Never fails to bring a tear. This is really the first time Livia shows even the smallest amount of humanity, yet it's when she's looking down the one she has VERY slowly murdered. Her own husband... It feels like she's SO close to realizing the horrors of her own actions.
Happy 88th birthday! What a fabulous actress! I am so thrilled to have seen you on Broadway in both Marlene and An Inspector Calls. She knows in real life that she will forever be praised for this role. Apparently, she was recognized in Africa and was asked to say the line and of course gracefully obliged. It's ironic that the other classic speech by Maggie Smith in Clash of the Titans is directed at her.
Thanks for posting this. In the fullness of time we can appreciate this great adaptation of Robert Graves's work and the acting! Minimalist sets and budgets but the acting made that all irrelevant. There were so many outstanding performances in this series. Brian Blessed, Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, Sian Phillips, Margaret Tyzack, George Baker, Patrick Stewart and on and on.
Thank you for commenting :) it really is an impressive series. I tried to start it 3 or 4 years ago but was so put off by the production values that I didn't even make it through the initial scene w Marcellus/Agrippa's Actium row. Gave it another short a year or so ago and WOW, glad I did. Only Sian could have me on Team Livia lol. I also thought whoever played Livilla did a p good job (obv it prob doesnt rank vs the other performances but still thought she deserved a clap)
@@user-yn9yl1gz4d indeed! don't think there was a weak performance in the whole cast. Macro (the great John Rhys-Davies) deserves a shout too for the "he has become a god" speech and the look he gives the senate! Thanks again
@@michaelporzio7384 Your comments inspired a rewatch lol. If you wouldn't mind, could you list a couple of other scenes off the top of your head that you remember being particularly well done? I want to upload a few more from the series since there are so few online but I would end up uploading the whole series haha.
@@user-yn9yl1gz4d Caligula bringing the sea shells to the Senate, after his "battle" with Neptune. Caligula and Incitatus his Senator horse! In fact any scene with late, great John Hurt! Nero and Agrippina (the younger) burning Claudius' will, the "contest" between Messalina and the prostitute, Augustus questioning Julia's assembled lovers, the Praetorians picking Claudius for emperor so they wouldn't lose their jobs. There were so many great scenes!
Almost forgot! Livia's confession to Claudius about all the people she had murdered. Telling Claudius that Drusus (Claudius' father) died of his wounds, but if he hadn't she would have to have had him killed too!
There's a great bit in Claudius the God that didn't make it into the series. After he becomes Emperor, Claudius finds Livia's chest of poisons. He personally takes it out to sea and throws it overboard. Within moments, thousands of dead fish rise to the surface.
You'd never see a television production like this today -- certainly not anywhere on American television, and probably not on British television anymore either. Anyone trying to produce a television program like this today -- with particular emphasis on the word *trying* -- would doubtless feel it necessary to have very dramatic music underpinning the scene instead of allowing the actors and the script to speak for themselves. Sian Phillips has always excelled in roles where she portrays a devious and manipulative antagonist, and this scene really needs no music to pump it up. In fact, it is precisely the minimalist simplicity of this scene which gives it so much potency.
An amazing scene, in a spectacular series, that answers so many questions. At the start of the scene you can see the wheels turning in Augustus head but at the same time he is dying and can no longer speak, and he knows his wife is the culprit the hand behind all of this to place her ungrateful son on the throne. Augustus dies at 1:55 and yet Brian Blessed is such an amazing actor he is able to hold it all together, not breath or blink his eyes, or even twitch just lay there completely still though the entire Livia vindication. She later confesses to Claudius her deeds and other evil acts later in the show.
Even if she knows he is dying, she is dying inside because she has had to kill the only man she really loved. That's what makes her character so fascinating is that she does it for a motive only she understands and deep down hates herself for. In her confession scene to Claudius, she reveals that.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Never fails to bring a tear. This is really the first time Livia shows even the smallest amount of humanity, yet it's when she's looking down the one she has VERY slowly murdered. Her own husband... It feels like she's SO close to realizing the horrors of her own actions.
Happy 88th birthday! What a fabulous actress! I am so thrilled to have seen you on Broadway in both Marlene and An Inspector Calls. She knows in real life that she will forever be praised for this role. Apparently, she was recognized in Africa and was asked to say the line and of course gracefully obliged. It's ironic that the other classic speech by Maggie Smith in Clash of the Titans is directed at her.
Thanks for posting this. In the fullness of time we can appreciate this great adaptation of Robert Graves's work and the acting! Minimalist sets and budgets but the acting made that all irrelevant. There were so many outstanding performances in this series. Brian Blessed, Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, Sian Phillips, Margaret Tyzack, George Baker, Patrick Stewart and on and on.
Thank you for commenting :) it really is an impressive series. I tried to start it 3 or 4 years ago but was so put off by the production values that I didn't even make it through the initial scene w Marcellus/Agrippa's Actium row. Gave it another short a year or so ago and WOW, glad I did. Only Sian could have me on Team Livia lol. I also thought whoever played Livilla did a p good job (obv it prob doesnt rank vs the other performances but still thought she deserved a clap)
@@user-yn9yl1gz4d indeed! don't think there was a weak performance in the whole cast. Macro (the great John Rhys-Davies)
deserves a shout too for the "he has become a god" speech and the look he gives the senate! Thanks again
@@michaelporzio7384 Your comments inspired a rewatch lol. If you wouldn't mind, could you list a couple of other scenes off the top of your head that you remember being particularly well done? I want to upload a few more from the series since there are so few online but I would end up uploading the whole series haha.
@@user-yn9yl1gz4d Caligula bringing the sea shells to the Senate, after his "battle" with Neptune. Caligula and Incitatus his Senator horse! In fact any scene with late, great John Hurt! Nero and Agrippina (the younger) burning Claudius' will, the "contest" between Messalina and the prostitute, Augustus questioning Julia's assembled lovers, the Praetorians picking Claudius for emperor so they wouldn't lose their jobs. There were so many great scenes!
Almost forgot! Livia's confession to Claudius about all the people she had murdered. Telling Claudius that Drusus (Claudius' father) died of his wounds, but if he hadn't she would have to have had him killed too!
There's a great bit in Claudius the God that didn't make it into the series. After he becomes Emperor, Claudius finds Livia's chest of poisons. He personally takes it out to sea and throws it overboard. Within moments, thousands of dead fish rise to the surface.
“Don’t eat the figs …”
Fantastic. That last long scene took amazing self control.
You'd never see a television production like this today -- certainly not anywhere on American television, and probably not on British television anymore either. Anyone trying to produce a television program like this today -- with particular emphasis on the word *trying* -- would doubtless feel it necessary to have very dramatic music underpinning the scene instead of allowing the actors and the script to speak for themselves. Sian Phillips has always excelled in roles where she portrays a devious and manipulative antagonist, and this scene really needs no music to pump it up. In fact, it is precisely the minimalist simplicity of this scene which gives it so much potency.
Tiberius says once that he never saw Livia shed a single tear for her own son Drusus. Nice that he sees Livia wipe away a tear for Augustus.
An amazing scene, in a spectacular series, that answers so many questions. At the start of the scene you can see the wheels turning in Augustus head but at the same time he is dying and can no longer speak, and he knows his wife is the culprit the hand behind all of this to place her ungrateful son on the throne. Augustus dies at 1:55 and yet Brian Blessed is such an amazing actor he is able to hold it all together, not breath or blink his eyes, or even twitch just lay there completely still though the entire Livia vindication. She later confesses to Claudius her deeds and other evil acts later in the show.
Best death ever, an astounding series. 23 hours of genius.
More like 10 hours? Unless I'm missing something (!)
Livia after poisoning Augustus: "By the way. Don't touch the figs..."
Tiberius: *Stops eating a fig* "Sorry, mother. What did you say?"
If Livia knew the future...
Livia: "Nothing dear, finish your food."
This is one of the most convincing death scenes
Pity Livia's comment "don't touch the figs" was omitted here.
I tried to include it but it kept blocking my upload over copyright :( it is a great line
1:45 the moment of death.
‘And by the way, don’t touch the bottled water.’
-Vladimir Putin
Don touch the figs.
In all my years watching TV drama,I have NEVER watched anything to compare with the acting,script and shear potency of I Claudius -NEVER!!
an Al Bundy moment..."take me now, PLEASE!"
Ahaha. 1:13 is perfect for "Oh god she's still blathering on"
Fer figs sake !
Put your hand in the box.
Lydia knows her husband is dead, but she keeps scolding his dead body.
no. it's pretty clear Livia does not know Augustus is dead until the last "no". ~Chara
Even if she knows he is dying, she is dying inside because she has had to kill the only man she really loved. That's what makes her character so fascinating is that she does it for a motive only she understands and deep down hates herself for. In her confession scene to Claudius, she reveals that.
Italian Romans would have died differently