Rome - The Complete First Season (DVD, 2006, 6-Disc Set)

This is an amazing series. I've seen it before and just wanted my own copy. The costumes, staging, sound, dialogue, casting, everything about this is just top notch. The historical accuracy is very good, the added features on the DVD are well worth exploring as well. I could watch this over and over.

This is my review of 'Rome'. I ordered it sight-unseen. When it came I was pleasantly surprised to find a very rugged box which opened in a manner that gave absolute protection to its contents. I wished every boxed set came like this. Inside was the usual fold-out box containing the discs, as well as a small booklet. Overall I would give it an extra star just for the packaging.


First, it was not as historical as I would have liked. They seem to have had trouble finding a strong, self-serving female character to match what is written about succeeding generations (Julia Livia, Valeria Messalina and Agrippina the Younger), so they took two fairly ordinary women and made them into earlier counterparts. History records very little about Atia, mother of Gaius Octavias, and Servilia, mother of Marcus Brutus, as respectable and pious women. On the other hand where would the fun be in that?


And 'Rome' is meant to be fun. Brutal, decadent, violent and dirty fun, but fun nonetheless. What it does tell of historic events, from the struggle between Caesar and Pompey to the final fight between Octavius and Marcus Antonius, it weaves a tale of intrigue and war covering the fall of the Republic to the creation of the Empire, and it weaves it very well. All the characters get plenty of air time, and all remain true to their belief in Mother Rome. They just have different feelings about how that belief could be best fulfilled.


My only other complaint would be about the major battles. They are rarely seen onscreen, and when they are it's usually wrong. That said, the local tactics, how the soldiers actually did the fighting, is carefully explained. It seemed odd to me, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the show itself.


The two main "fictional" characters, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, were real people, and the only "average" men mentioned by Caesar in his own writings. They are only mentioned once, in reference to an action the two carried out, so the characters we get here are indeed wholly fictional. That said, they help carry the story along and show what life was like for the common Roman citizen.


I started with the "bad". My complaints really are minor, and the good of the show far outweighs the bad. For me the best part of the boxed set was the extras on the discs. There is a feature called 'All Roads Lead To Rome'. It enables an onscreen explanation for much of the action. When a character makes an offering to a god it tells you who that god was and why and how offerings were made. When a major historical character takes an action it tells you more about what was going on, what they said, what they did and what they wrote about it afterwards.


I have many complaints, all of them minor, but overall 'Rome' is well written, well directed, well acted, well packaged and well worth the money.

Awesome series. I recommend it to anyone although I don't suggest watching it with young children around at all.

If you were ever curious as to why ancient Romans did the things they did this well researched story answers a lot of questions,I think it's one of the best series ever made,while some of the people are fictional,the story is based on history.

The movie set was in excellant condition. I would recommend
the mini series to anyone that has an interest in historical
Roman history.