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
Product Description: Dramatization of the reigns of the first four Julio-Claudian emperors of Rome as seen through the eyes of the fourth, the emperor Claudius, who was considered a most unpromising youth, yet survived the political dangers of decades to become a wise and jus Genre: Feature Film-Drama Rating: NR Release Date: 21-AUG-2007 Media Type: DVD
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.
I, Claudius I, Claudius is a very well done DVD regarding the history of Rome. It is chilling to see the depth of corruption and how power corrupts. Amazingly well done with great acting. I highly recommend it.
Hubby's Anniversary Present I had the entire PBS series on vhs for my husband. But they have gone the way of worn out things. I found the series on dvd and gave it to him for our 35th anniversary. He thoroughly enjoyed the series when it first aired, but since he worked nights could not view it. Thus the vhs tapes. Now he can watch the entire series at his leisure. He is enjoying it again. This is historic drama at its best. Derek Jacobi at his best too. He is one of my favorite British actors in I, Claudius and The Cadfael Mysteries also.
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