Watch Rome!
I just watched the two seasons of HBO’s Rome on DVD and absolutely adored it. I am biased as I am a huge Roman history aficionado and Octavian (Augustus) has always been my role model/idol.
Their depiction of Roman life – the social mores, the politics and daily life – are exactly how I envisioned them to be. The story is well known, but its telling is extremely well done and the intrigue is fascinating.
Fabrice,
i devoured the two seaons as well – great execution, good acting and just such a fascinating historical story. too bad they cut it down after two seasons rather than continuing as planned.
I loved “Rome” too. Another great TV series is “I, Claudius”, which is about the Roman Emperor Claudius. Claudius was born with deformities and a stutter and everyone thought he was a simpleton. However, he was actually very clever and outsmarted everyone. He ended up becoming a very effective and long-reigning Emperor. Like in “Rome”, the authenticity of the costumes, scenery and depiction of Roman society makes it fascinating to watch. The palace intrigues (including the Machiavellian schemes of Claudius’ mother Livia, who was instrumental in bringing him to power) are totally absorbing. I highly recommend it. I’m sure it’s available on DVD.
What particular part of Agustus did you like in particular. Seems like he was a bit of a ruthless aggregator of power. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus ) ( also see 48 laws of power, Robert Greene for a good explanation on standard operating procedures of this type of folk ) BTW:I liked I Clavdivs too!