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Ancient Rome: the Rise and Fall of an Empire
#76
I am a bit late to this conversation -- my apologies.

Just saw the episode on the Jewish Revolt and was amazingly surprised by how entertaining it was, although one hour hardly does justice to the topic. Much of it seemed like a Reader's Digest version of a longer film.

It felt a bit like Roman History Lite.

Even so they did seem to get quite a few points correct and, as Kate pointed out, a not too uniform army with a nice mix of armor and helmet types. I did think there were too few centurions about, but did see more of them near the end of the episode.

This is a topic that deserves a mini-series of its own and, for that matter, a revised board game as well. That old war horse from Avalon Hill could use a make over though it is still fun to play.

:wink:

Narukami
David Reinke
Burbank CA
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#77
Quote:Well, I understand it if they had to cut out something. I mean, the show would have lasted all evening! But I agree with you they left out important parts. I for one would have liked to see more of the York episode and later wars.

They would need two hours at least to make a decent sketch of his entire reign.

Quote:They should have chosen a confident man, arrogant even. This was a religious zealot.

That would've been better. He seemed so aloof when he should look always in control, like you said - "confident".

Quote:Yes, it was my favourite too, better at least than the last one, which was disappointing.
They always seem to go for the drama instead of the history. But it was the same thing when the BBC did a series on the emperors a few years ago: several of the early ones, then Constantine, then Justinian.

I have that series of the Emperors and I think it was better in the sense that they managed to cover more ground for each ruler. But of course there were no actors like in this new series which I guess could be termed a "docu-drama" ? The older series made a better choice in picking Emperors, IMO. They rightfully didn't end or dwell on the various 5th century sackings of Rome. Rome was reclaimed by the Eastern Empire for several decades afterward.

Quote:And very nicely recreated, I must say!

Really ? Can the same be said of anything else you saw? (e.g. Spathae, armor, shields ? )

Quote:Very nice. They look like short arrows with a lead ball attached, but they’re getting there. At least yet another leap in movie history!!!

I thought Lucius Metellus was supposed to be making some replicas, but he seems to have disappeared :?

Quote:Can you also capture the scene where that soldier kills someone with a plumbata?

It was tough because the action was so fast, so when I try to take stills some come out blurry. I managed to get these though :

In mid-flight :
[Image: plumbata_mid_flight.jpg]

Dead :
[Image: kill.jpg]

More Dracos:
[Image: Dracos3.jpg]

Vale.

Theo
Jaime
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#78
Quote:
Vortigern (on the Dracos):3i4f8rm4 Wrote:And very nicely recreated, I must say!
Really ? Can the same be said of anything else you saw? (e.g. Spathae, armor, shields ? )
I thought Lucius Metellus was supposed to be making some replicas, but he seems to have disappeared :?

Lucius - yes, I fear he's in the sandbox, hopefully he'll return to us someday.
as to gear, yes:
spathae looked fine for what I could see, all had long hamatas, shields were the best, oval/round and what's best -
they were dished!
[Image: LRARMY.jpg]
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
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#79
I saw the Fall of Rome episode on video last week and I liked it! Yes, it was low on action, it got the Goths all muddled with their 'trek for a homeland' Cry BUT, I saw poor old Stilicho in the church, cut down by Honorous' troops, you saw an uncertain youthful Honorius pushed by his advisors ... the rogue general had stupid armour, though.

Alaric did not look like the hard-bitten, power-hungry, ruthless barbarian warlord I had come to expect.

Gallia Placida. Lovely.

Costumes - hit and miss.

Again, a worthy attempt, but not hitting as close to the mark as the Constantine episode.

Thanks, Theo for those stills. Nice to see them again. I was impressed with the level of effort put in. As I have said before, we are the re-enactors, we recreate exact copies of orginal artefacts for testing; TV companies do not, they try to replicate an era, a mood, something more intangible - yes, even when filming a docu-drama.

In a media-soaked world where everything seems to be a damn remake, I'm glad some producer has the balls to go out and make something different, something new.

Its the 'cache' of something familiar that was the reason the series began with Nero. Quo Vadis and I, Claudius have made this figure famous. After old Julius himself, probably the most famous Roman emperor to the modern day viewer. Starting with the familiar and going to the unfamiliar was a good move.

It wouldn't surprise me if Spartacus and 300 Spartans was being remade, just as Gladiator was a remake of Ben Hur (with fighting, not chariots). These TV/movie producers - they're cowards!

Sorry. Was that a rant?! :oops:
~ Paul Elliott

The Last Legionary
This book details the lives of Late Roman legionaries garrisoned in Britain in 400AD. It covers everything from battle to rations, camp duties to clothing.
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#80
Quote:spathae looked fine for what I could see, all had long hamatas, shields were the best, oval/round and what's best -
they were dished!

I know, dished Confusedhock: I wonder where they got them. The spathe were very familiar looking :wink:

[Image: Barbarians.jpg]


Quote:Gallia Placida. Lovely.

Costumes - hit and miss.

I don't remember seeing Placidia. She was prominent in the TV movie 'Attila' though.

Quote:Thanks, Theo for those stills.

Sure. Here are some more from the final episode :

Boy-emperor :
[Image: Honorius.jpg]

Advisors :
[Image: Council2.jpg]

Quote:In a media-soaked world where everything seems to be a damn remake, I'm glad some producer has the balls to go out and make something different, something new

Yes, I feel the same. I believe something is in the works for a movie on Constantine. Nothing with a big budget but I remember reading parts would be filmed in Bulgaria.

Quote:Its the 'cache' of something familiar that was the reason the series began with Nero.

They could've shown Nero in the context of Vespasian rise to power. That way more ground could've been covered.



Theo
Jaime
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#81
Ahh :!: Goths :!:

[Image: Goths.jpg]

Gothic hordes :!: Their shields shouldn't be round though. They had a unique shape judging from the modern artwork I've seen.

[Image: Gothicarmy.jpg]
Jaime
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#82
I haven't seen this series yet, but it just came out in the U.S. under the tile "Battle of Rome" or some such. My question: Were the BBC episodes only 1 hour long as well and featuring a lot of voice-over (which is what I heard about the U.S. version)? Thanks for any info.
Aka
Christoph
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#83
Quote:Their shields shouldn't be round though. They had a unique shape judging from the modern artwork I've seen.
I have found no ancient confirmation for these odd shapes that you see nowadays. I'd say round or oval, just like the Romans and the other Germanic peoples.
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
Reply
#84
Quote:My question: Were the BBC episodes only 1 hour long as well and featuring a lot of voice-over (which is what I heard about the U.S. version)? Thanks for any info.
Yes, they were an hour long (but without any interpsacing commercials, of course). The voiceover I seem to remember as well.
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
Reply
#85
Thanks, Robert. So I think the US and Brit versions must have been identical.
Aka
Christoph
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