"Empire" (2005) TV mini-series

Directors:

John Gray
Kim Manners

Writers:

Sara B. Cooper (writer)
Chip Johannessen (writer)

Release Date:

28 June 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History

Plot:

Epic four-hour series about the rise of Octavius who succeeds Julius Caesar and tangles with Marc Anthony for control of the Roman empire and finally went on to become the emperor Augustus.

Plot Keywords:

Julius Caesar | Roman Empire | Assassination | Emperor | Betrayal

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Santiago Cabrera	...	Octavius
Vincent Regan	...	Marc Antony
Emily Blunt	...	Camane
James Frain	...	Brutus
Jonathan Cake	...	Tyrannus
Christopher Egan	...	Agrippa (2005) (2005) (as Chris Egan)
Michael Maloney	...	Cassius
Fiona Shaw	...	Fulvia
Colm Feore	...	Caesar
Michael Byrne	...	Cicero
Orla Brady	...	Atia
Trudie Styler	...	Servilia
Graham McTavish	...	General Rapax
Dennis Haysbert	...	Magonius
Amanda Root	...	Noella

Runtime:

360 min (including commercials) (6 parts) | Finland:236 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | USA:TV-14 | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Storyline Entertainment

Trivia:

Victor Garber was the original casting choice for the role of Julius Caesar, but had to bow out, shortly before the show went into production.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the final battle between Antony's and Octavius's armies, Tyranus removes two silver emblems from his chest to denounce Antony and fight for Octavius. In the next shot, they are there again. Later, they disappear once more.

Quotes:

Octavius: I promise not to speak of politics if you don't speak of gardening.

Movie Connections:

Version of Imperium: Augustus (2003) (TV)

Roman-style soap opera

After all the teasers, I watched the pilot & found it typically Disneyfied. It takes historical characters of late first century BCE and early 1st century CE and weaves a majestic tapestry of fabrication. It then hangs it on a few pegs of historical truth and expects you to swallow the whole story as fact, when it's mostly fiction. Some of this lack of fidelity to history has been pointed out by others already, so I shall not belabor the point. Having the adequate & comely Santiago Cabrera play Octavian or Octavianus, NOT Octavius! is a stretch. The future first emperor of Rome was 18 not 28 in 44 BCE. Given the state of cultural/historical illiteracy today, I am not surprised by 'Empire.' Afterall, it's Disney/ABC and not the History channel or PBS.