One of the things I always loved about Rome was the herald. Sun or rain, hot or cold, that guy was out there, sponsored by the Cataline Brotherhood of Millers. They use only the finest flour, true bread, for true Romans.
Absolutely! “Mockery of the Jews and their ONE god, will be kept to the appropriate minimum.” Such a brilliant line showing what a multi-god culture was like. Interesting.
For real the next emperors would have been so fucking crazy to see episodes about. Tiberius: straight up crazy. Tossing people off cliffs, starving Augustus's only daughter to death and also starving Caligula's brothers to death. Caligula: straight up crazy. Claudius: underestimated by everyone, ends up conquering Britain where Julius failed. Nero: straight up crazy. Burning Christians alive, Nero suicide and construction of the Colosseum where his palace once stood. Pompeii eruption during Titus. There was so much good TV worthy history in those decades after the end of the series.
There's still a chance that there might be another series in the future - the actors who portrayed the original characters (who were still alive) haven't aged that much.
Rome's creator Bruno Heller said that he had every intention of expanding the show for 5 consecutive Seasons. -Season 01 was to be about Julius Caesar's rise and fall. -Season 02 was to be about Marc Antony running the Republic and Octavian bonding with Agrippa. It would've concluded with the death of Brutus and the formation of the Second Triumvirate. -Season 03 was to be entirely about the Second Triumvirate with Simon Woods' Octavian and James Purefoy's Marc Antony having more screen time. It would've concluded with Marc Antony's departure from Rome to Egypt. -Season 04 was to be about Marc Antony's demise and Octavian's rise to power as Caesar Augustus. It would've ended with Octavian assuming total control of Rome and it's Provinces essentially forming the Roman Empire. -Season 05 was to be about how Augustus ruled as Imperator and most importantly his interactions with Judea and Herod (you can clearly see the show was building up to this when Herod made an appearance in Season 02). The season was essentially gonna be the final season and it was to end with Augustus passing away and the rise of the Messiah. Bruno Heller said he had written the necessary parameters and while he was filling the narrative cavities of Season 02, HBO called him up and said that it was to be the last season. So Bruno had to compress the entire storyline into one season. HBO really fucked up on this one.
It had to be a decision from the beginning of filming cause otherwise why would you kill Caesar off in season 1? They messed up big time though, probably just didn't have the budget to justify a slower show. Hope they consider and do a new series about the Caesars.
I've been going through it just now, during lockdown time. Just as fresh and enjoyable as the first 10 times... That's what a well-done piece of art can do. You can get as much joy looking at the same painting or sculpture or listening to the same symphony time after time.
The casting of Brutus and Antony were top notch. Menzies always does a stellar job of portraying flawed characters. And Purefoy basically made that role his own. Something about the way he smiled made my insides turn in nausea. Up to this day, I can't hear the name "Caesar" without picturing Ciaran Hinds.
@@gustavocardosomoreir unfortunately, most of the world has adopted the Brits-as-Romans/Greeks trope when it comes to media in the English language. Kinda how even though we know dinosaurs had feathers, people prefer to see them in movies as scaly lizards ever since Jurrasic Park. Its not historically accurate, but its what sells.
Or at least change a little from the stereotype of caucasians. That's why I'm always pleasantly surprised, if not a bit unconfortable at first, when I see all black remakings of classics.
Scorsese was trying to make a series about the life of Julius Caesar a couple years back. I hope he still has a passion for that project because he's the perfect creator to bring that story to life imo
I agree! but I think there were a lot of mis-casts including caesar I couldn't even finish the first season. I think the timeline would be perfect for a long running tv series done better, theres certainly enough source material.
@@lednails I always imagined that you would have to have an incredible amount of charisma to get away with the shit caesar got away with. I didn't see that on the show.
The young Octavian was perfectly cast and portrayed: the arrogance, the willingness to take risks, the total forgetting of his place (he was, despite his name, the youngest, least experienced and perhaps most importantly least connected member of the Second Triumvirate). He was, as Antony called him, a boy who owes everything to a name. The fact that this had to be condensed to the extent that it was does make me hanker for a revival of this series with a worthy budget. A fine set of videos, HB.
Remind me again...who won in the end?...where you see arrogance I see confidence, pragmatism, brutal honesty and a ruthless cunning...Caesar could obviously see how competent and ambitious Augustus was and that he'd make a worthy heir which is why he gave him his name and fortune. You are right about one thing though...he was perfectly cast by the show and incredibly well acted by both the actors who played him.
Others might have thought that of him, but Octavian was one of the most brilliant, best emperors in all of human history. He knew his flaws and that's why he had Agrippa for military matters and other around him. If you can't delegate, you won't rule for long. Like Saddam Hussein. Stalin knew how to delegate, after he got rid of anyone who opposed him which he was very smart to do. And before you start yammering at me, I know the Russians and the people and their history!
He wasn't just a boy with a name, he also inherited ALL of Julius's vast fortune, the largest fortune in the known world. Thus, at his majority, he would have been the richest man in the world. Think Elon Musk Caesar without the ADD. That's why his coniving mother and Tony "Sexaddict" Anthony wanted to steal that money. I imagine drunken Tony on a couch HAD to commit suicide because he knew what was waiting for him.
i had no idea more people loved Rome as much as i did. for years i would tell people watch it to no avail. they instead preferred Spartacus and then Game of Thrones. Rome for me is one of my favorite series of all time. Even after watching it it more than 10 times through over the years it keeps my attention.
I think people would only enjoy Rome if they knew some historical context of the history of Rome leading upto the events the show did. Imagine watching the first episode having no idea what a Pleb, Patrician, Consul, Prater is. How Rome came to be at his point. Or how important the conquest of Gaul was at the time. I see how people watched ep 1 and got turned off from it straightaway
When you consider how the writers were forced to condense years' worth of material into a single season, it's a credit to them that Season 2 is as good as it is.
URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT: Based on the slow growth of this video and people telling me they're being unsubscribed by RUclips without wanting to. I'm worried that those of you who are here won't be notified in the future when I post a video. If you click on that notification bell and ask to be emailed whenever I post a video, that seems to be the only way you will stay notified. If you don't hear anything from me, just check in once a month and see if I posted a new video. Thanks!
Giving a like to all your videos seems to work too. I'm notified very quickly, and it doesn't even matter, that I wait to watch whenever I have the time to really enjoy it. Sorry, but this bell thing annoys me way too much. I'd rather "spam" likes, which is easy enough, because I'd do it anyway.
Large scale battle scenes are always boring as shit to me. I'd rather have 3 seconds of battle scenes than the full episode battle scenes so many drama shows like to have
@@kmdn1This. I always prefer the characters and political intrigue. Game of Thrones best stuff was also just characters talking and having political meetings
The last episode was still great. The hopelessness of Antony and Cleopatra and how the debauchery all around the palace fed into that was probably the peak of the show for me. Antony's actor James Purefoy did a great job, especially when he reacted to Cleopatra's death. The show did great for what it was given. "-I'd rather eat my own children than surrender to him. -We could escape by night, in disguise. We could go south.. and... -...And hide, under bushes, like hunted animals? No... no. I cannot. -I will be guided by you, naturally, if you think there is some other path available to us. -Death? Death is available to us... -Use some military trick, some clever ruse to turn this around. You're so good at that kind of thing... -Piss and blood woman. I'm a soldier. Not a damned magician. Look around us. Whores. Hermaphrodites. And Lickspiddles. This is our army now. This is all we have left..." That whole scene was amazing, for some reason is touched me.
I understand what u mean. To me he realizes he's fucked it all up and is a joke at this point but loves Cleopatra and realizes trying to be on top brought him to this and right before on the boat after the battle he realizes he's been afraid of losing but now realizes it was all stupid and he likes just living. He basically becomes enlightened but it comes way too late
literally just finished the series yesterday and you’re right… this whole episode and especially that scene completely floored me. was really sad when i found out that was the last episode because I didn’t look and thought both seasons were 12 episodes! 😭
@@Mobysimo Joffrey was a classic sadist and narcissist. Entirely full of himself; but thought he was the greatest thing in the world. It's not an insult to say that Octavian's actual character, is what Joffrey thought of himself. It's highly complimentary. Read it another way: Octavian IS what Joffery only thinks he is. (A great ruler, and a true king) To Lars Lund Andersen - Tell me they gave that nickmame it's own section. To Herr Heroin - Now, don't lay an egg, but here I thought he was a salad.
No, Joffrey was more inspired by Caligula and Commodus, Jack Gleeson even mentioned he was inspired by Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Commodus in Gladiator to play Joffrey
But when the winter comes, the white walkers with it, still I always wanted to know how real life empires and republics would react to this supernatural event, what's your answer.
And then he founded my hometown, the city of Augusta Vindelicorum, capital of the roman provence of Raetia. Today known as Augsburg. Besieged by the swedes and the hungarians, bombed and burned by the allies and still standing after 2034 years.
@Gregory Smith After Napoleon came back from his first exile, something amazing happened. The king of France sent troops after troops to kill him, and the troops just join him on his indisputable march to Paris. You cannot be more popular than that!
@Gregory Smith It's easy to think about him as a villain, due to the massive deaths of his conquests and his dictatorial regime, but we have to notice that literally everyone lived in a dictatorship (mostly monarchies), and at least his people and military loved him so much. In my country (Spain) Napoleon is easy seeing as a traitorous bastard, because he conquered the nation by, well, treason, and imposed his own brother as king, which the Spanish people fought against so much with guerrilla tactics that the term "guerrilla" actually comes from the Spanish language.
Soon as I saw the equality and depth I knew it was going to be short lived. If it would have been more like a computer game like Spartacus it would have made it.
Sherlock Smuug Game of Thrones has turned into garbage because the directors suck. They can't produce anything remotely nice without the guidance of George R R Martin.
Honestly, I agree. The endless amount of drama and action alone is worth millions in revenue; and above all it's based on true events. I love GOT but Rome would be far more relatable, since history teaches us many lessons... what better way than a cinematic remake.
Agrippa introduced a new type of ships, the Liburnians, which surpassed Antony's and Cleopatra's triremes. Agrippa was neglected here, but he secured all of Octavian's victories, as general, admiral, and engineer.
Honestly, he’s a huge part in why Octavian was so successful. Octavian never was a very good general or commander, and that’s why Agrippa complimented him perfectly, and was always a loyal friend Octavian could count on (which becomes a huge problem for Rome in the 3rd and 4th centuries)
See I always loved that they never showed Marc Antony speech as such a strange and perfect nod to the fact that the speech was so important, but no one at the time wrote it down. We have no idea what he said. All we have left, are the reactions of the people, the effects of it. Likewise, that is all the show gives us.
I loved how they portrayed this part..the common peoples perspective. That’s all that mattered😂 the “blah blah blah” was spot on! And it emphasized who the people liked and supported at that moment.
Yeah, I get what your saying and in so many ways you are right, but I just see it as such a missed opportunity as Mark Antony was so perfectly cast with James Purefoy and the writing was so brilliant that they could have created a such a memorable and impactful scene.
@@ambermyers1330 I completely agree! I spent the whole episode waiting for that scene and was so disappointment when they skipped it. I think it could have been one of the show's most iconic scenes, on par with Ceaser's murder and Vorenus saving Pullo from the gladiators
Yeah. One of my few criticisms of the show is how Cicero was written. The actor was perfect, but the script had one of the bravest Roman politicians in history depicted as a craven coward. This is the man who single-handedly put down the Catiline conspiracy, for God's sake!
I've been reading a nice fiction set in Rome's republic were the protagonist meets Cicero being hired by him, in essentially the beginning of his career, and his first case. Loving it. Also consider sad that they showed nothing of the Catiline Conspiracy, though I think deeds done in words, "as Cicero did", don't translate easily to the screen.
@@peabody314 One of the bravest Roman politicians? Are you sure? I think I would choose Cincinnatus, the ideal Roman dictator. (And the man I hope Ceasar would have been)
@@gustavocardosomoreir What's the series you're referencing? Because off the top of my head I can only think of the Marcus Didius Falco and Flavia Albia Mysteries series by Lindsay Davies and I'm pretty sure that's not it
Can we please just give it to Tobias Menzies used to excellent effect in this and the terror and wasted in game of thrones. The man is a living legend. What a wonderful performer.
Which sucks because he would be perfect as book Edmure Tully, not the version we got in the Thrones show. As other comments have said, he’s wonderful in The Crown as well
There isn't a single bad actor in ROME all of them did a fantastic job in thier role especially James. It's because of his acting now i can imagine what Mark Antonio would behave like in real life.
It makes me sad thinking about Rome. It’s one of my favourite shows but just thinking of what it could have been is depressing. A lot of comments have already said it and with a lot more detail but I just felt like writing this comment anyway. If only HBO decided to run Game of Thrones and Rome at the same time with huge budgets. :(
@@julioacceus253 Westworld isn't half the show Rome was. They don't even compare. One is based on some of the most interesting times in history. The other show is about some dumb robots and people saying pretentious things.
@@WhoopsieDayZ West World is a convoluted sack of shit. The writers intentionally tried to make it hard to follow thinking they were being clever. They were being twats and made a shitty story.
Rome had shit ratings and even after being released on streaming services their viewing has been abysmal and most people stop watching a few episodes in.
Not to mention, Cleopatra was of Macedonian Greek heritage, Which completely makes the Egyptian apparel that Ptolemy and Cleopatra are portrayed in inaccurate (Which btw Every single ruler of the Ptolemaic Dynasty except Cleopatra couldn't speak Egyptian)
She did style him with the cognomen Caesar, though, according to Livy. And the Ptolemids knew well how to navigate a liminal space between the Hellenic world and Egyptian tradition. There is absolutely no reason they would not have clad themselves in Egyptian apparel, which is in fact reported (and mocked) by many of the Roman sources.
"9 months after their first meeting, Cleopatra gave birth to a baby boy, whom they named Caesarion; Little Caesar" So you're telling me the pizza franchise should really be named Caesarion's?
Rome had to walk to GOT could fly!. That dude on the bar. The one they got instead the speech… He sounds more like Belfast British accent than any given Roman or greek citizen.
Marc Antony, Ray Stevenson (himself), Tyrion, Robert and Ned, Jax Teller and Clay Morrow (SOA) and Vick Mackey and Shane (The Shield) are all those extra special actors that make these shows incredible...and there are great characters on those shows but these really stand out
Rome: We need money to make three more seasons. HBO: Naw, haven't got that money. *Years later* HBO: GOT guys, we can do like 12 seasons if you want, man, you can take your time DandD: Naw let's just wrap it up and nuke everything
This will never not piss me off. Rome had the potential to be an amazing long-run show, but they cut it short before it could really get onto its feet. I’m also of the opinion that everything after season 3 Episode 9 Of GOT, the Red Wedding, is shit that just led up to the disappointing end of GOT.
@@slopcrusher3482 if you stop the show at the red wedding then you don't get Tywin bossing Joffrey around, Joffrey's death, Oberyn defending Tyrion and dying at the hands of the Mountain and Tyrion killing Tywin. Also, didn't most of Arya and The Hound's travels happen after the red wedding?
The season two finale is hands down the best acting and writing i have ever seen, the passion of antony and everything else makes it one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen
It had been the best made for television drama I had seen to that point, and I find myself fondly sharing and rewatching it from time to time. Even with it's flaws, it was a magnificent production.
I'm impressed with the casting for Cleopatra; she actually looks pretty similar to the way she's depicted on the coins. It's too bad that the writing was lackluster.
This series was simply brilliant. Being British, our TV shows about Rome are usually set solely around the wealthy, famous figures and have been played by grand theatre actors. I, Claudius, with Derek Jacobi playing Claudius is a prime example of this. Rome showed how sweaty, dirty and violent the real ancient city must have been with the slums, the shoddily built houses and over crowded streets.
Thank you so much for producing such a brilliant commentary on, arguably, one of the greatest historical series ever to grace TV screens. Given the ridiculous amount of money that HBO is now making with Game of Thrones, if I had one wish concerning television, it is that HBO would reinvest that into doing a remake/reboot of Rome, and giving it the proper number of seasons to tell the story as it should be told.
Drake Santiago Borgia is the best historical series. I don't want a reboot, I want to see some other period of rome. Like the first punic war, second punic war, three empires, the fall of nero and rise of Vespesianus, Diocletian, and most of all: the social war.
I would say a series that spans the waning days of the Republic... leading up to the story we all know so well. Gracchi brothers, The rise of both Marius and Sulla, the social war, Mithridatic Wars, and of course Sulla’s reign.
This series still stands. It’s so well-written and entertaining. I do wish there were better battle sequences especially because it’s FASCINATING to dive into the Roman war machine a little. It would have been nice to see Pullo and Vorenus actually fight together and compete for the bravest.
Marlon Brando's performance in that scene is nothing short of perfection, his delivery is brilliant and I love that touch at the end where he can barely keep himself from crying.
@EmperorJuliusCaesar you may not like the character in the show but those news readers were propagandists who swayed the masses you can't downplay the influence they had in real life
After watching all 2 seasons of Rome, I felt sorry for Mark Anthony, with all his loyalty to caesar he never got the Empire and his romance with Cleopatra made it more hard for me to watch both of them die
Caesar trusted Marcus Antonius with holding Rome for him when he went to Iberia and Africa. He did a *terrible* job: incited violence, was corrupt even for Roman senate standards and hurt Caesar's cause a lot. Caesar finally relieved him of his position and instead made Lepidus his administrator who was much more competent and politically smart. To illustrate how hated Antonius was: he made Caesar's enemies in the Senate long for Caesar to return! Marcus Antonius got back into his good graces and was granted another chance for public office only in 44 BC
@@anthonylogiudice2510 I ve read the Phillipics and it was quitte entertaining but you can t believe you know MA just by reading Cicero s smearing him, it is like believing you know someone just by reading a gossip column in the paper. MA was a bizarre mixture of decadence and ambition. He had big flaws but also enough brain and ambition, otherwise how can you explain that he was one of the most powerfull men of Rome for more than a decade? He was a soldier, a middle level politician but still better than most of the politicians of those days. He wasnt just trying to manipulate others like Cicero did. Yes, he fucked up when Caesar let him in charge of Rome but he learned his lessons and, while being the master of the East, he build a network to support his power. He wasnt just a loser like Cicero portraied him. Of course, other figures like Octavian for example never had a detractor that would just write all his shennanigans so Octavian just build exactly the public image that he wanted: young, moral, wise. Pretty sure that behind that facade there were many scenes of weakness, wickidness, cowardness, clumsiness. MA became a decent politician but his missfortune was that his rival was one of the most brilliant and wicked politician ever. Also Octavian had the luck to find Agrippa who filled all his flaws and, of course, to Octavian s credit, he kept that man close. MA fought his battles alone most of the time, one of his biggest mistake was - in my opinion - executing Sextus. With SP on his side, Actium could have been a totally different story.
The dead of Brutus is my favorite moment as well! At first, it was the show of revenge for the acct of Cesar's murdering. They both died on the some way - lonely and surrounded by armed enemies. And from other hand, it is the show of nostalgia for the Roman virtues: He died as real Romans should die - with the bravery and honor. And the Republic died with him.
Fun Fact: Augustus Caesar passed a law stating that senators were not allowed to set foot in the province of Egypt. I suspect he made that law to make sure no senator tried to do what Marc Antony did with Cleopatra before he defeated them both back when he went by Octavian.
KTChamberlain going off of that one of the reasons was because Egypt produced nearly all of Rome’s grain and money, literally a bread basket. So he made sure that the senators could not step in Egypt without the emperors permission, and that the emperor is the only one who can choose who becomes governor. Augustus didn’t want the senate getting a chance or anyone he didn’t trust getting a chance to choke Rome.
He Never went by Octavian. It is only used by Historians. He was Gaius Octavius, then when adopted, he was G. Julius Ceasar. Technically, he could include Octavianus to show his birth family, but you get the idea he didn't insist.
One great thing that the show has is when Octavian's wife told Atia that she should walk first in the triumph parade, Atia spat at her, "I don't give a fuck what the priest say. I won't let a vicious little trollop like you walk ahead of me. I can see you. You're swearing now that someday you'll destroy me. Remember, far better women than you have sworn to do the same. Go and look at them now." Alluding to Servilia and also acknowledging her as the greater character. How nice and Polly Walker is amazing in that.
Octavian did not become emperor of Rome. He was more cautious than that. He insisted on being a Princeps. Not an emperor. Imperator = general of all the armies.
The way the funeral scene was handled--essentially skipping it--was perfect. The low-brow rendition of the two speeches showed how the average Roman felt. Rehashing Shakespeare's Brutus' speech would have been obvious and unnecessary. Those scenes with the plebs are essential to the show's charm.
it castrated Anthony's schlong but what happens after is much more roman thing by trying to burn the city via funeral pyre, at which they threw all of thier stuff and even tried to burn brutus and cassius on the pyre
There are two kinds of historical inaccuracies in Rome that I would differentiate between: 1) Things that certainly didn't happen, because there is evidence against it (e.g. Cleopatra visiting Rome after Caesar's death) 2) Things that aren't based on any evidence, but there is also no evidence against it (e.g. the incest between Octavian and his sister) While the first kind is definitely not appropriate for a historical show, I consider the second kind a legit way to "spice up" the plot and create drama. It's necessary for a show to make things up in order to be more entertaining - otherwise you could just go watch a documentary. However, I really think the writers should have sticked solely with the second kind of inaccuracy. Luckily, they mostly did. The prime example for this are obviously the lifes of Vorenus and Pullo, which we follow throughout the entire show. Their participation worked extremely well in terms of entertainment and also opened ways to show the audience a wider picture of the Roman society and culture, especially the Roman everyday life. Imo, the way they integrated them into the story was the most brilliant decision. Without Vorenus and Pullo, Rome would have been a mediocre show. Instead, it became pretty much a masterpiece, despite all criticism that I mentioned.
Some twists of action are not appropriate for historical action, but you must admit, it would be extremely difficult to gather all the threads and persons and depict everything as it was. Especially considering, they were short of money. Cleopatra was in Rome before Caesar's death, but then they had to leave sth for the 2nd season.
TheBobBrom Fucking Christ, I'd thought of that as a joke before, but I didn't think that was actually what happened. Whoever's responsible for that policy can go swivel on a broom handle.
I paused at Marc Antonys speech because i NEEDED to hear more of Damian Lewis' rendition. Brando was very brando but more endearing towards the end. Heston was more evocative, showing his fringing anger and sadness. Both great film versions. While Lewis' version was more akin to a play, speaking to us the audience rather than a crowded roman street, his emotion meets a good middle ground between Brando and Heston while also conveying the sarcasm of Antony when referring to Brutus and his facial movements sell it so well.
It took 15 years but I finally got my parents to watch this show. They loved it. One of the best ways to separate the truth from fiction while watching is turning on the feature All Roads Lead to Rome. It will drop bits of facts and history during the episodes. Even if you’ve studied this time period its full of facts you probably weren’t aware of. It’s a bummer this show was only two seasons long. But it’s better than no show at all. I’d love to see a History Buffs on Deadwood at some point.
Aside from it being the best series ever, here’s what else I love about Rome. Attia calling Sevillia a ‘creepy bitch.’ Attia calling Octavian ‘a little shit’ constantly. Attia calling Cleaopatra ‘pig spawn’ The family brawl involving Mark Anthony. Attia ‘drawing the line’ at having a merchant’s daughter round. Attia telling everyone to ‘go home now, party’s over’ in a growly angry voice after meeting Cleopatra. Polly Walker’s Attia was the best superbitch ever to be on screen imo.
I actually thought the exposition of Antony's speech in Caesar's funeral, by a pleb pretty fitting. It shows you how a common person would've told his friends about an event. Say you were at a rally, and a politician gave a speech about a certain event. Then you go and hang out with your friends at the bar, and you told them all about it, that is how a group of friends would hear that story, overly hilarious, no dramatization whatsoever, and aimed at making your friends laugh, at the same time, deliver an accurate story.
I agree. Antony's speech has been done so many times by various masters of literature. It would never have met expectations. Instead, hearing it through the lens of a pleb (the speech's target audience) left a lot to the imagination while still giving the viewer a sense of the effects the speech had.
Hard agree. Of course it was "dumbed down" and condensed- The common man wouldn't have understood the intricacies of what Antony spoke of, only focused on the emotion, and taken away only the most sensational bits.
Since the show focuses so much on the people of the city, it kind of makes sense to show how the “plebs” viewed the dramatic politics. As shown in your video, we have lots of movies showing Antony’s speech but none show the common people’s reaction.
I am your fan, but you're totally wrong about Mark Anthony's speech. The first time I saw Rome, I said, "Where's the speech?" but with relief. I thought the tavern scene was a brilliant alternative to ho-hum friends-romans-countrymen. Rome is the best show I've ever seen about ancient history. Thanks for doing a great job with this video.
I discovered the Channel yesterday, binged through all the videos, saw Rome Season One review last. Thought to myself "That was nice but the next one will not be for some months." Well I was wrong.
Would have loved this show to get 6-8 seasons. I’ve binge rewatched it twice all the way through since it aired, and still can jump into any part and watch for a few hours.
It is a true shame we didn't at least get five seasons of this series. You felt the passion and love invested into it, but sadly like all great things as these, they are short lived.
Absolutely. Sometimes, I never understand producers' logic. A historical series like this is worth a hundred of GOT. Sorry, GOT fans, but it's the truth. I liked GOT but nothing beats a historical drama.
I kinda liked the way they've gone with Brutus speech, we know his speech, and we saw many versions of it in cinema and theater, but to see how an Roman would react, and how the speech would impact the roman society was refreshing
Too bad that this show only lasted two seasons due to lack of enough funds. I love Game of Thrones, but Rome was better. Besides, if Rome continued, we would've seen other Emperors such as Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, Caligula and also the early Christians.
@@Kai-ow9gi In the final episode, when the Egyptian court has descended into debauchery, Octavian's emissary reports that unlike Anthony, who is intoxicated, Cleopatra remains sober and alert. Often underestimated, she was clever and cunning.
@@Kai-ow9gi Yes, she was hitting the pipe pretty hard while in exile from the royal court. Looked like opium, but I'm not a historian of ancient Egyptian drug use. She deserves credit for sobering up and kicking the habit right away when it was time for her to rise to the occasion. That demonstration of her self-control shows how strong and formidable she was. The men usually see her and initially think she's just a harmless little mouse, which has them put her guard down as she expands her influence and strengthens her position of power. She was playing an extremely dangerous game as queen of Egypt and survived a great deal based on her wits. Not a good military mind, though.
I think it's completely fair to use Shakespeare as an example! The clip of Damian Lewis as Antony is exactly how it should be done; I urge you all to look that monologue up. Two minutes of nothing but him speaking to camera and it's unbelievably dramatically potent; I'm sure James Purefoy would've done equally well.
As a fan of Augustustan Rome since "I, Claudius", I found the absence of both Octavian's first wife and only child Julia and Livia's first husband and thus Tiberius and Drusus from "Rome, Season 2" to be the most jarring omissions.
Good review. I, too, love Rome. It's worth noting that it also provides a nice run-up to the BBC's 1970s epic, I, Claudius. Of course, as 70s tv, it resembles a stage play rather than a movie, but for me is the best BBC historical drama ever. How about a review of I, CLAVDIVS?
One of my favorite series' of all time. Truly outstanding performances from everyone....probably the best we'll ever see them in, even the terrific Cerian Hinds.
@@muchanadziko6378 You know what I meant. At the time it felt like a two-season thing like Band of Brothers. Didn't realize until later that there was more originally planned, although it made sense since things moved so quickly towards the end.
@@Fugettaboutit I didn't actually know what you meant. And I didn't mean you no offense or whatever. But I see you edited your comment. Tired of having to reply the same thing once a year? :)
@@muchanadziko6378 No prob, I just assumed at the time it was a two-season thing, so I still refer to it as a 'mini-series', for lack of a better term. But I'm not surprised they had to pull the plug with the cost of it at the time, as well as the whole location burning down and having to be rebuilt. They still did a great job wrapping it up out of necessity, and I actually liked the fact that it didn't feel like it dragged too long. But it did seem to really accelerate towards the end and we found out why. I still binge it every now and then.
grippingrope99 it's set in a historical setting though and he did use footage from it in his vikings review so it'll be interesting to learn about alfred and England during the viking invasion, he could compare vikings and the last kingdom in their takes on that era
I understand that it's a historical setting but it's not really following history, just what Cornwell has written, I mean I can understand him doing a video on Vikings (though even that wasn't a proper review as he spent a lot of time talking about what's to come and cause of the time it was made didn't cover Season 4, which was huge) because that's an original show. With The Last Kingdom it would really make more sense to review the books while using clips from the show.
grippingrope99 then it'd more like the timeline review where the show is not accurate but the historical setting is a good basis to talk about the actual events that happened
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
One of the things I always loved about Rome was the herald. Sun or rain, hot or cold, that guy was out there, sponsored by the Cataline Brotherhood of Millers. They use only the finest flour, true bread, for true Romans.
Same here.
Absolutely! “Mockery of the Jews and their ONE god, will be kept to the appropriate minimum.” Such a brilliant line showing what a multi-god culture was like. Interesting.
True bread for true Romans.
*Hand Wave pointing down*
@@annwilliams6438 that line was wonderful.
As much as I love Game of Thrones, I would have rather seen eight seasons of Rome.
Interesting! May I ask why? :)
For real the next emperors would have been so fucking crazy to see episodes about. Tiberius: straight up crazy. Tossing people off cliffs, starving Augustus's only daughter to death and also starving Caligula's brothers to death. Caligula: straight up crazy. Claudius: underestimated by everyone, ends up conquering Britain where Julius failed. Nero: straight up crazy. Burning Christians alive, Nero suicide and construction of the Colosseum where his palace once stood. Pompeii eruption during Titus. There was so much good TV worthy history in those decades after the end of the series.
There's still a chance that there might be another series in the future - the actors who portrayed the original characters (who were still alive) haven't aged that much.
than217
I know. Wouldn't it have been wonderful 😊
That would have been neat.
Rome's creator Bruno Heller said that he had every intention of expanding the show for 5 consecutive Seasons.
-Season 01 was to be about Julius Caesar's rise and fall.
-Season 02 was to be about Marc Antony running the Republic and Octavian bonding with Agrippa.
It would've concluded with the death of Brutus and the formation of the Second Triumvirate.
-Season 03 was to be entirely about the Second Triumvirate with Simon Woods' Octavian and James Purefoy's Marc Antony having more screen time.
It would've concluded with Marc Antony's departure from Rome to Egypt.
-Season 04 was to be about Marc Antony's demise and Octavian's rise to power as Caesar Augustus.
It would've ended with Octavian assuming total control of Rome and it's Provinces essentially forming the Roman Empire.
-Season 05 was to be about how Augustus ruled as Imperator and most importantly his interactions with Judea and Herod (you can clearly see the show was building up to this when Herod made an appearance in Season 02).
The season was essentially gonna be the final season and it was to end with Augustus passing away and the rise of the Messiah.
Bruno Heller said he had written the necessary parameters and while he was filling the narrative cavities of Season 02, HBO called him up and said that it was to be the last season.
So Bruno had to compress the entire storyline into one season.
HBO really fucked up on this one.
Jesus was supposed to also be in Rome?
Shame on HBO for cancelling that glorious series, shame
@@kapitan19969838 yeah missed opportunity there.
Wait I we talking about "that" messiah the one that got cruca fixed
Couldn't Heller have gone to Showtime or Starz? Was Netflix around at that time?
It had to be a decision from the beginning of filming cause otherwise why would you kill Caesar off in season 1? They messed up big time though, probably just didn't have the budget to justify a slower show. Hope they consider and do a new series about the Caesars.
Genie: You have three wishes
Me: I wish HBO's Rome wasn't cancelled
Genie: You still have three wishes, that one's on me
😂👍
Haha i like...
I wish that Invader Zim and Star Wars: The Clone Wars never got canceled.
@@calebrands4912 you know Star Wars the clone wars came back for a final season right?
Dougal Badger Doesn't change the fact it was canceled. And there were many other episodes that weren't finished.
What blows my mind about this show is the rewatch value. It has never bored me.
It's amazingly made especially the acting is top notch.
It shouldn't blow your mind, it's a good show. Now if you were to say, Vampire Diaries, blows your mind with rewatch value, I could agree with that.
best series ever so far to me
I've been going through it just now, during lockdown time. Just as fresh and enjoyable as the first 10 times... That's what a well-done piece of art can do. You can get as much joy looking at the same painting or sculpture or listening to the same symphony time after time.
Check (correct)
The casting of Brutus and Antony were top notch. Menzies always does a stellar job of portraying flawed characters. And Purefoy basically made that role his own. Something about the way he smiled made my insides turn in nausea. Up to this day, I can't hear the name "Caesar" without picturing Ciaran Hinds.
Agreed. This show was perfectly cast.
A bit too Caucasian for my tastes.
@@gustavocardosomoreir unfortunately, most of the world has adopted the Brits-as-Romans/Greeks trope when it comes to media in the English language. Kinda how even though we know dinosaurs had feathers, people prefer to see them in movies as scaly lizards ever since Jurrasic Park. Its not historically accurate, but its what sells.
Or at least change a little from the stereotype of caucasians. That's why I'm always pleasantly surprised, if not a bit unconfortable at first, when I see all black remakings of classics.
@@cquiroz7874 You are wrong in both cases.
HBO owes us a revived Rome series after the hideous decline and fall of GOT and the awful heartbreak it inflicted on the viewers.
awful, awful heartbreak. The Cataline Brotherhood of Millers would never, ever have approved
I agree! It really left me wanting.
I doubt it, they'll just ruin it.
Seriously though,after all the tomfoolery GOT went through,it's the least they can do
Scorsese was trying to make a series about the life of Julius Caesar a couple years back. I hope he still has a passion for that project because he's the perfect creator to bring that story to life imo
I think that the character of Mark Anthony was perfectly cast in the Rome series.
yeah, one of my all-time favourite characters, great writing and perfectly portrayed.
Mark Purefoy knocked it out the park "Snows. Always. Melt." from S1. (chef kiss)
I agree! but I think there were a lot of mis-casts including caesar I couldn't even finish the first season. I think the timeline would be perfect for a long running tv series done better, theres certainly enough source material.
@@lednails I always imagined that you would have to have an incredible amount of charisma to get away with the shit caesar got away with. I didn't see that on the show.
He was so hot
"The graveyards are full of middling swordsmen. Better to be no swordsman at all."
I loved Season One Octavian and his adventures with Pullo.
so good...
The young Octavian was perfectly cast and portrayed: the arrogance, the willingness to take risks, the total forgetting of his place (he was, despite his name, the youngest, least experienced and perhaps most importantly least connected member of the Second Triumvirate). He was, as Antony called him, a boy who owes everything to a name.
The fact that this had to be condensed to the extent that it was does make me hanker for a revival of this series with a worthy budget. A fine set of videos, HB.
Remind me again...who won in the end?...where you see arrogance I see confidence, pragmatism, brutal honesty and a ruthless cunning...Caesar could obviously see how competent and ambitious Augustus was and that he'd make a worthy heir which is why he gave him his name and fortune.
You are right about one thing though...he was perfectly cast by the show and incredibly well acted by both the actors who played him.
Go Max.
Others might have thought that of him, but Octavian was one of the most brilliant, best emperors in all of human history. He knew his flaws and that's why he had Agrippa for military matters and other around him. If you can't delegate, you won't rule for long.
Like Saddam Hussein. Stalin knew how to delegate, after he got rid of anyone who opposed him which he was very smart to do. And before you start yammering at me, I know the Russians and the people and their history!
@@mutteringmale yeah but at that time Octavian was still a boy, and it's for that reason why others underestimated him and paid the price for it
He wasn't just a boy with a name, he also inherited ALL of Julius's vast fortune, the largest fortune in the known world.
Thus, at his majority, he would have been the richest man in the world. Think Elon Musk Caesar without the ADD.
That's why his coniving mother and Tony "Sexaddict" Anthony wanted to steal that money.
I imagine drunken Tony on a couch HAD to commit suicide because he knew what was waiting for him.
i had no idea more people loved Rome as much as i did. for years i would tell people watch it to no avail. they instead preferred Spartacus and then Game of Thrones. Rome for me is one of my favorite series of all time. Even after watching it it more than 10 times through over the years it keeps my attention.
We can't handle depth. In depth shows like this are just too much for the proletariat here. Americans won't read subtitles either.
Especially with All Roads Lead to Rome turned on. I never knew that you could lease slaves.
I think people would only enjoy Rome if they knew some historical context of the history of Rome leading upto the events the show did. Imagine watching the first episode having no idea what a Pleb, Patrician, Consul, Prater is. How Rome came to be at his point. Or how important the conquest of Gaul was at the time. I see how people watched ep 1 and got turned off from it straightaway
Those plebs, they make a dreadful noise when they are happy.
I claudius is older, but really good aswell
When you consider how the writers were forced to condense years' worth of material into a single season, it's a credit to them that Season 2 is as good as it is.
Reminds me of Arcane Season 2. Not the product itself so much as the circumstances.
URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT: Based on the slow growth of this video and people telling me they're being unsubscribed by RUclips without wanting to. I'm worried that those of you who are here won't be notified in the future when I post a video. If you click on that notification bell and ask to be emailed whenever I post a video, that seems to be the only way you will stay notified. If you don't hear anything from me, just check in once a month and see if I posted a new video. Thanks!
It's a slippery slope...
Why does Cleopatra's skin keep changing?
Giving a like to all your videos seems to work too. I'm notified very quickly, and it doesn't even matter, that I wait to watch whenever I have the time to really enjoy it.
Sorry, but this bell thing annoys me way too much. I'd rather "spam" likes, which is easy enough, because I'd do it anyway.
Historical film suggestion: EL CID
Please do troy or shakaZulu
The fact Rome had almost zero large scale battles and was still excellent shows how good it was
Large scale battle scenes are always boring as shit to me. I'd rather have 3 seconds of battle scenes than the full episode battle scenes so many drama shows like to have
@@kmdn1This. I always prefer the characters and political intrigue. Game of Thrones best stuff was also just characters talking and having political meetings
The last episode was still great. The hopelessness of Antony and Cleopatra and how the debauchery all around the palace fed into that was probably the peak of the show for me. Antony's actor James Purefoy
did a great job, especially when he reacted to Cleopatra's death. The show did great for what it was given.
"-I'd rather eat my own children than surrender to him.
-We could escape by night, in disguise. We could go south.. and...
-...And hide, under bushes, like hunted animals? No... no. I cannot.
-I will be guided by you, naturally, if you think there is some other path available to us.
-Death? Death is available to us...
-Use some military trick, some clever ruse to turn this around. You're so good at that kind of thing...
-Piss and blood woman. I'm a soldier. Not a damned magician.
Look around us. Whores. Hermaphrodites. And Lickspiddles. This is our army now. This is all we have left..."
That whole scene was amazing, for some reason is touched me.
I understand what u mean. To me he realizes he's fucked it all up and is a joke at this point but loves Cleopatra and realizes trying to be on top brought him to this and right before on the boat after the battle he realizes he's been afraid of losing but now realizes it was all stupid and he likes just living. He basically becomes enlightened but it comes way too late
literally just finished the series yesterday and you’re right… this whole episode and especially that scene completely floored me. was really sad when i found out that was the last episode because I didn’t look and thought both seasons were 12 episodes! 😭
I like that Octavian is like “you have no moral Value” and Antony is like “your a bottom”
Mudslinging hasnt changed in 2000 years lmao
Octavian's character is what Joffrey thought of himself.
That's an insult to Agustus Caesar
@@Mobysimo how about what the people hoped he would be.
@@Mobysimo Joffrey was a classic sadist and narcissist. Entirely full of himself; but thought he was the greatest thing in the world. It's not an insult to say that Octavian's actual character, is what Joffrey thought of himself. It's highly complimentary. Read it another way: Octavian IS what Joffery only thinks he is. (A great ruler, and a true king)
To Lars Lund Andersen - Tell me they gave that nickmame it's own section.
To Herr Heroin - Now, don't lay an egg, but here I thought he was a salad.
True but a level above and maybe a level below
No, Joffrey was more inspired by Caligula and Commodus, Jack Gleeson even mentioned he was inspired by Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Commodus in Gladiator to play Joffrey
I am glad Rome still has a substantial fan base. It was such a grand and epic series.
Patrolling the Aegyptus desert is almost enough to make you wish for a Britannian winter.
Good stuff as usual.
Ave, true to Caesar.
But when the winter comes, the white walkers with it, still I always wanted to know how real life empires and republics would react to this supernatural event, what's your answer.
Agreed. But I'm still pissed you screwed Bubbles over.
@@henerybutron506 There is a book called "The Zombie Survival Guide" that has a fictional scenario like this.
I used to be a Praetorian like you, then I took a galdius in the knee.
The casting was amazing, Cicero, Caesar, Brutus, Anthony, all perfectly cast
And old Octavian
@@justlikeme2797 and atia
All the actors said in interviews they had a blast doing the show and were gutted when it was canceled
I found Rome a city of bricks, and i left it a city of marble..
-Augustus Caesar
I like that quote to. Yes he did.
@@mkultra8640 I'm sure it sounds even better in Latin
@@TheAlps36 "Marmoream relinquo, quam latericiam accepi"
And then he founded my hometown, the city of Augusta Vindelicorum, capital of the roman provence of Raetia. Today known as Augsburg. Besieged by the swedes and the hungarians, bombed and burned by the allies and still standing after 2034 years.
@@ThePandoraGuy Ah, ein Schwabe! Grüße aus Mittelfranken.
I really love how this show portrays Antony. I think it's the best one. Very Tragic.
Mark Anthony has fame of being a drunk, womaniser, etc. I love James Purefoy performance. Even he was pratician by blood, he was beloved by the plebs.
@Gregory Smith Yes, you are right indeed. My favourite one is when we can see the ritual of becoming a tribune. Three hours whithout drinking...
@Gregory Smith After Napoleon came back from his first exile, something amazing happened. The king of France sent troops after troops to kill him, and the troops just join him on his indisputable march to Paris. You cannot be more popular than that!
@Gregory Smith It's easy to think about him as a villain, due to the massive deaths of his conquests and his dictatorial regime, but we have to notice that literally everyone lived in a dictatorship (mostly monarchies), and at least his people and military loved him so much. In my country (Spain) Napoleon is easy seeing as a traitorous bastard, because he conquered the nation by, well, treason, and imposed his own brother as king, which the Spanish people fought against so much with guerrilla tactics that the term "guerrilla" actually comes from the Spanish language.
Having James Purefoy do the funeral speech would have been pure gold. Such a shame it wasn't included.
It could have been shot close up a la Charleston Heston’s speech for a reasonable cost.
@@adamsmith3413 Did the speech actually happen or was it Shakespeare's invention?
@@drewmandan Short answer: It did. Shakespeare based it as closely as he could to the actual speech.
@@adamsmith3413 Nobody could outdo Heston's speech
Purple Pill Philosophy Brando’s
So you mean to tell me HBO would cram seasons worth of material into a single season? Good they didn't make that mistake again...
HBO offered the showrunner of Game of Thrones more seasons but they wanted to do Star Wars
The best part- because of how they ruined GoT, their star wars contract got taken away
@@Tzar1 karma
Don't throw HBO under the bus. Dumb and Dumber were the reason for this literal shit show at the end.
Rome 2 was still brilliant, GoT season 8 was horseshit.
The real hero in the rome tv series is the news speaker
i just started watching a few weeks ago. and everytime he gets screen time i'm like "this guy is killing it!"
Ancient fake news- Julius Ceasar
@@mkay8698 The way he uses his arms to speak is hilarious. Especially when he says "Gaius Julius Caesar".
@@filipe2444 Later we see Lucius Vorenus tried to emulate his gestures in his speech and failed, it's even more hilarious.
He worships dogs and reptiles
I would have liked 5 seasons of Rome...
Oh really haha no shit
Soon as I saw the equality and depth I knew it was going to be short lived. If it would have been more like a computer game like Spartacus it would have made it.
5 seasons!!! I want to cry!!! That would of been amazing!!! 😭😭😭😭😭
Sherlock Smuug
Game of Thrones has turned into garbage because the directors suck. They can't produce anything remotely nice without the guidance of George R R Martin.
Game of Thrones is suffering from lack of new material, crappy writing, and show runners lacking ability to kill off characters without GRRM’s help.
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix Your not wrong there, they also had problems with filler characters like Sam and Gilly.
I really want HBO to come out and say "We fucked up on Game of Thrones but at least we learned how to manage our budget, so lets remake Rome".
Honestly, I agree. The endless amount of drama and action alone is worth millions in revenue; and above all it's based on true events. I love GOT but Rome would be far more relatable, since history teaches us many lessons... what better way than a cinematic remake.
nah, no remakes. The show is good as it is. If anything they could bring back Heller to write what happened after Octavian.
I don’t want a remake. I wouldn’t want to see anyone else playing Marc Antony, Atia, cleopatra or Octavian
House of the dragon, tho, is great
Rome extended through a big period. How about new characters and time period? Would love it if they could portray other emperors
Kinda late but:
HE WAS A CONSUL OF ROME! Shame on the House of Ptolemy for such barbarity. SHAME!
Also kinda late, but that is such an awesome scene.
Agrippa introduced a new type of ships, the Liburnians, which surpassed Antony's and Cleopatra's triremes. Agrippa was neglected here, but he secured all of Octavian's victories, as general, admiral, and engineer.
Honestly, he’s a huge part in why Octavian was so successful.
Octavian never was a very good general or commander, and that’s why Agrippa complimented him perfectly, and was always a loyal friend Octavian could count on (which becomes a huge problem for Rome in the 3rd and 4th centuries)
See I always loved that they never showed Marc Antony speech as such a strange and perfect nod to the fact that the speech was so important, but no one at the time wrote it down. We have no idea what he said. All we have left, are the reactions of the people, the effects of it. Likewise, that is all the show gives us.
I loved how they portrayed this part..the common peoples perspective. That’s all that mattered😂 the “blah blah blah” was spot on! And it emphasized who the people liked and supported at that moment.
Yeah, I get what your saying and in so many ways you are right, but I just see it as such a missed opportunity as Mark Antony was so perfectly cast with James Purefoy and the writing was so brilliant that they could have created a such a memorable and impactful scene.
@@ambermyers1330 I completely agree! I spent the whole episode waiting for that scene and was so disappointment when they skipped it. I think it could have been one of the show's most iconic scenes, on par with Ceaser's murder and Vorenus saving Pullo from the gladiators
The actor who plays young Octavian was so good in this and master and commander
Basically the only roles he ever played
@@GerNielsstill good roles brother =)
@@tre3961 unfortunately yes
@@tre3961 if anything all the better.
Oh shit that's where I knew him from he was the young lad who had his arm amputated after getting splinters
"A notable politician called Cicero"
when one of the most famous Romans is reduced to a side character.
Yeah. One of my few criticisms of the show is how Cicero was written. The actor was perfect, but the script had one of the bravest Roman politicians in history depicted as a craven coward. This is the man who single-handedly put down the Catiline conspiracy, for God's sake!
I've been reading a nice fiction set in Rome's republic were the protagonist meets Cicero being hired by him, in essentially the beginning of his career, and his first case. Loving it. Also consider sad that they showed nothing of the Catiline Conspiracy, though I think deeds done in words, "as Cicero did", don't translate easily to the screen.
@@peabody314 One of the bravest Roman politicians? Are you sure? I think I would choose Cincinnatus, the ideal Roman dictator. (And the man I hope Ceasar would have been)
@@gustavocardosomoreir What's the series you're referencing? Because off the top of my head I can only think of the Marcus Didius Falco and Flavia Albia Mysteries series by Lindsay Davies and I'm pretty sure that's not it
@@moonyollie6977 Roma Sub Rosa by Steven Saylor.
Hey...
Psst...
Did you know?...
that..
Pompey...
WAS A CONSUL OF ROME!
Bimon1234567 indeed!!
Ptolemy and his advisors didn't know that!
@@zothanmawiapachuau they only know that Pompey is against Caesar.
He was your enemy...
@@Vercingetorix.Rising he was a
COOOONNSSUUUUULLLL
OOFF
RROOOOOOOOOMME!!!
Can we please just give it to Tobias Menzies used to excellent effect in this and the terror and wasted in game of thrones. The man is a living legend. What a wonderful performer.
watch the crown
and in Outlander.
Which sucks because he would be perfect as book Edmure Tully, not the version we got in the Thrones show. As other comments have said, he’s wonderful in The Crown as well
There isn't a single bad actor in ROME all of them did a fantastic job in thier role especially James. It's because of his acting now i can imagine what Mark Antonio would behave like in real life.
You probably forgot Cato. He was fully wasted
ehh i dunno, random background actor number 32 in scene 11 during episode 5 of season 2 really did an underwhelming performance :p
@@Arthur-jg2kcyeah that casting /writing made no sense.
Vorenus' kids were absolutely terrible actors.
@@DipsomaniacThe eldest was okayish but Lucius and Vorena the Younger were definitely not
It makes me sad thinking about Rome. It’s one of my favourite shows but just thinking of what it could have been is depressing. A lot of comments have already said it and with a lot more detail but I just felt like writing this comment anyway. If only HBO decided to run Game of Thrones and Rome at the same time with huge budgets. :(
Sdfghjklllifds Lctyigsdfgbnmbccxsa They lucky to have another successful show near the end of Game of Thrones: Westworld.
@@julioacceus253 Westworld isn't half the show Rome was. They don't even compare. One is based on some of the most interesting times in history. The other show is about some dumb robots and people saying pretentious things.
@@WhoopsieDayZ West World is a convoluted sack of shit. The writers intentionally tried to make it hard to follow thinking they were being clever. They were being twats and made a shitty story.
Bla, bla, bla. HBO this and HBO that.
Rome had shit ratings and even after being released on streaming services their viewing has been abysmal and most people stop watching a few episodes in.
Cleopatra didn't name her son Caesarion. That was a nickname.
Cleopatra named her son Ptolemy, like every single male Ptolemid Ruler
Good catch, I was thinking that too. Guess the "history buff" didn't know that.
Not to mention, Cleopatra was of Macedonian Greek heritage, Which completely makes the Egyptian apparel that Ptolemy and Cleopatra are portrayed in inaccurate (Which btw Every single ruler of the Ptolemaic Dynasty except Cleopatra couldn't speak Egyptian)
I was a bit surprised when he said that.
@@johncuzwhynot Very good review my brother!
She did style him with the cognomen Caesar, though, according to Livy. And the Ptolemids knew well how to navigate a liminal space between the Hellenic world and Egyptian tradition. There is absolutely no reason they would not have clad themselves in Egyptian apparel, which is in fact reported (and mocked) by many of the Roman sources.
It’s incredible how one mans name, is immortalised as a type of ruler.
What di you mean?
Caesar, would become synonymous with Imperator in the Roman Empire, then much later would be the route word for Kaiser and Tsar
Carolus did the same
@@Freshie207 Imagine if George Lucas had linked it somehow to Emperor Palpatine
Somewhere in Wallachia there’s a monarch laughing.
James Purefoy as Marc Antony and Ray Stevenson as Titus Pullo were absolute legends. RIP Ray, you are sorely missed.
"9 months after their first meeting, Cleopatra gave birth to a baby boy, whom they named Caesarion; Little Caesar"
So you're telling me the pizza franchise should really be named Caesarion's?
With Xtra cheese and double pepperoni. ..🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕
i actually like it. Caesarion's pizza really does have a nice ring to it.
Fucking home run!! 😂😂😂
Caesarion Actually means “son of Caesar”
Yes....I’m fun at parties
If you bought it by the slice would it be a Caesarian Section?
game of thrones is great but ROME was beyond epic
john kim. Yes, Rome is far better than G.O.T.
Rome had to walk to GOT could fly!. That dude on the bar. The one they got instead the speech… He sounds more like Belfast British accent than any given Roman or greek citizen.
@@areyounuts579 Agreed, the Newsreader had more personality than Jon Snow and Dany together
It was great.
Can we simply agree on that Marc Anthony is one of the best played and written characters in the last 20 or so years?
Marc Antony, Ray Stevenson (himself), Tyrion, Robert and Ned, Jax Teller and Clay Morrow (SOA) and Vick Mackey and Shane (The Shield) are all those extra special actors that make these shows incredible...and there are great characters on those shows but these really stand out
No doubt James Purefoy as Mark Antony is one of the top 10 best casting choices of all time.
Rome: We need money to make three more seasons.
HBO: Naw, haven't got that money.
*Years later*
HBO: GOT guys, we can do like 12 seasons if you want, man, you can take your time
DandD: Naw let's just wrap it up and nuke everything
My thoughts exactly…
This will never not piss me off. Rome had the potential to be an amazing long-run show, but they cut it short before it could really get onto its feet.
I’m also of the opinion that everything after season 3 Episode 9 Of GOT, the Red Wedding, is shit that just led up to the disappointing end of GOT.
ironic
@@slopcrusher3482 if you stop the show at the red wedding then you don't get Tywin bossing Joffrey around, Joffrey's death, Oberyn defending Tyrion and dying at the hands of the Mountain and Tyrion killing Tywin.
Also, didn't most of Arya and The Hound's travels happen after the red wedding?
The season two finale is hands down the best acting and writing i have ever seen, the passion of antony and everything else makes it one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen
It had been the best made for television drama I had seen to that point, and I find myself fondly sharing and rewatching it from time to time. Even with it's flaws, it was a magnificent production.
I shall return tomorrow, at which time you will give me the man who cancelled this series
Tony Montana and I shall nail his hands, his perfect hands, to the Senate doors
He WAS A PRODUCER OF ROME!
Centurions glance at each other and grimace....uh oh this is serious!
Completely, I now read history and always picture that actor, terrific work.
"It’s rare that networks ever admit that ending a show was a mistake, but HBO executives later did, at least privately."
*sees the notification of Rome: Season 2* Time to call up the 13th Legion once again!
Thirteen!!!!
Thirteen!
XIII! Semper Invicta!
Andrew Coffman Roma Invicta!
"Bring me back my Legions!"
From a purely entertainment point of view.
They did a great job condensing all the season down and making the story flow
The death of Brutus is one of the most tragically noble ever put to film. It brings tears to my eyes every single time.
I'm impressed with the casting for Cleopatra; she actually looks pretty similar to the way she's depicted on the coins. It's too bad that the writing was lackluster.
@@lednails For me, the writing was great except for how Cleopatra was written/depicted. Truly awful in an otherwise great show.
I’ve read she probably wasn’t actually that attractive being the result of century’s of incest
This series was simply brilliant. Being British, our TV shows about Rome are usually set solely around the wealthy, famous figures and have been played by grand theatre actors. I, Claudius, with Derek Jacobi playing Claudius is a prime example of this. Rome showed how sweaty, dirty and violent the real ancient city must have been with the slums, the shoddily built houses and over crowded streets.
Rome was a Co-production between HBO and the BBC.
Thank you so much for producing such a brilliant commentary on, arguably, one of the greatest historical series ever to grace TV screens. Given the ridiculous amount of money that HBO is now making with Game of Thrones, if I had one wish concerning television, it is that HBO would reinvest that into doing a remake/reboot of Rome, and giving it the proper number of seasons to tell the story as it should be told.
Drake Santiago
Borgia is the best historical series. I don't want a reboot, I want to see some other period of rome. Like the first punic war, second punic war, three empires, the fall of nero and rise of Vespesianus, Diocletian, and most of all: the social war.
There were rumours they were going to do a remake of 70s British series ''I Claudius'' but nothing seems to have come of it so far.
Brogias is good, but it's FAAR from the best historical series, rome still holds that place, vikings or not.
I would say a series that spans the waning days of the Republic... leading up to the story we all know so well. Gracchi brothers, The rise of both Marius and Sulla, the social war, Mithridatic Wars, and of course Sulla’s reign.
I would kill to see the story of the five good emperors leading up to the third century crisis and the fall of Rome, but i know that will never happen
Mark Anthony in this series is unquestionably the greatest TV character of all time.
He nearly stole every scene with his superb performance.
The acting in this show was so phenomenal. Loved it!
Totally. Once I started watching Ep 1,I didn't stop till I finished both seasons.
This series still stands. It’s so well-written and entertaining. I do wish there were better battle sequences especially because it’s FASCINATING to dive into the Roman war machine a little. It would have been nice to see Pullo and Vorenus actually fight together and compete for the bravest.
Marlon Brando's performance in that scene is nothing short of perfection, his delivery is brilliant and I love that touch at the end where he can barely keep himself from crying.
GAIUS
*hand wave*
JULIUS
*hand wave*
CAESAR
*hand wave*
Newsreader was the greatest character change my mind
@EmperorJuliusCaesar you may not like the character in the show but those news readers were propagandists who swayed the masses you can't downplay the influence they had in real life
@EmperorJuliusCaesar bruh we say that because of the amusing and amazing acting with his hand gestures
EmperorJuliusCaesar you must be fun at parties.It was a joke friend,relax.
@EmperorJuliusCaesar you must be fun at parties
2020 and I'm still holding out a thread of hope for a worthy and complete successor to this show :(
Hey look it's the King of the Wildlings playing chess with a Tully...
wait, did i miss something? xD
The actor that portrays Caesar in Rome, portays Mance Rayder in GoT. Brutus portrays Edmure Tully.
xD thx for the information
Yeah, kinda cracks me up how HBO sort of recycles actors. But hey, they're good actors!
OGSpaceCadet GoT has so many actors that it’s hard not to run into at least one of them on different shows and movies...
After watching all 2 seasons of Rome, I felt sorry for Mark Anthony, with all his loyalty to caesar he never got the Empire and his romance with Cleopatra made it more hard for me to watch both of them die
he was a terrible ruler. i feel for him in the show, i do, but in real life he would have been a terrible choice
Caesar trusted Marcus Antonius with holding Rome for him when he went to Iberia and Africa. He did a *terrible* job: incited violence, was corrupt even for Roman senate standards and hurt Caesar's cause a lot. Caesar finally relieved him of his position and instead made Lepidus his administrator who was much more competent and politically smart. To illustrate how hated Antonius was: he made Caesar's enemies in the Senate long for Caesar to return! Marcus Antonius got back into his good graces and was granted another chance for public office only in 44 BC
Mark Antony should thank Shakespeare for whitewashing his reputation. Read Cicero's Phillipics and you would quickly know Antony's true character.
@@anthonylogiudice2510 I ve read the Phillipics and it was quitte entertaining but you can t believe you know MA just by reading Cicero s smearing him, it is like believing you know someone just by reading a gossip column in the paper. MA was a bizarre mixture of decadence and ambition. He had big flaws but also enough brain and ambition, otherwise how can you explain that he was one of the most powerfull men of Rome for more than a decade? He was a soldier, a middle level politician but still better than most of the politicians of those days. He wasnt just trying to manipulate others like Cicero did. Yes, he fucked up when Caesar let him in charge of Rome but he learned his lessons and, while being the master of the East, he build a network to support his power. He wasnt just a loser like Cicero portraied him. Of course, other figures like Octavian for example never had a detractor that would just write all his shennanigans so Octavian just build exactly the public image that he wanted: young, moral, wise. Pretty sure that behind that facade there were many scenes of weakness, wickidness, cowardness, clumsiness. MA became a decent politician but his missfortune was that his rival was one of the most brilliant and wicked politician ever. Also Octavian had the luck to find Agrippa who filled all his flaws and, of course, to Octavian s credit, he kept that man close. MA fought his battles alone most of the time, one of his biggest mistake was - in my opinion - executing Sextus. With SP on his side, Actium could have been a totally different story.
History buffs is the only channel who deserves a like before watching the video
Hooked on Gaming 👏👏👏👏👏
BazBattle is great aswell. another history buff in my view.
Yeah Baz is best boy
Hooked on Gaming in your opinion
Just again watched these two seasons of Rome. Still a fantastic show.
The dead of Brutus is my favorite moment as well! At first, it was the show of revenge for the acct of Cesar's murdering. They both died on the some way - lonely and surrounded by armed enemies. And from other hand, it is the show of nostalgia for the Roman virtues: He died as real Romans should die - with the bravery and honor. And the Republic died with him.
Fun Fact: Augustus Caesar passed a law stating that senators were not allowed to set foot in the province of Egypt. I suspect he made that law to make sure no senator tried to do what Marc Antony did with Cleopatra before he defeated them both back when he went by Octavian.
KTChamberlain going off of that one of the reasons was because Egypt produced nearly all of Rome’s grain and money, literally a bread basket. So he made sure that the senators could not step in Egypt without the emperors permission, and that the emperor is the only one who can choose who becomes governor. Augustus didn’t want the senate getting a chance or anyone he didn’t trust getting a chance to choke Rome.
He Never went by Octavian. It is only used by Historians. He was Gaius Octavius, then when adopted, he was G. Julius Ceasar. Technically, he could include Octavianus to show his birth family, but you get the idea he didn't insist.
One great thing that the show has is when Octavian's wife told Atia that she should walk first in the triumph parade, Atia spat at her, "I don't give a fuck what the priest say. I won't let a vicious little trollop like you walk ahead of me. I can see you. You're swearing now that someday you'll destroy me. Remember, far better women than you have sworn to do the same. Go and look at them now." Alluding to Servilia and also acknowledging her as the greater character. How nice and Polly Walker is amazing in that.
Atia of the Julii, I call for justice!
I quote Mark Anthony for that remarkable scene, "Now THAT is an exit."
Her retort to Cleopatra was glorious too, if a little less eloquent.
"Die screaming, you pig-spawn trollop."
Hinds, Purefoy and Menzies were incredible as Caesar, Antony and Brutus. Sad we didn't get more of them.
Octavian: *becomes emperor of Rome*
His mother: *still makes him sleep in the same thing that he slept in when he was a baby*
That was before he become emperor?
The real Atia died before octavian consolidated his power.
This is why fathers need to be around. If mothers are given full control of their kids, they will be kids forever.
ooohhh mothers . . .
they just cant let it go
@@glemmstengal there is a category of "castrating" fathers, who also harm his kids' growth.
Octavian did not become emperor of Rome. He was more cautious than that. He insisted on being a Princeps. Not an emperor. Imperator = general of all the armies.
The way the funeral scene was handled--essentially skipping it--was perfect. The low-brow rendition of the two speeches showed how the average Roman felt. Rehashing Shakespeare's Brutus' speech would have been obvious and unnecessary. Those scenes with the plebs are essential to the show's charm.
it castrated Anthony's schlong but what happens after is much more roman thing by trying to burn the city via funeral pyre, at which they threw all of thier stuff and even tried to burn brutus and cassius on the pyre
There are two kinds of historical inaccuracies in Rome that I would differentiate between:
1) Things that certainly didn't happen, because there is evidence against it (e.g. Cleopatra visiting Rome after Caesar's death)
2) Things that aren't based on any evidence, but there is also no evidence against it (e.g. the incest between Octavian and his sister)
While the first kind is definitely not appropriate for a historical show, I consider the second kind a legit way to "spice up" the plot and create drama.
It's necessary for a show to make things up in order to be more entertaining - otherwise you could just go watch a documentary. However, I really think the writers should have sticked solely with the second kind of inaccuracy. Luckily, they mostly did. The prime example for this are obviously the lifes of Vorenus and Pullo, which we follow throughout the entire show. Their participation worked extremely well in terms of entertainment and also opened ways to show the audience a wider picture of the Roman society and culture, especially the Roman everyday life.
Imo, the way they integrated them into the story was the most brilliant decision. Without Vorenus and Pullo, Rome would have been a mediocre show. Instead, it became pretty much a masterpiece, despite all criticism that I mentioned.
Some twists of action are not appropriate for historical action, but you must admit, it would be extremely difficult to gather all the threads and persons and depict everything as it was. Especially considering, they were short of money. Cleopatra was in Rome before Caesar's death, but then they had to leave sth for the 2nd season.
James Purefoy is a great actor and did a really good job of Antony, we really missed out on seeing his performance of the funeral speech
I got an ad also i watched it all to try to help you in a small way. Thanks Nick also please excuse typos I'm on my phone.
TheBobBrom youtube seems to be all about punishing the creator lately.
William Gunter And they're worse to creators who take time making quality content and can't upload regularly.
I didn't even know they did that! Gonna have to remember to stop for that 30 seconds and watch an add so people can collect a paycheck.
Don't watch ads to help a creator, watching an ad gives a fraction of a cent. If you just give 1 dollar you can skip all the ads you want.
TheBobBrom Fucking Christ, I'd thought of that as a joke before, but I didn't think that was actually what happened. Whoever's responsible for that policy can go swivel on a broom handle.
I paused at Marc Antonys speech because i NEEDED to hear more of Damian Lewis' rendition. Brando was very brando but more endearing towards the end. Heston was more evocative, showing his fringing anger and sadness. Both great film versions. While Lewis' version was more akin to a play, speaking to us the audience rather than a crowded roman street, his emotion meets a good middle ground between Brando and Heston while also conveying the sarcasm of Antony when referring to Brutus and his facial movements sell it so well.
It took 15 years but I finally got my parents to watch this show. They loved it. One of the best ways to separate the truth from fiction while watching is turning on the feature All Roads Lead to Rome. It will drop bits of facts and history during the episodes. Even if you’ve studied this time period its full of facts you probably weren’t aware of. It’s a bummer this show was only two seasons long. But it’s better than no show at all. I’d love to see a History Buffs on Deadwood at some point.
Aside from it being the best series ever, here’s what else I love about Rome.
Attia calling Sevillia a ‘creepy bitch.’
Attia calling Octavian ‘a little shit’ constantly.
Attia calling Cleaopatra ‘pig spawn’
The family brawl involving Mark Anthony.
Attia ‘drawing the line’ at having a merchant’s daughter round.
Attia telling everyone to ‘go home now, party’s over’ in a growly angry voice after meeting Cleopatra.
Polly Walker’s Attia was the best superbitch ever to be on screen imo.
A truly Roman Karen.
I actually thought the exposition of Antony's speech in Caesar's funeral, by a pleb pretty fitting. It shows you how a common person would've told his friends about an event. Say you were at a rally, and a politician gave a speech about a certain event. Then you go and hang out with your friends at the bar, and you told them all about it, that is how a group of friends would hear that story, overly hilarious, no dramatization whatsoever, and aimed at making your friends laugh, at the same time, deliver an accurate story.
I agree. Antony's speech has been done so many times by various masters of literature. It would never have met expectations.
Instead, hearing it through the lens of a pleb (the speech's target audience) left a lot to the imagination while still giving the viewer a sense of the effects the speech had.
Never thought of it this way but you make a dam good point
Hard agree.
Of course it was "dumbed down" and condensed- The common man wouldn't have understood the intricacies of what Antony spoke of, only focused on the emotion, and taken away only the most sensational bits.
Since the show focuses so much on the people of the city, it kind of makes sense to show how the “plebs” viewed the dramatic politics. As shown in your video, we have lots of movies showing Antony’s speech but none show the common people’s reaction.
Watched this series several times over the years. One of my all time favourites.
I was so disappointed when this was canceled it truly is one of the best shows ever made
I am your fan, but you're totally wrong about Mark Anthony's speech. The first time I saw Rome, I said, "Where's the speech?" but with relief. I thought the tavern scene was a brilliant alternative to ho-hum friends-romans-countrymen. Rome is the best show I've ever seen about ancient history. Thanks for doing a great job with this video.
Request: Der Untergang / Downfall
OH YES, do Downfall!!! PLEASE!
Yes please
mecc evil - that, and Das Boot should be a good one, too.
Das Boot isn't a true story per se. It is an excellent movie though.
ooooh, you're in dark territory now
I discovered the Channel yesterday, binged through all the videos, saw Rome Season One review last. Thought to myself "That was nice but the next one will not be for some months." Well I was wrong.
yea i binged everything too i just love his commentary its so damn addictive
Prankd
Would have loved this show to get 6-8 seasons. I’ve binge rewatched it twice all the way through since it aired, and still can jump into any part and watch for a few hours.
It is a true shame we didn't at least get five seasons of this series. You felt the passion and love invested into it, but sadly like all great things as these, they are short lived.
Absolutely. Sometimes, I never understand producers' logic. A historical series like this is worth a hundred of GOT. Sorry, GOT fans, but it's the truth. I liked GOT but nothing beats a historical drama.
I hear ya, but two seasons are better than no seasons.
It would likely reach its climax with three seasons. Death of Caesar, death of Brutus / Cassius, death of Antony / Cleopatra
@@JerusnamWien85 - I agree completely.
@@jpmnky - Absolutely.
I kinda liked the way they've gone with Brutus speech, we know his speech, and we saw many versions of it in cinema and theater, but to see how an Roman would react, and how the speech would impact the roman society was refreshing
Too bad that this show only lasted two seasons due to lack of enough funds. I love Game of Thrones, but Rome was better. Besides, if Rome continued, we would've seen other Emperors such as Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, Caligula and also the early Christians.
Rome should have had many seasons. Stellar cast, and stellar writing.
As someone who's done an extensive study of Cleopatra, I don't like the show's treatment of her. And I love this show!
Literally made her a crack head lol
@@Kai-ow9gi she's on downers bro not stims. she's a dope junkie not a crackhead lol
@@Kai-ow9gi In the final episode, when the Egyptian court has descended into debauchery, Octavian's emissary reports that unlike Anthony, who is intoxicated, Cleopatra remains sober and alert. Often underestimated, she was clever and cunning.
Paelorian her initial behavior seemed nuts tho
@@Kai-ow9gi Yes, she was hitting the pipe pretty hard while in exile from the royal court. Looked like opium, but I'm not a historian of ancient Egyptian drug use. She deserves credit for sobering up and kicking the habit right away when it was time for her to rise to the occasion. That demonstration of her self-control shows how strong and formidable she was. The men usually see her and initially think she's just a harmless little mouse, which has them put her guard down as she expands her influence and strengthens her position of power. She was playing an extremely dangerous game as queen of Egypt and survived a great deal based on her wits. Not a good military mind, though.
Ive watched this 3 times. Love your work and damn it Rome should never have been cancelled. Imagine if it had even half the budget of GoT.
I think it's completely fair to use Shakespeare as an example! The clip of Damian Lewis as Antony is exactly how it should be done; I urge you all to look that monologue up. Two minutes of nothing but him speaking to camera and it's unbelievably dramatically potent; I'm sure James Purefoy would've done equally well.
Every now and then, one discovers a true gem on youtube. Your channel, sir, is one of those. Thank you so much 💐
As a fan of Augustustan Rome since "I, Claudius", I found the absence of both Octavian's first wife and only child Julia and Livia's first husband and thus Tiberius and Drusus from "Rome, Season 2" to be the most jarring omissions.
Good review. I, too, love Rome. It's worth noting that it also provides a nice run-up to the BBC's 1970s epic, I, Claudius. Of course, as 70s tv, it resembles a stage play rather than a movie, but for me is the best BBC historical drama ever. How about a review of I, CLAVDIVS?
yes!
Sounds good.
Great book aswell.
the first 5 minutes of your previous video convinced me to binge both seasons. I am very glad that I did
One of my favorite series' of all time. Truly outstanding performances from everyone....probably the best we'll ever see them in, even the terrific Cerian Hinds.
@Kobe’s Pilot You know what I mean. Like with Band of Brothers.
it's not a mini-series. It's a show canceled after two seasons.
@@muchanadziko6378 You know what I meant. At the time it felt like a two-season thing like Band of Brothers. Didn't realize until later that there was more originally planned, although it made sense since things moved so quickly towards the end.
@@Fugettaboutit I didn't actually know what you meant. And I didn't mean you no offense or whatever.
But I see you edited your comment. Tired of having to reply the same thing once a year? :)
@@muchanadziko6378 No prob, I just assumed at the time it was a two-season thing, so I still refer to it as a 'mini-series', for lack of a better term. But I'm not surprised they had to pull the plug with the cost of it at the time, as well as the whole location burning down and having to be rebuilt.
They still did a great job wrapping it up out of necessity, and I actually liked the fact that it didn't feel like it dragged too long. But it did seem to really accelerate towards the end and we found out why. I still binge it every now and then.
Since you mentioned Alfred the great you are now obliged to do the last kingdom
Not sure how fair it'd be to review that series, seeing as it's an adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's novels and not necessarily history
grippingrope99 it's set in a historical setting though and he did use footage from it in his vikings review so it'll be interesting to learn about alfred and England during the viking invasion, he could compare vikings and the last kingdom in their takes on that era
I understand that it's a historical setting but it's not really following history, just what Cornwell has written, I mean I can understand him doing a video on Vikings (though even that wasn't a proper review as he spent a lot of time talking about what's to come and cause of the time it was made didn't cover Season 4, which was huge) because that's an original show. With The Last Kingdom it would really make more sense to review the books while using clips from the show.
grippingrope99 then it'd more like the timeline review where the show is not accurate but the historical setting is a good basis to talk about the actual events that happened
Yeah I could see that as a good basis for a Last Kingdom review
I'm a simple man; I see a history buff episode and I like it.
I will say that the guy that played Mark Antony in this show hit it out of the damn park! He was awesome
Yeah, he was perfect for the role