Rome: The Complete Series (DVD, 2009, 11-Disc Set)

Be cautioned that you may have trouble watching this series on certain DVD players. Disk #1 would not read or play on 2 of 3 DVD players I put it in, but worked properly in my PC DVD drive. Disks #2 and #3 worked in all three DVD players; I haven't tested the other disks yet in the regular DVD players. According to other reports I found, this appears to be a problem with the disk manufacturing process. For the most part the series is well done, and the "All Roads Lead to Rome" historical context pop-ups include "Press Enter for More" screens intended for PC access, so watching it on my PC is not all bad.

Having seen this series offered for sale in Wal-Mart (where music is frequently edited to remove explicit content) I was a little surprised at the copious amount of casual full-frontal male and female nudity and frequent sex scenes. While the series is not quite hardcore X-rated, it is certainly way past the R-rated movies I've seen. It should definitely carry an NC-17 rating. Some folks claim that the Romans actually had this much casual nudity and sex, but I'm not used to seeing it shown in modern productions. Next time I consider purchasing a Made-for-HBO product I'll keep that in mind.


Other than that, however, I'm pretty impressed. The plot is very interesting, and the storyline is well-crafted within the framework of actual historical events.

I have not opened the set, as I bought it as a Christmas gift for a dear friend who dotes on Rome, its history, artifacts, etc. I was very pleased to find the unopened DVD set for such a nice price. GJ

There has never been a series that has re-told the lives of the Romans as this DVD set has. The stories from the men and women of power and the stories of their subjects, aristocrat to peasant. All are brought to life in this saga. The drama of the rise to power of the first imperial dictator or Caesar and all the political factions that removed him in the epic form of power are to be seen in this DVD series. It is a must buy for any person that enjoys the study of the Classics, History and life in antiquity.

I liked the HBO series a lot and would recommend it to any one that would like a well done story. The nudity makes it not suitable for children. The story takes place in 50 BC and follows the lives of two solders. The story made me feel like I was living in ROME at the time. It took new two weeks to watch the movie,a section each evening. Very well done

An insight into roman life and historical events around the time of Julius Caesar. It shows the life of several families in different social politicial and economical status.
How the rich "owned" the present and future existance of the others and how the powerful conspired agaisnt each other.