Starring: Derek Jacobi, Siân Phillips, Brian Blessed, George Baker, John Hurt Directed By: Herbert Wise Average Rating: Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: VHS Tape Format: Box set, Collector's Edition, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC Label: 20th Century Fox Number of Items: 7 Release Date: October 09, 2001 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
Rulers of Rome: the Good and the Evil This series is a fascinating look at the tremendous heights of empirical glory and despotism that kicked off the Roman Empire. From the brilliant government of Augustus to the mad and criminal excesses of Caligula the early years of the Roman Empire are brought to life in brilliant detail and color through the eyes of the wretched Claudius. Ignored, ridiculed and despised for his limp and his stutter, he witnesses and records the vast web of power, murder, ambition, intrigue and madness that engulfs Rome's royal family. Although not as visually colorful or explicit as HBO's ROME, I Claudius does not disappoint. The acting is superb; Derek Jacobi and John Hurt in particular are brilliant as the best and worst of the Claudian dynasty. I, Claudius is definitive proof that stellar writing and acting can override any deficiencies in budget. This series is the perfect meeting of History Channel and tabloid.
The best historical mini-series I have ever seen Without a doubt, for an in-depth fictional portrait of another era, this mini-series more or less sets the standard. The acting is uniformly excellent, but the depth of character, placed in context without cheap TV-style simplification, has not yet been equalled in my viewing. I will certainly watch it with my kids and discuss the details for hours and hours.
As with all historical fiction, this version fills in a lot of gaps that we will never know, making events more dramatic or directed by malevolent intelligence, but it is an interpretation that is entirely plausible. This is the artist's license, and Graves was such a scholar that we can trust it. Moreover, it never crosses the line in melodrama or the maudlin.
The story takes place at the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar is gone, and after a power struggle, Octavian (soon renamed Augustus) has emerged with his hands firmly on the reigns of power. It is one of those watershed moments, in which an entire new way of governance is invented. While not quite an hereditary monarchy, the Roman Emperor must designate an heir to his absolute power, which resides in the hands of two linked families: the Julians and the Claudians. Who will succeed Augustus is the crux of the story. Claudius, deformed, stuttering, and apparently feeble-minded, appears as the least likely successor. However, the candidates around Augustus keep dying in mysterious ways. Then when successors are chosen, they lack not only the moderation of the conservative Augustus, but lack his truly masterful political instinct of maintaining certain social balances. The result is drift, unimaginable autocratic cruelty, and the final destruction of the old oligarchic ruling classes, paving the way for an entirely new class of politicians to arise. Amidst the most brutal manipulation and machination, Claudius finally has his turn, with very surprising results. It is a wonderful study in absolute power and its corrupting influence.
Many reviewers have criticized the copy. Upon viewing it, I must say that it is fine. The problem is that it was shot in the mid-1970s, which was a less technically adept time, and as a BBC production, it is lower budget that current viewers expect. Sure, some of the effects look chinsey, but the drama is so overpoweringly excellent that I cannot fault this.
Warmly recommended. As a classics major, this brings what I studied to life, deepening my fascination with that vanished world. For a general audience, this version can create an interest that will last a lifetime. It is absolutely first rate.
do not buy this The irony is that I rented this based on high recommendations from Amazon, so I feel I should say this as a warning. There are plenty of negative reviews for the DVD quality, but few of those recognize that the quality of the original series is low to begin with. My wife is a TV producer and was apalled at the low-budget look of this, especially the sound. We had it turned up over twice the volume we usually use, and it's not the transfer. They probably used one microphone for the whole room, so if someone walks away from the camera (as they often do in soap-opera style directing) his voice will trail off. We literally gave up on the whole series 20 minutes into the first episode. Not just because of the poor quality, but also the whole look of it is very "70s BBC." Older British television has a very distinct look, which makes it unwatchable by today's standards. The camera angles are either one or two wide shots, and the expected close-up, revealing layers of pancake make-up and 70's hairstyles. At no time was I convinced that I was watching a scene from ancient Rome, which was (painfully) obviously a BBC sound stage. I won't criticize the acting, because this is a theatrical costume drama and any vapid soap-opera dialogue is par for the course. Please don't buy into the 5-star reviews deeming this a "classic." It may have been great in its own time, but it does not hold up to today's standards in production or video quality in any way.
muffled on old tv i also noticed the muffled audio however when played on my newer dvd/tv is comes in very clear.
The Best TV series I Claudius is one of the best, if not the best TV series ever made. BBC productions nailed this one on the head. Even my kids, just teens, love to have 'I Claudius' marathons.
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