Rome (2005–2007)

A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.

Creators:

Bruno Heller, William J. MacDonald, John Milius

Stars:

Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Polly Walker

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 14 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Kevin McKidd	...	Lucius Vorenus (22 episodes, 2005-2007)
Ray Stevenson	...	Titus Pullo (22 episodes, 2005-2007)
Polly Walker	...	Atia of the Julii (22 episodes, 2005-2007)
Kerry Condon	...	Octavia of the Julii (22 episodes, 2005-2007)
James Purefoy	...	Mark Antony (22 episodes, 2005-2007)
Ian McNeice	...	Newsreader (20 episodes, 2005-2007)
Coral Amiga	...	Vorena the Elder (19 episodes, 2005-2007)
Lindsay Duncan	...	Servilia of the Junii (18 episodes, 2005-2007)
Lidia Biondi	...	Merula (18 episodes, 2005-2007)
Tobias Menzies	...	Marcus Junius Brutus (17 episodes, 2005-2007)
Nicholas Woodeson	...	Posca (17 episodes, 2005-2007)
Indira Varma	...	Niobe (15 episodes, 2005-2007)
David Bamber	...	Marcus Tullius Cicero (15 episodes, 2005-2007)
Chiara Mastalli	...	Eirene (15 episodes, 2005-2007)
Manfredi Aliquo	...	Castor (15 episodes, 2005-2007)
Suzanne Bertish	...	Eleni (14 episodes, 2005-2007)
Max Pirkis	...	Gaius Octavian (13 episodes, 2005-2007)
Lee Boardman	...	Timon (13 episodes, 2005-2007)
Esther Hall	...	Lyde (13 episodes, 2005-2007)
Ciarán Hinds	...	Gaius Julius Caesar (13 episodes, 2005-2007)
Anna Fausta Primiano	...	Vorena the Younger (12 episodes, 2005-2007)
Michael Nardone	...	Mascius (10 episodes, 2005-2007)

Storyline

In this British historical drama, the turbulent transition from Roman republic to autocratic empire, which changed world history through civil war and wars of conquest, is sketched both from the aristocratic viewpoint of Julius Caesar, his family, his adopted successor Octavian Augustus, and their political allies and adversaries, and from the politically naive viewpoint of a few ordinary Romans, notably the soldiers Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo and their families.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | civil war | roman salute | eroticism | roman empire | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | Romance | War

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk] HBO [us]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Roma

Filming Locations:

Boyana Film Studios, Sofia, Bulgaria

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

HD Vision Studios, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 90 min (1 episode) 50 min (9 episodes) 52 min (22 episodes) 60 min (12 Episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The series' armor, helmets, and other metal costume elements were handcrafted by metal designer Luca Giampaoli. He handmade all metal costume elements for the principal actors, although "mass-produced" items (such a legionary armor) was replicated by metalwork companies in India.

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Goofs

The Romans did not practice circumcision.

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Quotes

Servilia of the Junii: Gods of the Junii, with this offering I ask you to summon Tyche, Megaera, and Nemesis so that they may witness this curse. By the spirits of my ancestors I curse Gaius Julius Caesar. Let his penis shrink. Let his bones crack. Let him see his legionnaires drown in their own blood. Gods of the Junii, I offer to you his limbs, his mouth, his breath, his speech, his hands, his heart, his stomach. Gods of the Inferno, let me see him suffer deeply, and I will rejoice and sacrifice to you.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.97 (2006)

User Reviews

Excellent production

After seeing the first episode, the show promises to be an excellent production showing the civilization and intrigue of the Rome of Julius Caesar. We can't place our own moral code on these characters. They had their own, and are shown living it. When your life depended upon position and knowledge, you did everything you could to put yourself in the best position possible. In an "about the show" program that I saw about "Rome", the actress who plays Atia says that she doesn't feel her character is evil. The character is doing what she has to in order to keep her position and stay alive in that time. Life was hard, and so one didn't have the luxury of being soft.

To those who complain about the accents, so what? Why would someone from ancient Rome speak with an Italian accent? Language and dialect evolve over time. Who knows what an ancient Roman accent sounded like? They aren't Italians speaking in English, they are Romans speaking their own Latin dialect. Latin is not Italian. Just ask my old High School Latin teacher. We just happen to have the movie magic version of a Universal Translator, so we can understand them.

The sets are perfect, showing a bustling city, full of activity. To those who complain about them, they have to remember that the ruins of ancient Rome that we see today have been scoured clean by the progression of time. The filmmakers felt that ancient Rome would have been more like Bombay, India, and I tend to agree with them.

The series shows life as it was in those days. I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops further.