Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good series...but wish it covered more, 11 Jul 2008
Having been a history buff at school and since then reliant on the odd TV series or Hollywood remake, I decided to try out this series. It focuses on the period when the Roman Republic was crumbling (~52BC) up to the fall of Rome (476AD). I must say this was a very good series to watch, with lots of political intrigue, assassinations and some battles thrown in. The format was different with it part narrated and part dramatized, but it works quite well. The standout episode was the second one covering Nero. The actor (Michael Sheen) portraying the mad Emperor was outstanding, though I was surprised that there was no mention of the persecution of Christians in the Great Fire story.
I only gave it 4 stars because I think Ancient Rome had other critical periods too, such as the Punic Wars and the epic battles against Hannibal, and of course what happened directly after Caesar's assassination. A lot of the BBC history series tend to limit themselves to 6 episodes but I am one of those people that want more information. I think some more could have been added as extras to this DVD set. Nevertheless, I rate it very highly and recommend it happily.
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52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable but flawed, 19 April 2008
This DVD consists of 6 episodes each covering an event which took place during the period of the Roman Empire and which the creators consider to be pivotal. The format is a docu-drama - by that I mean that within each episode there are a number of actors playing roles of famous romans, who follow a script which portrays the events that took place. To deal with the obvious problem of how to make sure we know what the events and characters are talking about, there is a commentary filling in the gaps - delivered by one of those chaps you hear in cinema adverts - with a confident, strong delivery method which implies he is delivering the information as if it were the 10 commandments written on tablets of stone. So, confident that of course none of the events or incidents could ever be considered untrue or have some analysis behind them.
This format has its benefits and drawbacks. The characters in the drama sections are played by well known and therefore good actors who deliver the lines well. The battle scenes are not what one would expect from a movie set but are not bad given what I would expect of the BBC budget. This format is therefore excellent for keeping attention, as its short bursts of good acting followed by a dialogue on the events but overall its also disappointing as the events chosen are completely separate from each other, whereas if this was a drama there would be consistency throughout and it ends up being neither one thing or the other.. The events covered are also not necessarilly everyones choice covering ; including fun stuff like Ceasar & Nero and Constantine but also less well know pieces like the Jewish Revot.
In summary I am not a great fan of this format as if the BBC was going to take the time and money to pay these good actors and build these scenes why not make a drama series along the lines of HBO Rome or I Claudius, you can't beat the romans for intrigue, places, events, scandal, sex, politics, battle scenes etc.. etc.. To me this format is a compromise which fails its a documentary of events, where actors play characters, but, there is no historical analysis as one would expect in a documentary series and no real chance for the actors to let loose or build a story line as if this were a drama series. On the postiive side its diverting well acted with some nice shots so easy watching.
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80 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The good, the bad and the mad of Rome, 29 Mar 2007
This series focuses on six people and events that influenced the course of Roman civilization including Julius Caesar, the Emperor Nero, the Jewish rebellion and Constantine's conversion to Christianity. Although there are many things left out of the drama documentary, all the episodes are generally historically accurate, although many events shown could be interpreted differently to that shown. All the main characters have been well cast but specific credit must go to Michael Sheen for giving a brilliantly mad performance as the Emperor Nero. My favourite episodes in the series have to be `Rebellion', about the Jewish revolt, and the final episode `The Fall of Rome' as these were the two things in the series that I knew the least about. Although some people may disagree with some of the people and events presented in the series, Ancient Rome is still a well thought out and entertaining series.
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