I, Claudius/The Epic That Never Was
starring Derek Jacobi, John Hurt,
Siân Phillips, Brian Blessed, George
Baker
This Series Is The Bbc At Its Best
This superbly acted, mordantly funny romp through 70 years or so of
Roman history is one of the best-loved miniseries ever made, and
deservedly so. Derek Jacobi plays Roman Emperor Claudius, who reflects
in old age on his life and his remarkable family, giving us a history lesson
thats unlike anything you learned in school. The story begins in 24 B.C.
during the reign of Augustus Caesar, Romes first emperor, and ends in
A.D. 54 with Nero on the throne. In between, I, Claudius details the
scheming, murder, madness, and lust that passed for politics in the early
years of the Pax Romana. The biggest worm in the Roman apple is
Augustuss wife, Livia (the superb Siân Phillips), whose single-minded
pursuit of power shapes the destiny of the Empire. With a carefully planted
rumor here and a poisoned fig there, she gradually maneuvers her son,
Tiberius, toward the throne, creating an atmosphere of suspicion and
treachery that starts Rome on its helter-skelter slide into bloody chaos.
Phillips somehow makes us understand this extraordinarily wicked woman.
As she ages and her carefully wrought webs begin to unravel, it becomes
clear that Livia has been as thoroughly poisoned by her own ambition as
her victims were by her carefully prepared meals. Further acting honors
go to George Baker as Tiberius, who resists but eventually succumbs to
the destiny forced upon him by his mother, and to John Hurt as a hilarious
and absolutely terrifying Caligula. In one breathtakingly tense scene, the
mad Emperor performs a dance in drag, then asks Claudius to critique it,
perfectly capturing the horror of a world where one wrong word means
death, or worse. Jacobi is the perfect Claudius, hiding his intelligence
behind a crippling stammer and shuffling around the edges of events--until
he finds himself pulled to the very center. His wry comments give shape to
the tangled story of his family and help the audience make sense of a
dauntingly complex cast of characters. I, Claudius might seem a little
studio-bound to viewers brought up on more recent big-budget costume
dramas, but the topnotch cast and the incident-filled plot are more than
enough to hold the attention through almost 11 hours of gripping,
deliciously wicked Roman follies. This boxed set also includes a
documentary entitled The Epic That Never Was, about Alexander Kordas
failed attempt to film I, Claudius in 1937. The film, directed by Josef von
Sternberg and starring Charles Laughton as Claudius and Merle Oberon
as Messalina, was abandoned unfinished, and it remains one of
Hollywoods great lost movies. --Simon Leake
After you have seen this production, you can see why Masterpiece Theater
has the excellent reputation for its productions, particularly the early years.
You have to be familiar with going to plays to appreciate the style it is done
in, as it is like going to a London West End play. The new generation who
has never been exposed would probably find it difficult to watch.
What a treat to see Derek Jacobi, William Hurt, and all excellent theater
people in this production. A diabolical plot of Rome gone mad whose
character perform incest, poisoning, and murder makes you glad that you
did not live in that period.
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