I, Claudius

Rating:
Summary: "You're All Scum and You Know It!"
Review: I am sorry that I am repeating a title for this review that someone else used, but I like it so much. This is one of the very finest series ever made for television. Some people feel that the lack of music detracts from it, but I feel it makes the acting seem more intense, since no one except the actor is manipulating your feelings as you watch it. It also creates a more somber mood than I find in other programs that do have a musical track. Some people feel the sets are too limited, but I feel they are beautiful and sumptuous, and they again add to the intensity of what we are seeing. The costumes, like in all the 1970's BBC historical dramas are beautiful as well.
As for the actors, frankly my two favorites are Brian Blessed as Augustus and (no surprise) John Hurt as Caligula (Derek Jacobi is great also, but I am attracted to the others more). Blessed plays Augustus as a basically well-meaning, genial man, almost making us forget that he was the most powerful man in the Western World and he rubbed out a lot of people on the way to the top. John Hurt is effeminate, rapacious and cruel all at the same time.
Although Robert Graves wrote the books in the 1920's, his political message is quite relevant today. He points out how a generation of seemingly idealistic, family-oriented, heroic figures such as Drusus, Germanicus, Livia's first husband, and even Augustus give way to corrupt, degenerate rulers, with the acceptance of the people. The Romans, who at one time had a republic and an abhorrence of hereditary monarchy, voluntarily give up their freedom and become indifferent to the debaucheries of their rulers. Sounds something like the bureaucratic dictatorship of the European Union which is taking away more and more freedoms from the people, and like a couple of Presidents of the US in fairly recent history who turned the White House in to a brothel.
My favorite scene is the one where Claudius and his mother Antonio give gladiatorial games in memory of Drusus. Here we see the bloody, barbaric side of so-called Roman "civilization" as Claudius' sister Livilla, dressed as a genteel Roman matron, is screaming to one of the gladiators "kill him!, kill him!". There is the unforgettable scene just before the games where Livia is addressing the gladiators "You're all scum and you know it!" and she tells them something to the effect "these games are being degraded by the use deceptive techniques in order to stay alive!" Priceless.

Rating:
Summary: FAO MacGuffin
Review: Hi MacGuffin! I live in England and own a copy of the new five-disc region 2 'I Claudius'. I will do my best to explain to you what material it has on it. The first four discs contain three episodes each (the first episode is double the length of the subsequent eleven). You have the option of playing it all the way through, of selecting a particular episode or a particular scene - each episode has eight scenes, except the first which has twelve. The picture and sound quality are excellent and the production is completely intact in its entirety. The opening and closing credits for each episode are included as is the 'Caligula/Drusilla' scene at the end of episode eight. That scene was never actually omitted in the UK.

The fifth disc offers a wealth of extras. There is the seventy minute documentary 'THE EPIC THAT NEVER WAS', narated by Dirk Bogarde, and featuring interviews with Merle Oberon (Messalina), Flora Robson (Livia) and Emlyn Williams (Caligula), as well as all the remaining material of the aborted film. There is also a second seventy minute documentary entitled 'I CLAUDIUS - A TELEVISION EPIC'. This features interviews with Derek Jacobi (Claudius), Sian Phillips (Livia), John Hurt (Caligula), Brian Blessed (Augustus), George Baker (Tiberius), Margaret Tyzack (Antonia), Christopher Biggins (Nero) and the director Herbert Wise, as well as many great clips from the programme. There is then a bit where the seven actors I have just listed and the director select their favourite scenes that they worked on (Herbert Wise selects two) and then we get another chance to see the particular scenes. Then we have archive footage of the award ceremonies where Sian Phillips received the 1977 BAFTA Award for Best Actress, Derek Jacobi received the 1977 BAFTA Award for Best Actor and the 1977 Variety Club Award for Best Actor. When 'I Claudius' was first made, it was originally going to be thirteen fifty minute episodes, but for some reason it was transmitted as twelve, with the first episode being twice as long. Here we get a chance to see the original ending of episode one and opening of episode two. Finally there is a very helpful family tree.

I do hope you now have all the information you wanted MacGuffin and I would seriously advise that you invest in a multi-region DVD player and buy this set. I bought a multi-region DVD player for just £50 on amazon.co.uk and it works perfectly.

I would seriously reccommend this drama serial to anyone who is interested in history or simply appreciates great acting and quality entertainment. It is superbly written by Jack Pulman, expertly directed by Herbert Wise and magnificently acted by the entire cast, especially Jacobi, Phillips, Hurt and Blessed.

One to keep beside Brideshead Revisited (GRANADA TV 1981), Pride and Prejudice (BBC TV 1995), The Jewel In The Crown (GRANADA TV 1984), The Singing Detective (BBC TV 1986) and War & Peace (BBC TV 1972).

Rating:
Summary: Fantastically well done series
Review: I was originally forced to watch I, Claudius as part of a high-school Latin class. Let it suffice to say that the viewing had the desired effect. It ratcheted up my enthusiasm for Latin and classical history in general to the point where I ended up studying it at the university level. Having read both books, I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves, this is one instance where I actually felt the film version was better than the literary one.

The series is exceptionally well done. The acting is simply superb and the viewer will notice many familiar faces parade across the screen--including a great performance by Patrick Stewart (of later Star Trek fame) as Aelius Sejanus, the right-hand-man of the emperor Tiberius. John Hurt was *the* Caligula for the ages.

The series produced dozens of memorable lines that immediately entered my lexicon and have remained even years later including:

"You've become a god!"

"Is there anyone in Rome who has not slept with my daughter?!"

"I have survived with half my wits, while others have died with all of theirs intact. Evidently, quality of wits is more important than quantity."

"My body is full of maggots..."

"You knew I was at war with Neptune. How dare you ride with him!"

"What makes you think a filthy, smelly old woman like you could become a goddess?"

The list goes on endlessly. If you are someone who enjoys classical Greco-Roman history, owning a copy of I, Claudius is mandatory. If you don't, you should watch it anyway. I have forced several family members and friends who had no interest in the subject to watch the series, and to a person, they all got a tremendous kick out of it. Very highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Without a doubt, the best tv program ever!
Review: I never tire of watching this superbly acted and exciting program that is absolutely my favorite program I have ever seen on tv. Derek Jacobi is excellent as the meek, stuttering Claudius who lives through the reigns of 3 emperors while all those around him are either murdered or meet mysterious deaths. After his evil nephew Caligula is murdered, Claudius is pulled out of hiding by the Praetorian Guards and made the emperor.

Seeing it as a chance to restore the republic to Rome, Claudius rules wisely paving the way for the evil Nero to follow him.

Sean Phillips is excellent as Livia, the wife of Augustus Ceaser, who will poison anyone that stands in the way of her son becoming emperor. John Hurt is phenomenal as Caligula and look for Patrick Stewart as the evil Sejanus!

Rating:
Summary: "Politicians Aren't Born..."
Review: "...they're excreted." So wrote Cicero, who was in a position to know (and who lost his head and hands for saying so). This assertion is vividly confirmed in this oh-so-British adaptation of Robert Graves's fact-based novels detailing the intrigues of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, which was introduced weekly by the peerless Alistair Cooke. I, Claudius premiered here in the States on PBS, courtesy of Masterpiece Theater, courtesy of Mobil (the sponsor). Like so many others, I was riveted to my TV set every Sunday evening for months, eagerly awaiting the notes of Mouret's Rondeau which heralded the next installment of a saga that somehow managed to unravel the complicated ties that bound these characters in a tangled web of family and intrigue. I'm quite certain there's nothing else quite like it, and might never be again. And while I'd hasten to mention that on one hand, it's not for everyone--being a history buff is certainly a help, and one needs a solid attention span--on the other hand, viewers of virtually any background can enjoy this for exactly what it is, i.e., there are no oblique cultural references targeting those of a particular age/background.
I borrowed a friend's copy of this set and almost swallowed it whole, having not seen it since its PBS premiere so many years ago. It was as wonderful as I remembered and therein lies my complaint: a production of this stature merits much better treatment than has been accorded it by Fox/Image. For starters, no effort was made to clean up the print used. Granted, I, Claudius was taped, and so can never look as good as a filmed production but still...a little respect is in order. This print is okay, as is the sound (which isn't as bad as claimed by previous reviewers). The lion's share of the episodes are on two "flipper" disks, three episodes per side, and the last plus an interesting documentary on what would have been Alexander Korda's production of I, Claudius share a single side of a third disk.
And that's IT.
There's a paucity of printed material (a single insert is included with the first disk), no "making of" documentary, no commentary or interviews, and the menus are primitive by today's standards--bare-bones, non-interactive, automatically running straight through the episodes unless manually stopped. In addition, the enjoyment of all the vintage Masterpiece Theatre presentations could be increased even more if Alastair Cooke's introductions and concluding remarks were included; I felt this absence keenly while viewing the Lillie set which I was lucky to find recently at a great price. I, Claudius is in a class of its own and deserves champagne treatment; such a high list price for so pedestrian a presentation is insulting.
Research discloses that Amazon.uk offers a newer set released by the BBC that seems more comprehensive than this one: it contains five disks and includes interviews with the actors, presumably more printed material, deleted scenes (maybe the infamous Caligula/Drusilla scene that was censored for US broadcast?), and possibly the Korda documentary as well; unfortunately, the British reviewers so far aren't forthcoming about the set's technical de/merits. I'd suggest that those with multi-region DVD players investigate that set; the rest of us will just have to hope that the series is reissued here with the respect it deserves.


Rating:
Summary: A masterwork
Review: The first thing you will need before watching "I, Claudius"? A very comfortable chair that you can sit in for extended periods of time. That's because this monumental British miniseries based on Robert Graves's novel of the same name clocks in at a jaw dropping 650 minutes. Yes, 650 minutes! Roughly eleven hours of good old-fashioned corruption, murder, betrayal, adultery, and insanity set in the earliest years of the Roman Empire. No one knew how to mix it up like the Julio-Claudians, that's for sure. Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero each took turns ruling an empire the size and shape of which staggers the imagination. Unfortunately, the absolute control these men exercised over millions of subjects often failed to carry over to their rowdy personal and family life. "I, Claudius" deals in depth with the latter. You'll never see huge military campaigns involving legions conquering new lands in this movie, nor will you witness Roman statesmen involved in the day to day affairs of empire building and ruling. There are hints at the wider political picture, of course, but the film focuses deeply on the personal power struggles taking place inside the ruling family. You'll quickly wonder how these people could rule anything, let alone an empire, after just the first episode.

It's absolutely impossible to sum up eleven hours of some of the best television you will ever see in a short review. "I, Claudius" is too complex to describe beyond mere superficialities. The film is divided into episodes, each of which begins with an aging, half dying Emperor Claudius (Derek Jacobi) sitting down to write the lengthy history of his family. It's not as easy as it sounds; his wicked wife Agrippina and scheming heir Nero always wish to know what the emperor is up to in his private quarters, thus forcing Claudius to hide his manuscript from prying eyes. He begins his story during the reign of Augustus (Brian Blessed), documenting the scandalous behavior practiced by the emperor's wife Livia (Sian Phillips), who enacts several murder plots in an effort to secure her son Tiberius (George Baker) the title of official heir. No one is safe from the machinations of Livia save the youthful Claudius. His physical infirmities, including a terrible stutter and uncontrollable twitching, convince the rest of the family that he is an irredeemable idiot who poses no threat in the constant race to succession. He is far from stupid, however. Claudius soon learns to exaggerate his physical failings whenever he senses danger. And there is great danger everywhere as members of the family perish at an alarming rate.

Augustus's reign is relatively benign compared to the brutal excesses of Tiberius, and a laugh riot of epic proportions when placed side by side with the brief tenure of Caligula (John Hurt). Claudius's pen recalls the catastrophic results of Tiberius's elevation of a minor official named Sejanus (Patrick Stewart) to the heights of power, the sham trials in the Senate of anyone thought to pose a threat to the emperor, and the gradual ascendancy of Caligula to the position of successor. As interesting as the reign of Tiberius is, it pales in comparison to his successor. Caligula is, for lack of a better term, as mad as a hatter. He soon comes to believe he is a living god, carves up his sister Drusilla, and dresses up as a woman in order to perform a sensual dance for his Uncle Claudius. Caligula's years on the throne are a time of unmatched cruelty, brutality, and senseless murder. The Senate cowers in fear as the emperor prances and capers about Rome, forcing the wives of the wealthy and renown to work in a brothel set up in the palace. By the time Claudius assumes the throne upon the assassination of this lunatic, the problems of ruling Rome seem relatively mundane. The emperor must deal with corrupt officials, his licentious wife Messalina, and the threat of palace coups. It sounds bad, but it's better than kneeling in front of a madman waiting for sudden death.

The above two paragraphs provide only a wide angle view of "I, Claudius." The subplots number in the dozens, and often stretch across several episodes. But the story never loses focus and never confuses despite the dozens of major and minor characters involved. Not a single member of the huge cast turns in a bad performance, and several do such an amazing job that they deserve special mention. I think Sian Phillips is the 400-pound gorilla stomping through most of "I, Claudius." Her portrayal of the malevolent Livia takes your breath away. She gets nearly all of the best lines, her hateful gazes could melt steel, and she's also an extremely attractive woman. It's almost a pity when her character finally passes away--almost. Fortunately, John Hurt steps in to fill the void as the deranged Caligula. We've all seen Hurt play crazy in other films, but it all started here. His lunatic giggling coupled with the completely outrageous statements he delivers with complete sincerity leave the viewer spellbound. This is craziness on a metaphysical level, a frightening insanity that shocks the soul and delivers big scares.

The only problems I saw in "I, Claudius" are two in number. First, the picture quality isn't up to DVD standards. I don't know if this is due to the age of the presentation or the transfer, but expect a hazy, washed out picture. Second, pretty much every member of the cast sports a British accent, which makes sense considering the BBC produced the project. Most of the time this isn't a problem until you look at Frances White, the actress playing Augustus's daughter Julia. Her accent is so piercing that it hurts your ears. Despite these minor issues, "I, Claudius" is must see television that even those unfamiliar with the intricacies of Roman history should love.



Rating:
Summary: Fantastic writing, good acting, and plastic scenery.
Review: This series was shot on elaborate soundstages within echoing halls and extravagant attention to detail...but it still looks incredibly fake. I actually had a hard time caring about the characters for nearly all of disc one(there are a total of five discs in the set), mainly because of the distracting plasticity of their surroundings. I soon began to ignore this negative aspect and found myself becoming absolutely enthralled with the great adapted teleplay from the Robert Graves' novels and some excellent character acting from a very large cast of admirable actors. In fact, I first saw many of these actors in the 1989 film version of "Henry V" directed by Kenneth Branagh. There are many notable performances here, the most notable coming from Derek Jacobi as Claudius and the incredibly malleable John Hurt who plays Caligula in an unnerving performance that is both disturbing and hilarious(often both at the same time). But the biggest star here is the script, which is both intelligent and informative in an historical sense. By the end of the series, however, there have been so many diabolical schemes along the way that the story becomes predictable through repetition of characters vying for power. It becomes more a question of "Who is going to poison who next?" rather than being shocked by it all. Overall, this is a well made, well acted, superbly written series worth owning. I should mention that there are some bloody scenes and occasional nudity/sexual situations that make this series clearly adult entertainment. Enjoy...and when in Rome, be sure to prepare your own meals!

Rating:
Summary: Ave Claudius!
Review: A great adaptation of Robert Grave's fictional work. All of the actors render a stunning and convincing portrayal of what life was like at the core of the early Roman empire.

Derek Jakobi brilliantly performs the character of Claudius as he ponders his life and impresses his thoughts on to his "autobiography." The audience is then taken through the ambitions and intrigues of the Julio-Claudian dynasty from the reign of Augustus to Nero's. Through the eyes of Claudius, the audience has a bird's eye view into the dynastic contests played with wit and humor; seeing the evolution of the empire from the remnants of a crumbled republic to a sophisticated imperial beuraucracy that is protected by the notorious praetorian guard. With this insight, Claudius is soon appreciated by the audience as having a keen intellect as opposed to being dull and slow of wit (Claudius addressing the Senate: "Many have called me half-witted and yet they lost their heads with all their wit while I still have mine. I suppose then that quality of wit is more important than quantity!") His desire for truth and his loathing of the imperial struggle gives his story clarity and impartiality. All of the characters are brilliantly played; their actions and motivations all come to light in the course of the mini-series.

The acting of Derek Jacobi as Claudius is brilliant. The same goes for Brian Blessed and Sian Phillips as Augustus and Livia. There's even a brief appearance by Patrick Stewart. This presentation has a full cast of some of the finest Shakespearean actors in recent memory and their acting more than makes up for the studio limitations of this 1974 production.

For audiences looking for action or special effects, there isn't much to find here; this is a theatrical adaptation and so the sound and stage have their limitations. This is not an action story anyway; if you're looking for that kind of film see "Spartactus", "Cleopatra", or "Gladiator." Despite its limitations, this is a fine BBC production of one of the greatest works in historical fiction. A must see for anyone who enjoys history or just a good story full of intrigue and suspense.



Rating:
Summary: Four Caesars as Soap Opera. Absolutely Magnificent
Review: The `I, Claudius' TV production which first appeared on PBS' `Masterpiece Theatre' over thirty years ago was at that time and still is considered a high water mark in public television serial drama. I believe it thoroughly displaced the stodgy `Upstairs, Downstairs' and was almost but not quite displaced on its high throne by the production of `Brideshead Revisited'. What is so distinguished about `I, Claudius' from `Brideshead' with its luminary roster of A list actors such as Claire Bloom, John Gielgud, and Laurence Olivier is that it achieves its quality with largely B list character actors. Almost every actor in the cast has not yet hit their stride, as with Patrick Stewart (with hair) and lead actor Derek Jacobi or, like Sian Phillips and John Hurt, they are at or past their prime as character actors.

The story is taken directly from two novels written by English poet and scholar of antiquities, Robert Graves, on whose knee I learned of the Greek myths from his very authoritative Penguin Classics published two volume work which is more accessible than the Golden Bough and much more authoritative than Edith Hamilton's tired old work. Graves' novel is based on the history and rumors reported in Seutonious' `Lives of the Twelve Caesars', plus a rather sizable amount of poetic license with history.

Claudius is the fourth Emperor of Rome, a nephew of Tiberius, the second emperor and uncle to Caligula, the third emperor, who ascends to the throne after senators assassinate Caligula and his family. But, for most of the story, Claudius is merely a narrator of the real action, which he discovers in his role as a historian. The driving force of the first half of the thirteen part series is the effort of Claudia, Caesar Augustus' wife, to replace Augustus' natural offspring by daughter Julia with her own son Tiberius as Augustus' successor as emperor of Rome. She does this by murdering everyone in her way, up to and including Augustus, himself. Suetonious just hints at much of this, so the historical basis of this plot is a bit shaky, but it makes a rootin, tootin good story. The second half of the series is taken up by the corruption of Tiberius term, the insanity of Caligula's term, and the hopeful, but tragicly flawed rule of Claudius, himself.

Graves' conceit, which the telescript maintains, is that the whole story was written by Claudius and hidden away and forgotten for 2000 years, to be discovered and translated by the humble author.

Part of the great power of the story is the juxtaposition of such great figures of history as the early Roman emperors with some of the most tragic and most sordid human acts and emotions. This tone is struck perfectly when Tiberius and Caligula stand over the just dead body of Augustus and Tiberius says `... and the earth shakes with his passing...'. The irony is that Augustus was just murdered in order that Tiberius may become emperor. A similar moment comes when Augustus is interviewing a lineup of about forty noble Romans to ask them whether they had slept with Julia. To a man, they all confess to having relations with the daughter, albeit not all `in bed'. Julia did have her taste for the unusual. The climax is a heart rending scene which shows Augustus' pain at Julia's being exiled from Rome.

A small but impressive task for both the actors and the makeup crew was the aging of many of the actors to span over forty years of age, taking Claudius from a teenager to his late fifties and Claudia from her forties to her eighties. This was relatively easy with Brian Blessed and George Baker who begin the story in early middle age, but it seems devilishly difficult with John Hurt who appears to be in the dissolute forties even when he is pictured as a young man.

The greatest praise for acting must go to Jacobi, but Brian Blessed's performance as Augustus, dominating the action in the first five episodes, really made me wonder where he has been all this time. I must assume from the few other appearances I have seen of him that he is primarily an English Shakespearean actor who only occasionally shows up in small supporting roles on film. Sian Phillips, playing the most important character next to Claudius, is much better known in a variety of character roles, many Shakespearian.

While the film lacks `Brideshead's high intensity cast, it also lacks `Brideshead's lush scenery and settings. No modern locations could quite match Imperial Rome, so everything is done in a competant, but ordinary setting. Where `I, Claudius' does not suffer in comparison to `Brideshead' is in the writing behind the screenplay. Graves may not have all the depth of psychological plotting, but his picture of characters motives, passions, and ambitions is simply terrific.

A great, good viewing.


Rating:
Summary: Claudius, I remain impressed
Review: I first saw this mini series when it aired in the mid 70's, and was absolutely transfixed by it at the time. And the years have not been able to wear away my fascination for the work. Not only is it accurate historically, it is just SO amazingly preformed. As far as I can tell, it is filmed entirely on sets, yet, this matters not at all, for as I stated: the performances are so superlative that I was transported to the time and place of the story, and brought to both tears of sorrow and laughter, and ever held in wonder at the thought that so strange a story could EVER have taken place!
No holding back, now, you MUST have this series if you love Masterpiece Theater, and if you LOVE well crafted historical writing and dramatization. It is one of a kind and THE ABSOLUTE BEST in it's class! Don't hesitate, THIS is a winner and well worth the purchase price.