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Rome
The Complete First Season |
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| Starring: Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Max Pirkis, Ciaran Hinds,
James Purefoy, Polly Walker, Kenneth Cranham Directed by: Michael Apted, Tim Van Patten, and others |
Original Broadcast Date: 2005
DVD Release: 2006
Released by: HBODolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen |
| From Rome to Chicago  At the opposite end of the scale from
HBO’s lavish Rome stands this lower-than-low-budget, exasperating 1950 version
of Julius Caesar, recently released by VCI (**). On the one hand,
director David Bradley went to some lengths (within his scant budget, at least) to make
this a real movie and not just a camera pointed at a stage play. He uses the language of
film itself to tell the story: there are extreme close-ups, montages and optical effects.
His shot compositions and lighting are often interesting, sometimes framing actors in
proscenium-like arches, sometimes shooting from extremely low or high angles. He made the
most of his tiny bankroll by shooting Caesar’s funeral on the steps of Chicago’s
Museum of Science and Industry (and presumably running like hell when the cops showed up).
Although Julius Caesar used some innovative cinematic ideas, Bradley apparently had
no idea how to wring performances out of his actors. Shakespearean acting tends to be more
formal and declamatory than most stage or film acting, but these actors take the
Bard’s immortal words and reduce them to turgid line-reading. The only standout in
this snooze-fest is a very young Charlton Heston as Marc Antony; clad in an alarming
diaper/jockstrap thing, he makes up for the other mealy-mouthed perfs by devouring every
piece of scenery in sight. Nobody can stand up to Heston’s gale-force acting when he
lets ‘er rip, and he levels all the community-theater goings-on here when he gets his
Antony rolling. A side note: Bradley’s resume went on to include such notorious
stinkers as They Saved Hitler’s Brain, Dragstrip Riot, Madmen of
Mandoras and 12 to the Moon. Infamous as those movies might be, they are at
least more entertaining than this go-round. Recommended for insomniacs.
...Jerry Renshaw
jerryr@hometheatersound.com |
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Helmed by several directors, with some episodes written by
John Milius, this big-budget adaptation is lush, violent, and sexy, bordering on soft-core
at times. Rome was already several hundred years old by Caesar’s time and at the edge
of its dizzying fall (despite its high-minded ideals). The set captures its urban decay in
careful detail. The storytelling and performances are so uniformly good, it’s hard to
know where to start: with Hinds as the cold, aristocratic Caesar, Polly Walker as
socialite super-bitch Atia, Max Pirkis as the weird, cunning teenage Octavian, or James
Purefoy as the scheming Mark Antony. It comes across loud and clear that what makes up the
human condition -- love, desire, loyalty, treachery and strength -- never changes through
the ages. It is shot in Italy and its scope easily rivals any movie version to date. The
pace and depth of the story make you wish it wouldn’t end with episode 12. Thank
goodness, there is a second season to air soon.
Special features abound in this box set. Each episode
includes "All Roads Lead to Rome," an interactive feature with subtitles popping
up to add historical footnotes to the story. There are also shot-by-shot breakdowns of
Caesar’s Triumph (a public event that took on pagan/religious overtones) and
Pullo’s electrifying fight to the death in the arena, which leaves more than a couple
of mangled gladiators behind. Each episode also includes revealing audio commentaries by
the cast or crew.
Disc 6 is devoted strictly to special features. "The
Rise of Rome" goes into great detail about the massive five-acre set built at
Rome’s Cinecitta Studios. It visits the wardrobe designer and shows the actors’
boot-camp military training (with many Italian extras as Roman soldiers). "When in
Rome" discusses the culture of ancient Rome, with the inevitable comparisons and
contrasts to modern times.
The sound design is flawless, and the 5.1 mix is enough to
annoy upstairs neighbors. Likewise, the camera work and lighting are inventive and stylish
without ever becoming gimmicky. There is also a still gallery with 50 on-set photos. The
entire six-disc package is wrapped up in a heavy fiberboard box and multi-fold case for
the discs themselves, along with an eight-page booklet that lays out the characters and
their relationships to each other. This booklet comes in handy, considering the number of
characters in the story.
There is no question that made-for-TV shows have reached a
new level in the last several years, with shows like Nip/Tuck, The Shield,
Six Feet Under and Band of Brothers. With this lavish, elaborate retelling of
ancient Rome, HBO has again raised the bar on what TV is able to achieve. |
