HBO\'s "Rome" to present more realistic look at the

[Robert Vermaat]

The airing of the series on the BBC is already making waves: [url:20ccpv47]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4361038.stm[/url]
"We're showing Rome the way it was," added James Purefoy, who plays an ambitious and sexually promiscuous Mark Antony.
The British actor's attitudes do not extend to letting his eight-year-old son stay up after the watershed to see his father in action.
"It's too violent, the sex scenes are too graphic, and it's on after 2100," he told the BBC News website.
"I'd let him watch it when he's 12 or 13, when he's a bit more comfortable about sexuality and stuff."

[Niedel]

Caesar was notoriously infertile, she desperately needed to cement an alliance with him and, who'd've thunk it, she goes and presents him with a healthy son. Awfully convenient, if you ask me.

I agree in general. But didn't Caesar have a daughter, Julia? So I guess he wasn't THAT infertile...
Just thought the way they solved the whole thing in the last episode was so over the top. I enjoyed it for its humor, but the last episode definitely crossed the border to campy a bit too much for me.

(edited for typo)

[Tasciavanous]

Poor old Cleo - always getting a hard time in the movies...

err. was that an intentional pun

[Tasciavanous]

I'm looking forward to HBO's Rome showing on the beeb the video is now set and ready for November 2nd.

[Crispvs]

"I agree in general. But didn't Caesar have a daughter, Julia? So I guess he wasn't THAT infertile... "

Wasn't there also a rumour that he was the real father of Decimus Brutus as well?

Crispvs

[Antonius Lucretius]

Queen Cleopatra bore Caesar's son, named Caesarion.
For obvious reasons ("Insociabile regnum") he was was killed after the suicide of his mother following her defeat by Octavian (future Augustus) in 31 BC.

[Nathan Ross]

Quote:
Poor old Cleo - always getting a hard time in the movies...


err. was that an intentional pun

:twisted:

Wasn't there also a rumour that he was the real father of Decimus Brutus as well?

It was suggested, by Suetonius amongst others, that C. Junius Brutus (of 'you too, my son?' fame) might have been the actual son of Caesar, who is known to have had an affair with his mother Servilia. Actually Caesar would have been about 15 at the time of Brutus' birth, making this unlikely. Caesar is, however, also alleged to have got together with Sempronia, charmingly described by Sallust in 'Catalina' as not exactly a paragon of virtue (tho good at dancing), who was indeed the mother of Decimus Brutus - the possibility of Decimus and not the more famous Caius being Caesar's son has, I think, been suggested by a few recent novelists, but not in historical sources.

[Praefectusclassis]

C. Junius Brutus

That would be Marcus Junius Brutus, actually.

[john m roberts]

Caesar was infertile in the only sense important to Romans (or to almost any other culture prior to modern times): he had no living son. Daughters didn't count for much, and after at least three marriages we know about, he must have looked like pretty much a hopeless case to his contemporaries. Knowing (or at least thinking) that he had a son by Cleopatra must have boosted his morale, but he knew that the Romans would never accept the son of a foreign queen as consular material, and he adopted Octavian in his will, which as far as I know never mentioned Caesarion. That didn't save him, though. Octavian knew better than to leave alive any rival who might claim Caesar's mantle (as he had).

[Niedel]

I agree, it's always a possibility. But then I doubt that Cleopatra would have just grabbed the first horny roman legionary coming her way ;-) )
[Thread hijack on] Love your books, btw, have read them all (even SPQR I when it only was out in German) until The River God's Vengeance, which is lying on my desk as I type. I can't believe how fortunate it is to have people like you and Simon Scarrow on this board. [Hijack off]

So what do you think overall about the series so far, considering you've extensively studied the period? I really enjoyed some of the episodes, the Rome set looks phantastic, and the actors are doing a good job. Would have wished to see a bit more military stuff, especially the Pharsalus episode "battle scene" was extremely weak, after all the buildup. And I wish they had used at least a bit more CGI imaging to show Alexandria how it might have looked instead of a sandy desert place with broken colossuses lying around. But all in all, it's good entertainment. Some reviewer called it "I Claudius on steroids" which is pretty accurate, IMO.

[Nathan Ross]

That would be Marcus Junius Brutus, actually.

It would indeed! :oops: - sorry, I should have checked it before writing!

[hansvl]

Hi guys,

The BBC doesn't even have the european première for the series! Starting this monday 31 october, CANVAS (Flemish public television) will kick off at 10 pm with the first episode.

For those who can actually receive this channel (of course we Belgians, but perhaps also our Dutch friends), check out:
[url:3ivtjc72]http://www.canvas.be/canvas_master/programmas/rome/c_rome_dezeweek/index.shtml[/url]

Greets,

Hans

[Praefectusclassis]

Oh boy, oh boy! I can get Canvas, tadaa! Uhmm, yeah..

[Uwe Bahr]

Avete,

does anybody know whether it will be shown on German TV some day? :oops: Otherwise I could still try to activate my cousin who is living in Belgium for recording, so many thanks for the news, hansvl.

Uwe

[Tarbicus]

It's an HBO/BBC co-production! Since when did BBC stand for [size=150:1l5fx3z6]Belgian [/size]Broadcasting Corporation? hock: