Rome

[Grace]

Got all the episodes in my netflix..ready for me to start watching since Ive never seen it. Reviews were good..but I thought Id ask y'alls opinion anyway. I also have The Tudors sitting in there as well but decided to go with Rome first.

 

[rightwinger]

It took a few episodes to get caught up in it, but I became addicted quickly. Good historical perspective and some really nasty infighting and betrayal.

Lots of sex and violence like any good HBO drama

 

[Blagger]

Rome has been the best HBO/BBC collabration so far. I was hooked after the first episode. And as far as I can tell, it's historically accurate. But what's even more interesting, and I've written this before, is that Centurion Lucius Vorenus and Legionary Titus Pullo actually existed. They were mentioned in Ceasar's Bello Gallico. They didn't hold the rank they hold in Rome, they were both Centurions. Ceasar wrote about how Vorenus and Pullo went from bitter rivals to lasting friends in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico. Pullo and Vorenus were fierce rivals for promotion to primus pilus, the most senior centurion in a legion. Both distinguished themselves in 54 BC when the Nervii attacked the legion under Quintus Cicero in their winter quarters in Nervian territory. In an effort to outdo Vorenus, Pullo charged out of the fortified camp and attacked the enemy, but was soon wounded and surrounded. Vorenus followed and engaged his attackers in hand-to-hand combat, killing one and driving the rest back, but lost his footing and was himself soon surrounded. Pullo in turn rescued Vorenus, and after killing several of the enemy, the pair returned to camp amid applause from their comrades.

But after you've watched a couple, tell me this, IMEURU/Grace: would Rome have been half as good if the characters weren't played by British actors and actresses? It's nothing against America, or Canada, even - it's just that for an antiquity-themed show to really convince the audience, the cast have to be Brits.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

[rightwinger]

Yes Brits have the best Roman accents....even better than Italians

 

[Grace]

Thanks for the input. I look forward to starting the longggggggggg sessions of watching it. I loved Spartacus...so Im hoping Rome has the same effect.

Concerning accents of the actors...Ive often wondered why italian accents are not used in those scenarios/locations. Its almost like having Australian accents to play Hawaiian roles, isnt it? lol

 

[Trajan]

its almost a complete fantasy, like 80% of it, go with the tudors...sorry but there it is.

I'd watch I Claudius , the gold standard if you ask me for Masterpiece theatre, its a bit of fantasy too, but the acting is VERY much superior and it VERY much more historically accurate.

 

[Grace]

Tudors will be next, Trajan. But thank you for the input as well. I look forward to seeing them all. Ill begin tonight at 9pm and it could be an all nighter. Dont know yet until I see the first epi.

 

[Grace]

I have to get the dvds in the mail for Rome...so I went ahead and started The Tudors. Watched up to Episode 3 and quit.
I know this sounds weird, but I cant watch movies that star people I dislike or feel they dont do a very good job at portraying someone. The actor that played Henry just didnt cut it for me. The actress that played Anne Bohlen made me shudder. Add to the fact it was boring, too many shenanigans all crammed in at once where it was hard to know who was doing what to whom and why...I just couldnt get "in" to it. So.....now I await Rome, Season 1 via snail mail.

 

[Grace]

Well..yesterday I got my first disc in from netflix. Season 1, epis 1 and 2.
Im not thrilled. Yet. Ill get another disc in a few days, but if it doesnt "do" something after epi 3 and 4...Im done. Just isnt floating my boat so far. Only actor with true acting skills is the dude with the hole drilled in his head. The rest are like fence posts.

 

[ekrem]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XCwGCIKD0Q]YouTube - Magnificent Century - * English Subtitles * - Episode 1[/ame]

 

[Grace]

danggit, ekrem!!! THAT caught me within the first 15 minutes! And I was fixing to TRY to go to sleep. Guess I wont now. Sheesh.

I didnt catch most of which sultan. Sulieman the Magnificent?

 

[Grace]

Ah!!! The SON of sultan suleiman! Selim II?

Never mind...Im back to watch the movie!

 

[ekrem]

danggit, ekrem!!! THAT caught me within the first 15 minutes! And I was fixing to TRY to go to sleep. Guess I wont now. Sheesh.

I didnt catch most of which sultan. Sulieman the Magnificent?

It tells the love-story of Roxelana and Suleyman the Magnificient.
Roxelana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Suleiman the Magnificent - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But it's much more then a love-story.
The story begins with Suleiman hunting in forests of Manisa when the diplomatic-cable arrives him, that his Father died and he must return immediately to the capital to take over the throne.

 

[Grace]

I get them mixed up. Selim actually married an english woman. Their sun was Suleiman the Magnificent. But what throws me off is SELIM is the one that did master jewelry making...not Suleiman. Unless he picked it up from his father and carried it on.
Anyway....Im hooked. Its on pause now.
Off to watch the rest of it..then Ill see where the heck the rest of the epis are for tomorrow. Hell, maybe even a few more tonight.

 

[ekrem]

I get them mixed up. Selim actually married an english woman. Their sun was Suleiman the Magnificent. But what throws me off is SELIM is the one that did master jewelry making...not Suleiman. Unless he picked it up from his father and carried it on.
Anyway....Im hooked. Its on pause now.
Off to watch the rest of it..then Ill see where the heck the rest of the epis are for tomorrow. Hell, maybe even a few more tonight.

No. Sultan Selim is already dead, you don't see him. He is just referenced 2-3 times.
He was Sultan and father of Prince Suleyman. His wife is still in the plot, Sultana Valide (Mother-Sultan). It's the woman who carries the hair-jewels.
The Mother Sultan is the absolute BOSS in the Harem. And the Harem is not a whorehouse, but where the Sultan actually lives.

The other man on Suleyman's side is his best friend the Christian-convert Theo of Parga (Ibrahim Pasha), who will become Grand Vizier of Empire and who has a secret love-story with Princess Hatice, the sister of Suleiman.
He is also the greatest hindrance to Roxelana's rise to power as Ibrahim Pasha has a pact with Sultana Mahidevran, the woman who gave birth to Suleyman's 1st son, Prince Mustapha.
The Sultans didn't marry to women, women only functioned to produce male heirs and once they gave birth to a male their status increased in the hierarchy.
Roxelana will become 1st woman married by a Sultan in the history.

It's all historically accurate.
It's a fantastic plot. And in first 3-4 episodes it mainly centers around the Harem, giving insight on the personalities and how they stand to each other and how they intrigue against each other.

Later the plot widens dramatically to venues outside of Harem.

 

[Douger]

Here's something that's actually informative.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3DXNeL9bNQ&feature=related]YouTube - BBC HD - The Monkey-Eating Eagle of the Orinoco-001[/ame]

 

[Grace]

I cant find part two!

 

[ekrem]

I cant find part two!

I'll find it for you.

 

[Grace]

I get them mixed up. Selim actually married an english woman. Their sun was Suleiman the Magnificent. But what throws me off is SELIM is the one that did master jewelry making...not Suleiman. Unless he picked it up from his father and carried it on.
Anyway....Im hooked. Its on pause now.
Off to watch the rest of it..then Ill see where the heck the rest of the epis are for tomorrow. Hell, maybe even a few more tonight.

No. Sultan Selim is already dead, you don't see him. He is just referenced 2-3 times.
He was Sultan and father of Prince Suleyman. His wife is still in the plot, Sultana Valide (Mother-Sultan). It's the woman who carries the hair-jewels.
The Mother Sultan is the absolute BOSS in the Harem. And the Harem is not a whorehouse, but where the Sultan actually lives.

The other man on Suleyman's side is his best friend the Christian-convert Theo of Parga (Ibrahim Pasha), who will become Grand Vizier of Empire and who has a secret love-story with Princess Hatice, the sister of Suleiman.
He is also the greatest hindrance to Roxelana's rise to power as Ibrahim Pasha has a pact with Sultana Mahidevran, the woman who gave birth to Suleyman's 1st son, Prince Mustapha.
The Sultans didn't marry to women, women only functioned to produce male heirs and once they gave birth to a male their status increased in the hierarchy.
Roxelana will become 1st woman married by a Sultan in the history.

It's all historically accurate.
It's a fantastic plot. And in first 3-4 episodes it mainly centers around the Harem, giving insight on the personalities and how they stand to each other and how they intrigue against each other.

Later the plot widens dramatically to venues outside of Harem.

Ah, but he DID marry Roxelana...in a secret christian marriage. And from what I remember, Mustafa was a perv so they got that part right. He grew up to be disgusting as a young man. Sultan Valide is indeed boss...of the harem. As mother to the reigning sultan, she has absolute power, yes. But only what he allows her to have. However, under him, is her. THEN his kadins...which are above the harem girls because they gave children (birth) to his children...which made them Kadins.
My memory is foggy, but Suleiman wasnt called the magnificent for nothing. He was very powerful, very smart, and Roxelana was very knowledable as well...which helped him know whats going on in europe. From my understanding, she was English, not Russian. But still a christian, which he was interested in. He could not let his people or those closest to him know of her insistence of a christian marriage...so it was kept forever hidden.
The claim is she (sultan Valida) died. But she didnt. Conspiracy theories are that she was smuggled out and returned to england, then wound up in Scotland. Why did she leave? Because when Selim died and Suleiman grew older, HIS wife tried to poison her. Her own daughter in law. Instead of causing grief to her son by ratting on his bitchy "favorite", she left the only way she could besides being tied in a sack and thrown in the sea. Being sultan valida gave her the power to do this without being caught although it was very dangerous. They had sons....Sultan Valida and Selim...and all were killed so none could claim Suleimans status as sultan. Except one. He was supposedly smuggled out as well and sent to relatives in England but was claimed to be dead due to illness.
Some of it I remember..some of it I dont. Facsinating stuff, though.

But if you could help me figure out where part 2 is..Id appreciate it. None of it is in order in youtube and the titles are all unreadable to me becuase those are NOT in english. At least, not that Ive found.

Its all your fault..so now you have to help me find the rest of the episodes..in order!!

 

[Grace]

It is finally now catching my interest. I have seen 6 episodes so far. I think it's 6. First season. Netflix, dvd non instant stream, so it's going to be a long process. But at least there is a flicker of interest to see the next one when it arrives next tuesday.