Rome - The Complete First Season

Drama, History

Paul Jesson
Simone De Marinis
Kevin McKidd	Lucius Vorenus
Ciarán Hinds	Gaius Julius Caesar
Ray Stevenson	Titus Pullo
Polly Walker	Atia of the Julii
Kenneth Cranham	Pompey Magnus
Lindsay Duncan	Servilia of the Junii
Tobias Menzies	Marcus Junius Brutus
Kerry Condon	Octavia of the Julii
Karl Johnson	Porcius Cato
Indira Varma	Niobe
James Purefoy	Mark Antony
Ian McNeice	Newsreader
Coral Amiga	Vorena the Elder
Lidia Biondi	Merula

Regisseur	Michael Apted; Allen Coulter
Producent	Frank Yablans; Robert Papazian
Schrijver	David Frankel; Alexandra Cunningham

Family dysfunction. Treachery. Betrayal. Coarse profanity. Brutal violence. Graphic (and sometimes brutal) sex. No, it's not The Sopranos, it's Rome, HBO's madly ambitious series that bloodily splatters the glory of Rome just as savagely as Monty Python and the Holy Grail soiled the good name of Camelot (but with far fewer laughs; very few funny things happen on the way to this forum). Set in 52 B.C. (Before Cable), Rome charts the dramatic shifts in the balance of power between former friends Pompey Magnus (Kenneth Cranham), leader of the Senate, and Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds), whose imminent return after eight years to Rome after conquering the Gauls, has the ruling class up in arms. At the heart of Rome is the odd couple friendship between two soldiers who fortuitously become heroes of the people. Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) is married, honorable, and steadfast. Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) is an amoral rogue whose philosophy is best summed up, "I kill my enemies, take their gold, and enjoy their women." Among Rome's most compelling subplots is Lucius's strained relationship with his wife, Niobe (Indira Varma), who is surprised to see her husband alive (but not as surprised as he is to find her upon his homecoming with a newborn baby in her arms!) Any viewer befuddlement over Rome's intrigues and machinations, and determining who is hero and who is foe, disappears the minute Golden Globe-nominee Polly Walker appears as Atia, Caesar's formidable niece and a villainess for the ages. In the first hour alone, she offers her already married daughter as a bride to the recently widowed Pompey. One eagerly awaits to see what (or who) she'll do next as much as we anticipate her comeuppance in the final episode.

Rome is a painstakingly mounted production that earned eight well-deserved Emmy nominations in such categories as costumes, set design, and art direction. Michael Apted (Coal Miner's Daughter) was honored with a Director's Guild Award for the first episode, "The Stolen Eagle." But artistic considerations aside, instantly addicted viewers will agree with Atia, who notes at one point, "I adore the secrecy, the intrigue. It's most thrilling." --Donald Liebenson

Beyond the Series

The Roman Empire in film and television

The Roman Empire in documentaries

More HBO DVDs

Stills from Rome (click for larger image)