Rome Pt 1 breathes life into Falco's Rome

Like many of you I was glued to the television Sunday night watching the premiere of HBO's new miniseries. Having just finished reading my second Lindsey Davis Falco mystery, "Shadows In Bronze", it delighted me to see ancient Rome depicted as a seething mass of humanity, especially the scene where a sedan chair winds its way through haggling merchants and bustling slaves. It made me recall not only Falco's Rome but Gordianus the Finder's Rome as well.

Like some of you I was a little confused by the punishments administered to the legionaries and the lack of punishment of Pullo when he fell asleep on watch and allowed Gallic children to steal their horses. Falling asleep on watch was considered a capital offense so I find it unlikely that it would have occurred and been so casually overlooked.

I'm also curious about Octavian's mother Atia being portrayed as a manipulative schemer in both this production and the earlier miniseries "Empire", produced by ABC. I have not found any significant references indicating Atia played much of a role in any political maneuverings involving her son. Maybe it is for this reason that the production companies decided to develop her character along those lines. There isn't much in the classical sources to confirm or refute this type of portrayal. While researching this aspect of the production I did find an article that pointed out several interesting facts about Caesar and Octavian's relationship that I was unaware of:

"In 46 BC, Octavian took part in Caesar?s triumphal parades in Rome, earning himself some military award, despite taking no part in the effort. Clearly this shows that Caesar at least had some design on his great nephew?s future. The following year Octavian followed Caesar to Spain, where the dictator conducted the last battle of his career against the sons of Pompey at Munda. Though Octavian himself took little part in the actual military aspect of this campaign, his journey to join Caesar seems a significant development in the relationship. While en route, Octavian was faced with difficulties in avoiding enemy resistance, including a shipwreck which could?ve been disastrous. When the two finally crossed paths, Caesar was apparently very pleased with his nephew?s daring determination and courage. Other than Caesar?s short triumphal visit to Rome, this period in Spain was likely the first time the two were truly able to foster a serious relationship. If at any time, this was the chance for Octavian to impress Caesar, and for Caesar to bring the young man under his wing. While there is little historical documentation, Octavian likely learned a great deal about provincial administration, warfare and political manipulation while a part of his uncle?s entourage. Nicolaus of Damascus, though his account is unreliable at best, indicates that Octavian was so firmly entrenched with Caesar that he was able to have considerable influence. In one example, Nicolaus states that Octavian begged a pardon for the brother of his great boyhood friend, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, who had served under Cato in Africa. Despite beginning to retract on the number of pardons issued by this time in the civil war (as many who were pardoned would continue to fight), Caesar relented, and may have helped cement a lifetime friendship with the two future leaders of Rome.

By the end of the campaign in Spain, Octavian was sent to Apollonia in Illyricum to further his studies, along with his friend Agrippa. Here he was to continue his education, while waiting to accompany Caesar on a campaign against the Dacians and the Parthians. Octavian was still a very minor player in the politics of Rome at this point, but his star was certainly on the rise. Caesar, having selected various political offices years in advance (one of many slights against Republican tradition), had slotted his nephew to serve as his right hand man, or master of horse, in the year 43 or 42 BC. At the age of 20 or 21, Octavian was expected to occupy the second most powerful position in the Roman world, but fate, and the Ides of March would have a different plan."

http://www.unrv.com/fall-republic/octavian.php

I knew Octavian had gone to Spain when Caesar was there but did not know about his intervention on Aggripa's behalf to secure a pardon for Aggripa's brother. I also did not know that Caesar had planned to make Octavian "Master of Horse" at only 20 or 21 years of age. (I bet this really irked Marc Antony).

At least the Octavian character in HBO's "Rome" is far more calculating and politically astute than the spoiled rich boy portrayed in ABC's "Empire". I am definitely looking forward to the next installment!

Class warfare, sex and death -- HBO charges boldly into 'Rome'

One critic's first take on the first six episodes:

"...we follow two extremely different men of the 13th Legion: Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd), a man of loyalty, honor and duty to the Empire. And Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), an enormous fighting machine, a goon who thinks with his genitals, has an extremely short temper and a very quick sword (which often, and with precision, guts someone's throat from front to back).

Vorenus is torn between his loyalty to the 13th and his belief that the Empire is crumbling from years of corruption and greed. He knows that Caesar is likely to speed the decline. Pullo, though dim-witted, is more enlightened about changing times. Rome, and the world, has changed, he tells Vorenus. Don't get hung up on history -- there's no going back.

Into their world -- from senators to slaves -- comes a brilliantly nuanced group of other characters. This is where HBO really shines. A great drama goes beyond two leads and opens up and explores the lives of auxiliary characters, each making the series in question resonate much more powerfully.

That's also true in "Rome" which more than excuses the languid, complicated pace of the first two episodes. And it will be mighty handy, once you get hooked, to have access to the HBO Web site, which has set the standard for character identification, family trees, lines of power, etc.

As the episodes unfold, there are wonderful performances from Polly Walker as Atia of the Julii, James Purefoy as Mark Antony, and Max Pirkis as Atia's son, Gaius Octavian.

This is in addition to four riveting performances from McKidd, Stevenson, Cranham and Hinds. Credit must also go to series writer, co-creator and executive producer Br">Class warfare, sex and death -- HBO charges boldly into 'Rome': "we follow two extremely different men of the 13th Legion: Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd), a man of loyalty, honor and duty to the Empire. And Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), an enormous fighting machine, a goon who thinks with his genitals, has an extremely short temper and a very quick sword (which often, and with precision, guts someone's throat from front to back).

Vorenus is torn between his loyalty to the 13th and his belief that the Empire is crumbling from years of corruption and greed. He knows that Caesar is likely to speed the decline. Pullo, though dim-witted, is more enlightened about changing times. Rome, and the world, has changed, he tells Vorenus. Don't get hung up on history -- there's no going back.

Into their world -- from senators to slaves -- comes a brilliantly nuanced group of other characters. This is where HBO really shines. A great drama goes beyond two leads and opens up and explores the lives of auxiliary characters, each making the series in question resonate much more powerfully. When television is done extremely well, you get maybe four additional characters of merit. In HBO gems such as 'The Sopranos,' 'The Wire,' and 'Deadwood,' truly fleshed-out characters often number in double digits -- a grand dramatic achievement.

That's also true in 'Rome,' which more than excuses the languid, complicated pace of the first two episodes. And it will be mighty handy, once you get hooked, to have access to the HBO Web site, which has set the standard for character identification, family trees, lines of power, etc.

As the episodes unfold, there are wonderful performances from Polly Walker as Atia of the Julii, James Purefoy as Mark Antony, and Max Pirkis as Atia's son, Gaius Octavian.

This is in addition to four riveting performances from McKidd, Stevenson, Cranham and Hinds. Credit must also go to series writer, co-creator and executive producer Bruno Heller, who has turned "Rome" into an addictive, open- ended, page-turner of sorts. Each episode is like a chapter in a book, and you don't want to wait another seven days to move forward." - Tim Goodman, SFgate.com

Great Scott: `Gladiator' worth Crowe-ing about

BostonHerald.com: "Russell Crowe, Academy Award winner for the 2000 blockbuster ``Gladiator,'' is ready to strap on a sword again for a sequel - or maybe 10 more - if he can convince director Ridley Scott. Crowe is quite proud of the film that made him a worldwide star, and, interestingly, is keenly aware of how fans on the Internet have responded. Among the dirt he and Scott share here - Crowe performed most of his stunts, despite Scott's attempts to stop him; Joaquin Phoenix was horribly nervous about filming and tried to quit the first day; and co-star Connie Nielsen knew more about the historical period than just about anyone involved with the production."

Like many other Gladiator fans, I rushed down to Circuit City last night to get my copy of the new Extended Edition. After dinner I settled down for an insightful discussion of the filmmaker's craft between my favorite director and my favorite actor. I was surprised by the apparent spontaneity of the creative process that hallmarked this production. I was always under the impression that you began production with a relatively completed script and that storyboards were used not only during production but to initially sell the concept to the production studio. So I found it quite eye-opening to learn that quite a bit of filming had already taken place before various character's fates were even determined. In fact at one point Scott and Crowe discussed how Maximus' page, played by Tommy Flanagan, was not scheduled for a reappearance in the film until much later when it was decided he would become the messenger between Maximus and his supporters. They mentioned how it was lucky Flanagan was available later on to resume his role and still had the haircut.

There was a similar indecision about the fates of Proximo and the African gladiator played by Djimon Hounsou. Apparently at one point the Hounsou character, Juba, was going to be killed and Proximo would bury his wooden sword in the arena. Of course that had to be changed when Oliver Reed suffered his fatal heart attack.

I was a bit disappointed that neither Scott nor Crowe apparently got along with Oliver Reed that well. I think, at least with Crowe, it may have been a case of two alpha males trying to coexist in the same environment. They commented that Reed apparently got on quite well with Connie Nielsen and Joaquin Phoenix. Crowe said that Reed was much more gentle with them than he was with him. Scott and Crowe did not express an opinion about Reed's performance. I thought Oliver Reed's last performance was excellent and a real tribute to his career, despite his off camera difficulties.

I was pleased that both men thought quite highly of Connie Nielsen's talents. Scott said she should have been cast as Helen of Troy. In fact, he said, there were quite a few roles that have come up since Gladiator that would have been perfect for her but Crowe added that Hollywood seems to be intimidated by a highly intelligent woman that can speak something like seven or nine languages. (She sounds a lot like the real historical Cleopatra!)

They were also both very complimentary about Joaquin Phoenix. I would hope so since I think his scene with Richard Harris, where Commodus bemoans the fact that he never measured up to his father's hopes, was one of the most outstanding scenes in the film. They relate how nervous Phoenix was about playing such an imperious role. He seemed to calm down quite a bit after having a long talk with epic veteran Richard Harris.

Russell Crowe and Richard Harris apparently became pretty close. Crowe related how he received the news of Richard Harris' death just thirty minutes before Crowe was to perform the burial at sea scene where he read the Lord's Prayer in Master and Commander.

HBO's Rome premieres Aug 28

Rome Premieres Sunday, August 28

When two soldiers of Caesar's 13th Legion are ordered into the wilds of Gaul to retrieve their legion's stolen standard -- the unifying symbol of Caesar's legion -- they set off a chain of circumstances that will entwine them in the pivotal events of the world's greatest civilization. Don't miss the intimate drama of love and betrayal, masters and slaves, and husbands and wives that critics are calling the biggest television event of the year! Rome debuts Sunday, August 28 at 9PM.

Now this is worth subscribing to HBO! I took their Pantheon Personality quiz and found my patron Roman god to be Mars the god of war. Oh, my!

Thermopylae's 300 gain a Phantom for a King

GerardButler.Net : "Gerard Butler will star in Warner Bros? adaptation of 300, a graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City) that recounts one of ancient Greece?s best-known military battles.

Warner, returning to the sword-and-sandal action-adventure genre that yielded blockbuster results at the global box office with Troy but more mixed fortunes with Alexander, plans to begin principal photography in Montreal on Oct 17. The studio will distribute 300 worldwide.

Zack Snyder, who recently remade George A Romero?s seminal zombie picture Dawn Of The Dead, will direct.

300 is the true story of how an elite unit of Spartan warriors thwarted the massive Persian army at the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Butler will play the Spartan king Leonidas as he takes on the Persian ?god-king? Xerxes.

In Miller?s blood-spattered interpretation the story culminates with Leonidas, riddled with arrows, exacting revenge on Xerxes with his final dying breath."

I became quite entranced with Gerard Butler when he played the starring role in the USA miniseries "Atilla". I also liked his turn as the time-traveling archaeologist in "Timeline". I just wish the story had been centered on him rather than the weaker character played by Paul Walker. I'm a little skeptical about the studio's statement that the production will feature "hyper-realistic sets" as depicted in the graphic novel but I'm still hopeful about the result.

Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War

Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War Q&A - Introduction - Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War Previews for PC at GameSpot: "Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War is set in the ancient world, and you'll assume the role of some of the greatest leaders in history as you attempt to carve out an empire. Rise & Fall is by no means a traditional real-time strategy game, and it will introduce several innovative new features to the genre.

The truly innovative thing about Rise & Fall is hero command, which will be the key to your civilization's success. A powerful, heroic leader like Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, or Ramses the Great will perform incredible feats on the battlefield. At key, strategic moments in the game, you will leap into action and take personal control of your hero and cut a swath of destruction across the battlefield.

Rise & Fall's single-player game is divided into two full-length, story-driven adventures that take you all over the ancient world. The first chronicles Alexander the Great as he ascends to the Macedonian throne and wages war against his bitter enemies, the Persians. His campaign begins in Greece and then moves to Asia Minor, where you will relive some of Alexander's most famous battles, such as the Battle at Gaugamela and the Siege of Tyre.

The second campaign follows Cleopatra as she struggles to defeat Roman invaders, led by Octavian, who have conquered the northern regions of Egypt. Accompanied by Mark Antony, Cleopatra must fight her way down the Nile and retake Memphis, Cairo, and Alexandria. Although the two campaigns appear to be unrelated, Cleopatra was a direct descendant of Alexander through her Ptolemaic lineage, so there is a direct connection between the two characters and campaigns.

In multiplayer, there will be four playable civilizations--Persia, Greece, Rome, and Egypt. We are carefully balancing each civilization so that it will have its own strengths and weaknesses. The Persians, for example, will be able to field a large army, but their units are a little weaker than the other civilizations."

Empire's Tyrannus was also Riverworld's Nero

One more interesting tidbit about Empire's Tyrannus. I didn't realize it but Jonathan Cake who played Tyrannus played Nero in the Sci-Fi Channel's original production of 'Riverworld'. Now I'm going to have to watch Riverworld again with renewed interest. For those of you who have never heard of Riverworld, it is a production based on a book by Philip Jose Farmer entitled 'To Your Scattered Bodies Go'.

'This novel introduces the setting of 'Riverworld,' a mysterious
planet where the entire human race from all time periods is suddenly a inexplicably `resurrected.' Constructs known as grails provide food and other items for the billions of humans. Who or what created the Riverworld, and why did it reconstruct the whole of the human race? That question hangs over the entire story, as our hero, the legendary Victorian adventurer, Orientalist, anthropoligist, writer, and swordsman Richard Francis Burton, sets out on a quest to locate the masters of Riverworld. He has some interesting companions: a 20th century American, an alien visitor from the last days of Earth, a Neanderthal, the woman who inspired the character of Alice in Wonderland, and...well, Nazi leader Hermann Goering. Burton wants to uncover the secrets of Riverworld, but the entities responsible for it want to find him as well, for he holds a secret that they desperately need.'

In the original book, Hermann Goering is the villain of the piece but in the Sci Fi Channel version, Nero takes center stage - played by Jonathan Cake. It had been a while since I watched the Sci Fi piece so I didn't recognize Jonathan Cake when I watched 'Empire'. I just knew that I liked his performance.

If the Sci Fi Channel people had studied their Roman history, they would have selected Commodus rather than Nero. Nero is portrayed as a skilled swordsman and gladiator-type fighter - not the poet, actor, and lyre player.

Riverworld is also available on DVD.

Spartan: Total Warrior to debut on PS2

GameSpot: "Unlike previous "Total War" titles, this new offshoot will cast you as a lone Spartan warrior fighting alongside Greek forces against the advances of the power-hungry Roman Empire.

Your objective will rarely be a version of 'kill all the enemies to proceed'--rather, each mission will present you with a progression of specific tasks to complete as you cut down the Roman throng. You may be asked to eliminate a series of enemy commanders, then escort a couple of sappers to place explosives at the bases of guard towers, then ignite those explosives to take out the towers and secure the area. Later you juggle several objectives at once, such as preventing Roman troops from breaching the gate , while at the same time firing a series of catapults to take down a massive an approaching walking statue. The game will purportedly be unafraid to make you face multiple objectives at once, which should help to heighten the already frantic pace of the battles."

New Gladiator "Directors Cut" offers spirited Crowe Commentary

Entertainment News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "Crowe makes his debut as a DVD commentator, looking back at the globe-trotting production with his pal and director Ridley Scott. Their talk is spirited and informative, light on Roman history and heavy on location war stories. The men seem to be having a great time, especially when busting on co-star 'Joaq' Phoenix, a nervous Nellie during filming.

Crowe rides Scott about his late-in-the-game decision to have the hero Maximus killed off: 'It's cost us hundreds of millions of dollars. Great idea, mate! We could have been on 'Gladiator 10' by now.'

Scott points out some of the new footage, which adds 17 minutes to the film. 'People who have enjoyed this movie in its short form, they're going to like the hell out of this.'

The new-to-DVD extras sprawl across discs 2 and 3. Among the best is a new documentary that somehow manages not to drag over its three-hour running time. A must-see chapter is 'The Heat of the Battle,' about staging the warfare. It captures Scott making battlefield decisions: 'I need something really brutal. Chop his fucking head off.'

A 25-minute segment covers the curious tale of Oliver Reed, who died three weeks before the end of production. The visual effects team shows how their digital resurrection of the actor averted $26 million in reshoots.

This "extended edition" DVD will be available August 23.

Empire (mini-series)to be released November 29 on DVD

Empire (mini-series): I see that Touchtone has announced the release of the Empire miniseries DVD is slated for November 29.

"The epic TV mini-series EMPIRE, a captivating story set in ancient Rome, is available on DVD for the first time ever on November 29 from Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Touchstone Television. In the tradition of Gladiator and Troy, EMPIRE is a sweeping epic with a thrilling storyline of politics and intrigue. Beginning with the assassination of Julius Caesar, which sends Rome into chaos, this exciting story is filled with the infinite power, greed, action and lust that defined the Roman Empire.

EMPIRE'S powerful and dynamic cast includes James Frain (24) as Brutus, Jonathan Cake (TV's Inconceivable) as Tyrannus, Santiago Cabrera (Haven) as Octavius, Colm Feore Chicago, Pearl Harbor) as Caesar and Vincent Regan (TV's Rescue Me) as Marc Anthony. Dennis Haysbert (24) is Magonius, Fiona Shaw (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) is Fulvia, Michael Byrne (Gangs of New York) is Cicero, Trudie Styler (Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) is Servilia, and Emily Blunt (My Summer of Love) is Camane.

On DVD, EMPIRE will include never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes bonus material for a closer look at this epic production. Available on 2-disc DVD for $29.99 (S.R.P.)."