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Family dysfunction. Treachery. Betrayal. Coarse profanity. Brutal violence. Graphic (and sometimes brutal) sex. No, it's not The Sopranos, it's Rome, HBO's madly ambitious series that transfixed viewers with its lavishly mounted spectacle and human dramas of the historical figures and fictional characters. Set in 52 B.C., Rome charts the dramatic shifts in the balance of power between former friends Pompey Magnus (Kenneth Cranham), leader of the Senate, and Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds), whose imminent return after eight years to Rome after conquering the Gauls, has the ruling class up in arms. At the heart of Rome is the odd couple friendship between two soldiers who fortuitously become heroes of the people. Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) is married, honorable, and steadfast. Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) is an amoral rogue whose philosophy is best summed up, "I kill my enemies, take their gold, and enjoy their women." Among Rome's most compelling subplots is Lucius's strained relationship with his wife, Niobe (Indira Varma), who is surprised to see her husband alive (but not as surprised as he is to find her upon his homecoming with a newborn baby in her arms!). Any viewer befuddlement over Rome's intrigues and machinations, and determining who is hero and who is foe, disappears the minute Golden Globe-nominee Polly Walker appears as Atia, Caesar's formidable niece and a villainess for the ages. In the first episode alone, she offers her already married daughter as a bride to the recently widowed Pompey, and the viewer eagerly awaits to see what (or who) she'll do next.
Season 2 begins in the wake of Julius Caesar's assassination, and charts the power struggle to fill his sandals between "vulgar beast" Mark Antony (James Purefoy) and "clever boy" Octavian (Simon Woods), who is surprisingly named Caesar's sole heir. The series' most compelling relationship is between fellow soldiers and unlikely friends, the honorable Lucius Vorenus and Titus "Violence is the only trade I know" Pullo, who somewhat reverse roles when Vorenus is overcome with grief in the wake of his wife's suicide. Season 2 considerably ups the ante in the rivalry between Atia, who is Antony's mistress, and Servilia (Lindsay Duncan) with attempted poisonings and sickening torture. Another gripping subplot is Vorenus's estrangement from his children, who, at the climax of the season opener are presumed slaughtered, but whose true fate may be even more devastating to the father who cursed them.
Rome is a painstakingly mounted production that earned well-deserved Emmy nominations in such categories as costumes, set design, and art direction. In writing Rome's epitaph, we come to praise this series, not to bury it. Although two seasons was not enough to establish a Rome empire, it stands as one of HBO's crowning achievements. --Donald Liebenson
From the Studio
Four hundred years after the founding of the Republic, Rome is the wealthiest city in the world, a cosmopolitan metropolis of one million people, epicenter of a sprawling empire. But now, the city's foundations are crumbling, eaten away by corruption and excess...And two soldiers unwittingly become entwined in historical events, their fates inexorably tied to the fate of Rome itself. The entire award-winning, critically-acclaimed series will be available as a gift set, just in time for the holiday season.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece,
By Drew Petersen "stargazer34" (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Rome: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
If you are looking for Jerry Bruckheimer explosions and epic eye candy (to try and make up for a brain dead script), look elsewhere.Rome contains all the aspects of a great story...betrayals, great battles, great victories, terrible defeats, tragedies, love, hatred, revenge.. You name it, Rome probably has it. More than that, this a no holds barred view of Roman life during one of the greatest periods of Western civilization. Probably the most refreshing about Rome is that it contains little PC-obsessed and censorship-obsessed sugar coating. This is how it really was or as close as we can portray in modern times. Sit back and watch the birth of an Empire that formed the bedrock upon which our present day Western civilization resides. The bluray version is amazing in it's video quality and sound. Even the intro menus are very well done and give nothing away.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rome the Complete series,
This review is from: Rome: The Complete Series (DVD)
I loved this DVD. We watched it over a period of nights and thouroughly enjoyed it. I had seen it before, but saw a lot of things I had missed the first time. I would reccommend it to anyone. It was very authentic and I loved the friendship between Lucius Verenus and Titus Pullo. They were so completely different yet became the best of friends. A must see Series.
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
This series will BLOW YOU AWAY!,
By
This review is from: Rome: The Complete Series (DVD)
Wow! Rome is probably the most entertaining and fun series I have seen on TV. This is an absolute must to watch at some point. This is HBO so beware it is a series for Adults. They spent a lot of money on sets and production to make this series authentic and it shows... I was disappointed there is no 3rd season. Essentially this series covers Julius Ceaser and the fall of the republic until the fall of Anthony and Cleopatra. The show really brings the time period to life in a way that makes you yearn for more knowledge of the period and more episodes. Wildly entertaining from large scale battles, political intrigue, relationships, etc. I am sure there are historical inaccuracies but unless you are a History Prof. you will gain tons of insight on the time period and gain a lot of respect for the ancestors living in that time period... all while being entertained beyond belief. TOP MARKS!
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