Imperium: Augustus (2003)

Caesar Augustus tells of how he became the emperor to his reluctant daughter, Julia following the death of her husband Agrippa.

Director:

Roger Young

Writer:

Eric Lerner

Stars:

Peter O'Toole, Charlotte Rampling, Vittoria Belvedere

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter O'Toole	...	Augustus Caesar
Charlotte Rampling	...	Livia Drusilla
Vittoria Belvedere	...	Julia Caesaris
Benjamin Sadler	...	Gaius Octavius / Young Augustus
Ken Duken	...	Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Russell Barr	...	Gaius Maecenas
Juan Diego Botto	...	Iullus Antonius
Martina Stella	...	Young Livia
Valeria D'Obici	...	Atia
Michele Bevilacqua	...	Tiberius
Riccardo De Torrebruna	...	Decimus
Giampiero Judica	...	Scipio
Vanni Materassi	...	Musa
Elena Ballesteros	...	Octavia
Gérard Klein	...	Julius Caesar (as Gerard Klein)

Storyline

In 42 BC Rome is in the middle of a civil war. Together with his friend AGRIPPA, the young Augustus goes to Spain in order to help JULIUS CAESAR in his struggle against the troops of POMPEY. Even though they are outnumbered, they manage to defeat Pompey. Caesar honours his adopted son Augustus with a triumphal entry into Rome and then sends him to Greece together with his friends Agrippa and Maecenas. There, Augustus hears the news of Caesar's assassination and he returns to Rome with his friends. Back in Rome, he is able to gain both the support of the people and political power. In his struggle with the conspirators against Caesar he finds an ally in MARC ANTONY. Marc Antony not only pursues BRUTUS and CASSIUS, he also initiates a wave of executions which practically eliminates the old Roman ruling class. Among those who are killed is the husband of LIVIA DRUSILLA, a woman with whom Augustus had been in love as a young man. Through a combination of good luck and chance, Augustus and...

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Plot Keywords:

grandmother murders grandson | caesar augustus | reference to augustus caesar | reference to augustus | reference to caesar augustus | 

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Taglines:

History will bear the mark of his rule.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some war violence

Details

Country:

Italy Germany France Spain Austria

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 November 2003 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Augustus

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lux Vide, Rai Fiction, EOS Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

200 min 177 min (cut) 161 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As part of the contract deal, the British and Italian companies hired actors and actresses from each of the countries that put money into the making of the film.

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Goofs

When Agrippa, Octavius and Maecenas are hiding in a fish cart, someone taps the side on the cart so they know when to climb out but Agrippa tells Maecenas to hurry before they're seen. As they are climbing out, two crew members can be seen holding the sides still to stop the three men falling over.

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Quotes

Maecenas: Declare war against Cleopatra...
Agrippa: Of course, and Mark Antony will lead his armies against us to protect her.
Maecenas: Clever boy! Is a politician born?

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Connections

Followed by St. Peter (2005)

User Reviews

An interesting variation on a story told many times

I disagree with other reviewers who were quite negative on this production. I quite enjoyed it and will recommend it for anyone interested in classical history. Admittedly, some of the acting was not first-rate, especially among the non native English speaking actors. I had the feeling their lines were dubbed in.

That aside, I liked the way it recounted the life of Augustus in the form of a long conversation with his daughter Julia with flashbacks. Yes, some of the historical details were a bit off. But it's tempting to compare it with other productions such as I Claudius and Cleopatra (the latter played even more loosely with historical fact). This production explored why Augustus, Julia, Livia, and others did what they did.

Others complained it was too long; on the contrary, I would like to have it longer and fill more detail in some of the years in Augustus's life that were not covered or glossed over.

The recreations of the Forum, the Curia, and other locations were the best I've seen. Unlike other productions such as Gladiator, the producers strives for accuracy rather than a Rome of the imagination and exaggeration.