Superbly acted and still fresh
Robert Graves wrote the book this fine Masterpiece Theater version is adapted upon in 1977, eight years before his death. Graves himself was a survivor- most notably surviving the trenches of World War I as an English Infantry Officer, (which was no small feat considering the typical 80% casualty rates- at the Battle of the Somme he was listed as having died from his wounds). Known best for his poetry, his sparkling translation of "The Twelve Caesars" and his friendship with conscious objector "Mad Jack" Siegfeid Sassoon, Graves was awarded the 1934 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for both "I, ... Read More
Rating: - The Series ranks very high on several critics' all time lists...
So which version will you pursue:648 minutes or the 564?
Hint: There is more than one national Amazon; and despite the postage you may actually save a small amount of money with something older, longer, and with better visuals. And regions are no longer a legal issue with some of the later players.
You knew all that already, but...
Rating: - I own the original set
I own the original set of this DVD and don't plan to replace it. However, this is one of the best TV miniseries ever and if you haven't seen it, then obviously you should buy the new version. I am a hugh fan of Derek Jacobi and this is one of his finest performances. (He was also Cadfael on PBS). Sian Phillips, John Hurt, George Baker all give terrific performances. The story is funny, scary, and extremely interesting. Makes you glad you didn't live in those days - 'cause you didn't live long.
Watch it and enjoy!
Rating: - History from the top
Just a few comments on the reviews of I, Claudius with Derek Jacobi and company. I sympathize with the number of reviewers who have commented on the lack of sophistication and depth in treating this period of the Roman Empire. It is important to remember, however, that this book and TV production reflect a view of history from the top- that is, as seen from those at the pinnacle or near the pinnacle of power and so neglects so much of what we now find fascinating about the Roman Empire. It also neglects its tremendous variety in all facets of life.
After listening to it, a naive viewer ... Read More
Rating: - Roman Freddy Krueger
Given the popularity and critical acclaim of this series, I was disappointed to find this slice of ancient Roman "history" stripped of complexity or ambiguity-- or even any sense of historical accuracy. Instead, we get a Roman Freddy Krueger in the form of Augustus' wife, Livia, who is apparently responsible for engineering nearly every important episode in Roman history by either murdering or manipulating her way through the Roman empire, which, according to this series, must have been full of the most naively idiotic leaders in the history of the planet. Sorry to go against the critical grain, but ... Read More
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