Saturday, November 11, 2006
I, Claudius
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1* *2*
- Commentary: My mother and I discovered this separately, together, many years ago when it first came out. I think we weren't even in the same state, but were in close touch and both of us mentioned it. Unfortunately, this version has no CC, and, whereas Mom had trouble with British accents at the time, now they wreak havoc upon her ears. But she remembers the story, loves watching it unfold again and loves the spectacle.
Damned fine cast, by the way!
In addition to the review above, which is stunning, you might be interested to know some reviews of "ordinary" watchers of the series. Three people responded to the Quora question, "What is your review of the TV mini-series 'I, Claudius'?" The first response is particularly meticulous and includes a video snatch from the show.
Update 2/7/18: I have two sets of this production, now, the original without subtitles and the 35th Anniversary Edition with subtitles. I'm sad this wasn't produced before Mom's death. She missed the subtitling by 3 years. Oh well, I'm enjoying it now and discovering there are a few delightful phrases I missed in the original, regardless of how good my hearing was (and still is, actually), i.e. Augustus often using the phrase "...as boiled asparagus", when he's annoyed or troubled, which is hilarious in the various contexts to which he puts it. I never quite heard it right, until I could access it on the screen in the subtitles. That's when it became funny to me!
Update 5/16/2022: Even if you haven't seen this series, you likely know that the cast is huge and ever adds new principal actors in new principal roles. I'm not going to attempt to list everyone in the table below, just those standouts who I think likely, or know, go on to star in other productions I have in my collection and those who delivered standout performances in this series like, for instance, Young Herod Agrippa. Even at that, the table may be overwhelming. I apologize in advance.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Derek Jacobi Claudius Siân Phillips Livia George Baker Tiberius John Hurt Caligula Beth Morris Drusilla Robert Morgan Young Caligula Brian Blessed Augustus Margaret Tyzack Antonia Patricia Quinn Livilla Kevin McNally Castor John Paul Agrippa Frances White Julia Christopher Biggins Nero David Robb Germanicus John Castle Postumus Fiona Walker Agrippina James Faulkner Herod Agrippa Michael Clements Young Herod Sheila White Messalina Patrick Stewart Sejanus John Rhys-Davies Naevius Sutorius Macro Bernard Hepton Marcus Antonius Pallas John Cater Tiberius Claudius Narcissus Barbara Young Agrippinilla Jo Rowbottom Calpurnia Peter Bowles Caractacus John Bennett Gaius Stertinius Xenophon Patsy Byrne Martina Nicholas Amer Mnester Moira Redmond Domitia Lepida Charlotte Howard Scylla Tony Haygarth Claudius' Slave
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1976
Directed by Herbert Wise.
Labels: biography1, derek-jacobi, drama8, historical3, john-hurt, political3, shared-favorite, TV2
