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Rome - The Complete First Two Seasons

starring: Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Polly Walker, Kerry Condon, James Purefoy
directed by: Adam Davidson, Alan Poul, Alan Taylor, Alik Sakharov, Allen Coulter

: Rome - The Complete First Two Seasons
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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
EAN: 0026359795527
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Label: Hbo Home Video
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
Number Of Items: 11
Publisher: Hbo Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: August 07, 2007
Running Time: 1320 minutes
Sales Rank: 66
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: August 28, 2005



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Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 08/07/2007

Amazon.com:
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 bloodily splatters the glory of Rome just as savagely as Monty Python and the Holy Grail soiled the good name of Camelot (but with far fewer laughs; very few funny things happen on the way to this forum). Set in 52 B.C. (Before Cable), 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 hour alone, she offers her already married daughter as a bride to the recently widowed Pompey. Rome is a painstakingly mounted production that earned eight well-deserved Emmy nominations in such categories as costumes, set design, and art direction. Michael Apted (Coal Miner's Daughter) was honored with a Director's Guild Award for the first episode, 'The Stolen Eagle.' But artistic considerations aside, instantly addicted viewers will agree with Atia, who notes at one point, 'I adore the secrecy, the intrigue. It's most thrilling.'

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 (Kevin McKidd) and Titus 'Violence is the only trade I know' Pullo (Ray Stevenson), 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 (an Emmy-worthy Polly Walker), 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's second season does not scrimp on the series' sex and violence, in both cases exceedingly brutal. But in this cauldron of treachery and betrayal, words, too, are vicious, as when a defiant Atia ominously tells Octavian's new wife, Livia, 'Far better women that you have sworn to [destroy me]. Go look for them now.' 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



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Magic BBC & HBO Collaboration
The BBC has a justified worldwide reputation for producing top-draw dramas, and HBO has a reputation ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Rome, Seasons 1 and 2
This series is great! I've watched many shows about Rome(a notable one being I, Claudias) but this is ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Awesome to watch
Loved the series, hoping for season 3. This is a great series based on history.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Rome: Television's finest hours
This captivating, compelling, culturally accurate rendition of ancient Rome is a well-written, acted, ... Read More


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars - Ordering Both Seasons from Amazon is Most Likely a Bootleg
DVD's and case are made of good quality material. All DVD's are viewable, but are similar to the 'Complete ... Read More

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Copyright ©2003, Mark Carey.