I, Claudius

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2004-04-27 07:24am

Who remembers this phenomenal television miniseries?

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-04-27 07:33am

Me, of course. I started a topic where I nominated it as the best series I had ever seen. Get the DVD set. It has a fantastic ending. On average, I watch it at least once every year (before I got the DVDs I had it on tape).

But- a lot of the less intellectual students in 3-Unit Ancient History (i.e. the advanced type) continue to think it's acceptable to cite the TV series in essays. Tacitus and Sueotnious preferred, please.

The most entertaining character was of course John Hurt as Caligula, but Brian Blessed as Augustus was also great- he was such an amiable, jovial type that you really felt the change in the air when he dies. Special mention goes to a non-bald Patrick Stewart as Sejanus.

Favorite scene from Augustus' reign: when the Eagle drops the wolf cub onto little Claudius, who catches it

Favorite scene from Tiberius' reign: fall of Sejanus

Caligula: the cross-dressing performance scene

Favorite scene from Claudius' reign: Messalina's execution. That psycho bitch got what she deserved.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2004-04-27 08:39am

Vympel wrote:The most entertaining character was of course John Hurt as Caligula, but Brian Blessed as Augustus was also great- he was such an amiable, jovial type that you really felt the change in the air when he dies. Special mention goes to a non-bald Patrick Stewart as Sejanus.

Hard really to pick out the greatest character/actor from that series. Talk about a powerful cast! In addition to Derek Jacobi and the aforementioned Blessed, Stewart, and Hurt, you've also got Sian Phillips, Margaret Tyzack, James Faulkner, George Baker, Patricia Quinn, Fiona Walker, Sheila White, and John Rhys-Davies along with great supporting players to fill out even the minor one-episode characters with memorable performances. One of the most powerful scenes in the whole series was from the opening moments of "Queen Of Heaven", when Isabel Dean as Lollia delivers the terrifying monologue of how she was forced to prostitute herself at one of Tiberius' orgies to save her own daughter and forced to undergo such degredations that she couldn't live with the memory of them —just before she kills herself at the dinner party for her husband before all their friends. She totally dominates the scene and eclipses every other actor in it right up to the moment she plunges the dagger into her own gut.

Favorite scene from Augustus' reign: when the Eagle drops the wolf cub onto little Claudius, who catches it

My own was Livia's wonderful address to the gladiators before the games to honour the memory of her grandson Drusus —whom she had killed, of course:

"Now listen to me. These games are in honour of my grandson Drusus, who's worth more than the lot of you put together, and whose memory will still be praised when all of you are forgotten by your nearest and dearest. You're all scum and you know it, but you have a chance to be something greater for the moment. There's just one thing I want and that's a decent show. There'll be riches and liberties plenty for the winners. But I want to see blood. None of this prancing about and waving swords and no tricks. I know them all. Including the pig's blood in the bladder, I know about that one too. These games are being ruined by the increasing use of professional tricks to stay alive. I'll have none of that. Put on a good show with real death and there'll be reward for the survivors and a decent burial for the rest. And if not, I'll break up this guild and send the lot of you off to the mines of Numidia."

Favorite scene from Tiberius' reign: fall of Sejanus

Brillantly executed, from the reaction on his face as Tiberius' condemnation order was read out in the senate chamber up to the arriflex shot as Macro closed in on him for the death-blow.

Caligula: the cross-dressing performance scene

That, and his rage at the senators who failed to honour his victory over Neptune with a triumph.

Favorite scene from Claudius' reign: Messalina's execution. That psycho bitch got what she deserved.

"Not my head! Not my HEAD—" chulnk

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2004-04-27 08:42am

Yes, though unfortunatly only time I got to see most of it was in Latin class. Extraordinarily enjoyable.

I actually want to get the DVD set.

My dad has the original VHS.

Of the parts I remember...I did enjoy the fall of Sejanus(ah what a name) and durning Claudius...the death of the psycho wench.

Really something I should see again, given how long ago it was

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-04-27 10:07am

"Now listen to me. These games are in honour of my grandson Drusus, who's worth more than the lot of you put together, and whose memory will still be praised when all of you are forgotten by your nearest and dearest. You're all scum and you know it, but you have a chance to be something greater for the moment. There's just one thing I want and that's a decent show. There'll be riches and liberties plenty for the winners. But I want to see blood. None of this prancing about and waving swords and no tricks. I know them all. Including the pig's blood in the bladder, I know about that one too. These games are being ruined by the increasing use of professional tricks to stay alive. I'll have none of that. Put on a good show with real death and there'll be reward for the survivors and a decent burial for the rest. And if not, I'll break up this guild and send the lot of you off to the mines of Numidia."

Actually a pretty good ad lib, but not entirely accurate- once I get my DVD back from a friend, I'll remember to put up the actual monologue

"And if you refuse, I'm to cut off your pretty head, and put it on a spear."

God I love that scene.

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2004-04-27 05:03pm

awesome movie.

caligula as advisor is just lovely.

when he becomes emperor he kind of loses it.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2004-04-27 05:08pm

BTW, I believe that Patrick Stewart was wearing a wig for his portrayal of Sejanus. He'd lost his hair early in life. In The Fall Of Eagles, in which he gives his frighteningly spot-on portrayal of Lenin, he's already down to the side-fringe we're all so familiar seeing him with, and that series was done I think only two years after I, Claudius.

As for Messalina... The impression I got of her was that of a vicious child in a woman's body. She was clever but totally immature, and you notice this when she's plying her love to the noble Appius Silanus and when he refuses her she flashes into rage in an instant, telling him she's the emperor's wife and that "I have only to raise my voice and tear my gown to have you executed on the spot!" —and then afterward still expects him to yield and love her after a day of thinking on this. That's very much how a spoilt child reacts when told "no". She had no consciousness of consequences and, in the end, expected that an "I'm sorry" to Claudius would somehow make everything right again. That also is like a child.

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-04-28 08:32am

Totally agree- what clinched it for me was the reaction after she learned what would happen to Silanus after the attempt on Claudiuss life. Once she heard "he must die, Caesar", she went into rabid hysterics- and then promptly found another young Senator to shower with attention.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-04-28 10:38am

I need to see this, was hoping to see it in my classics class at school but they never got around to it.

I'll just add that to my series to get on DVD along with The Prisoner.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2004-04-28 07:44pm

You won't be sorry. I, Claudius is one of the very few television shows I could recommend to anyone to buy sight unseen.