[ TV ] Rome (HBO) 2006-2007

mTk

mTk

FGM Lieutenant General
FGM MEMBER
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
Messages
12,471
Reaction score
9,350
Location
Montara, CA near San Francisco
Oh, my. Has it been that long? I didn't remember much about this series other than I liked it. I'm finding that I am probably enjoying it even more now given my interest in all things Rome over the last decade. And enjoying it I am ! There are instances where I notice they gloss over some of the facts a bit. And many of the "crowd" scenes are taken close up, but there is very little to quibble about and much to appreciate. One needs to keep in mind it is historical fiction and not a documentary. Their attention to detail, sets, clothing, armor, etc. is just marvelous.

" The series (22 episodes) features a sprawling cast of characters, many of whom are based on real figures from historical records, but the lead protagonists are ultimately two soldiers named Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, who find their lives intertwined with key historical events. Rome was initially a ratings success for HBO and the BBC, though the numbers declined considerably in the second season. The series received much media attention from the start, and was honored with numerous awards and nominations in its two-season run. The series was filmed in various locations, but most notably in the Cinecittà studios in Italy." - Wiki

Vorenus and Pullo are great fun to watch them interact as they are almost complete opposites and their (and others) banter has created some wonderful quotes.

Scipio: What a dreadful noise plebes make when they are happy.

Vorenus: Fortune pisses on me.

Atia: A woman's husband is no use to anyone. And your servants! What a fuss! I think you feed them too much.

Pullo: I have simple tastes. I like to kill my enemies, take their gold and enjoy their women. That's it. Why tie yourself to one? Where's the flavor? Where's the joy?
Vorenus: Pullo, when is the last time you had a woman who wasn't crying or wanting payment?
Pullo:

Atia: By the five furies. If I were not a genteel woman I'd have you flayed and hung from a bracket at the door. Castor!
Castor: Yes domina?
Atia: Fetch the dogs!

[Upon finding Rome unprotected by Pompey's troops]
Vorenus: (Aghast) This can only mean the Republic has fallen.
Pullo: Yet the sky is still above us and the earth still below. Strange.
Vorenus: How could Mars allow such a thing to happen?
Pullo: Maybe he was out having a crap and missed it.

Pullo: So what's your price then?
Madame: One thousand.
Pullo: Gerrhae! I could have half the whores in Narbo for that, and their mothers!
Madame: We're not in Narbo, wherever that might be.
Pullo: Alright, my dove, we'll pay, but the girl better f**k like Helen of Troy with her arse on fire, or I'll know the reason why!

Many more, but I don't think I can top that one. I found Rome on DTV On Demand and suspect it is on Amazon and Netflix as well. Hail Ceasar!

JTZJkP8.jpg
 
HBO Rome is very well done. I enjoyed it immensely.

We tried to watch Game of Thrones, but the fantasy aspect and porn was distracting.

If HBO ever builds a few more seasons of Rome, with the budget it deserves, the result would be epic ... and awesome.
 
mTk said:
Did you notice the Romans shifting/relieving the front rank on Vorenus' whistle? I thought that was a really nice touch by the director. Took up precious film seconds that wouldn't have been missed at all by John Q Public. And he did it twice! :cheerso:
Click to expand...

Yes, I did. That's what made me realize this series would be well written and historically rational.
That scene is the best demonstration I've ever seen explaining how Roman ranks rotated forward in melee.
 
mTk said:
Did you notice the Romans shifting/relieving the front rank on Vorenus' whistle? I thought that was a really nice touch by the director. Took up precious film seconds that wouldn't have been missed at all by John Q Public. And he did it twice! :cheerso:
Click to expand...
Yeah this was literally my favorite and most memorable scene to me. I have no idea how historically accurate it is, but does makes sense. Surely there was things like this (whistles/flags, etc) used to bring some method to the madness of ancient warfare.
 
MeatEtr said:
Yeah this was literally my favorite and most memorable scene to me. I have no idea how historically accurate it is, but does makes sense. Surely there was things like this (whistles/flags, etc) used to bring some method to the madness of ancient warfare.
Click to expand...

The other thing I wondered about was how they closed a gap when a legionary in the front row got wounded or killed - step over him, pull him back, stand on him?

It’s always one of my greatest annoyances in so many movie scenes that nobody fights ancient or medieval battles in formations ... Vikings a good exception. Game of Thrones guilty of that a LOT.

And I have never seen a Roman battle scene in a movie where they throw the volleys of pilum — big thing missing in opening scene battle of Gladiator.
When those Germanic warriors charged, first thing they would’ve received was a shower of pilum in their faces at 25 paces.
 
Rico said:
<snipped>
And I have never seen a Roman battle scene in a movie where they throw the volleys of pilum — big thing missing in opening scene battle of Gladiator.
When those Germanic warriors charged, first thing they would’ve received was a shower of pilum in their faces at 25 paces.
Click to expand...

I suspect that's because no film maker ever figured out how to throw pila at each other safely between stunt crews . . . :eek: Someday, a good CGI team will figure it out and we'll see it then.
 
Loved this series, and was sad when it was cut short. Good to be reminded of it, shall watch it again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom