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We are in 52 BC. Four hundred years after the founding of the Republic, Rome is the richest city in the world, a cosmopolitan metropolis of a million people and the epicenter of a growing empire. The republic was based on the principles of corporate governance and fierce personal competition, in which one man never gained absolute control.
Gaius Julius Caesar (Ciarn Hinds, Munich) completes many years of campaign to conquer Gaul. In the process of conquest, he grew rich and perfected a murderous army led by the Thirteenth Legion, a group of men willing to obey any of his commands. Two members of Fighting Thirteenth, Lucis Vorenus (Kevin McKeed, Kingdom of Heaven) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson, King Arthur), are the central characters of the series.
Vorenus is an ordinary soldier and a family man. He is respected by the people and by Caesar himself. Pulo is a very drunk female soldier. His fierce fighting skills and rebellious arsenal also make him popular. The unpleasant relationship between Warren and Pula begins when circumstances force them to participate in a mission of major importance to Caesar.
On his return to Rome, Casesar’s cousin, Atia (Polly Walker, Sliver), was a fiercely ambitious and cunning gambler among the Roman nobility. With Serville, Caesar’s mistress, we have two women who, with intelligence and ruthlessness, oppose all the men of the kingdom. Atius’ son (and future emperor of Rome) Octavian (Max Pirkis, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) is a supernaturally critical teenager with a clear understanding of Roman politics.
Caesar’s main rivals were Brutus (Tobias Menzies, The Lovedown) and Pompey Magnus (Kenneth Cranham, Laier Cake). Pompey is co-consul of Rome with Caesar. The battle between Caesar and Pompey was initially a battle of will and reason. Finally the swords come. Brutus’ relationship with Caesar is much more complex. Caesar needs Brutus and his influential family to legitimize his rule, but Brutus is a Republican who hates Caesar’s imperial ambitions. Their father-son relationship is a source of great internal conflict for both of them.
Caesar’s seizure of power and its consequences for Rome form the background against which all the characters’ conflicts unfold. Politics, personal rivalry, friendship and several highly Oedipal relationships are skillfully combined with historical facts to tell a unique story about Rome in one of its most interesting periods. Don’t worry, I just scratched the surface. There are many characters and plots in this long story that I have left to the viewer to discover.
This set of six DVDs contains twelve episodes from the first season. The episode titles and original broadcast dates are listed below:
“Stolen Eagle” (August 28, 2005)
“How Titus Pulo Overthrew the Republic” (September 4, 2005)
“Owl in the thornbush” (9/11/05)
“Flight of Saturn” (September 18, 2005)
“Aries Touch the Wall” (September 25, 2005)
“Museum” (02/10/05)
“Pharsalus” (9/10/05)
“Caesarion” (16-10-05)
“Utica” (30/10/05)
“Triumph” (11/06/05)”The Booty” (11/13/05)
“February Calendars” (November 20, 2005)