Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire | |
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Genre | Docudrama |
Written by | |
Directed by |
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Starring | |
Narrated by | Alisdair Simpson |
Composer | Samuel Sim |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 6 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Matthew Barrett |
Producer | Mark Hedgecoe |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | BBC One |
Release | 21 September 26 October 2006 | –
Related | |
Heroes and Villains Rome: Rise and fall of an empire |
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire is a 2006 BBC One docudrama series, with each episode looking at a different key turning point in the history of the Roman Republic and Empire. This docudrama focuses on the Latin western half of the Roman Empire.
Production
Series Producer Mark Hedgecoe has stated that he made the series in response to previous films that "have tended to ignore the real history and chosen to fictionalise the story."[1]
The series was filmed with the Panasonic SDX 900
The series was co-produced by BBC, ZDF and the Discovery Channel.
BBC History commissioned the online-game CDX to tie-in with the series.[3]
Reception
Reviews
Historical novelist Lindsey Davis writing in The Times points out that "the episodes were produced by different teams" and "it shows," stating episodes 3 and 4 work better than episodes 1, 2, and 5 and although she hasn't seen the final episode, she wants to watch it and she "can't say fairer than that." She compliments the producers who "avoid the talking-heads style, though they use literature and the advice of modern historians," but criticises the series in that "once they fill up with battle and crowd scenes, the formula of self-contained one-hour dramas doesn't give enough scope," and because "we don't see many women in this series." She concludes that "there is pleasing material here," stating, "the filming is good, the dialogue sounds real, the sets work, the military scenes will delight many," but she criticises the decision to not broadcast the episodes in chronological order as, "if they stick with their eccentric programming, we'll be jerked about maniacally," stating, "this is history on the Eric Morecambe principle: all of the moments – but not necessarily in the right order!"[1]
Nancy Banks-Smith writing in The Guardian of episode one was complimentary of Michael Sheen's "storming performance" as Nero, adding that she found it "slightly disturbing" that he "reminded you subliminally of Tony Blair." She was however critical of the docudrama format of "spicy drama sandwiched between simple slices of narrative" which she compared to "watching a play with someone who insists on explaining the obvious," adding that she "got the impression that the narrator was not talking to me at all."[4] Of episode two on Caesar she stated that "the historians have got their chilly mitts on," pointing out that it "was so painstakingly dull that Nero, always a crowd pleaser, had to be shown first."[5]
Sam Wollaston writing in the same publication of episode three compared it to Rome postulating that this series "came about in response to all the mutterings from cross historians about factual inaccuracies in the BBC's grand romp last year." He states that "after some extensive research (I looked up Tiberius Gracchus on Wikipedia), I declare this one to be historically accurate, but also a grand bore." Highly critical of the docudrama format he states that "they never work, either as dramas or as documentaries," and goes on to explain that "there's no proper character development, and you don't care about any of them," before concluding that this "goes to show that sex is more fun than the truth."[6]
Ratings
- Episode one (2006-09-21): 4.2 million viewers (21% audience share).[7]
- Episode two (2006-09-28): 3.6 million viewers (17% audience share).[8]
- Episode three (2006-10-05): 3.3 million viewers.[9]
- Episode four (2006-10-12): 3.4 million viewers.[10]
- Episode five (2006-10-19): 3.8 million viewers (17% audience share).[11]
- Episode six (2006-10-26): 3 million viewers (13.6% audience share).[12]
Episodes
Episode one: Caesar
This is the story of the most famous Roman of them all, how he risked everything to tear down the government he served and bring revolution to Rome.
— Alisdair Simpson’s opening narration
At the close of the
Caesar seizes the emergency funds from the treasury to fund his campaign, but, failing to pay off his soldiers, is later forced to
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Episode two: Nero
This is the story of what happened when the most powerful man on Earth lost his mind and brought the Empire to the brink of destruction.
— Alisdair Simpson’s opening narration
Nero inaugurates the biggest arts festival in Roman history with himself at the top of the bill. In the furious throes of increasing megalomania he kicks his wife
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Episode three: Rebellion
In the spring of AD 66 Josephus Ben Matitiyahu witnessed one of the greatest rebellions in the history of the Roman Empire.
— Alisdair Simpson’s opening narration
The
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Episode four: Revolution
In an age before Rome was ruled by emperors young Tiberius Gracchus had been brought up to respect his father’s principles of honour and justice, but in just 20 years he will die defending his father’s ideals, murdered by the aristocrats standing behind him, his crime; starting a revolution so powerful it changed Rome forever, setting on the path to its greatest triumphs and worst excesses.
— Alisdair Simpson’s opening narration
His actions, while repudiated in the Senate, have made him a hero amongst the Roman people and his new father-in-law Senator Appius Claudius
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Episode five: Constantine
In the autumn of 312 AD Constantine’s army was camped 40 miles north of Rome. One of the two emperors in the west, Constantine was preparing for the decisive battle against his rival Maxentius. Travelling with Constantine were members of a growing new religion.
— Alisdair Simpson’s opening narration
In Rome, the tyrannical
Constantine creates an alliance by marrying his sister
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Episode six: The Fall of Rome
At the start of the 5th century AD Rome was under siege, threatened by a vast army of Goths, forty-thousand of them were poised at the city’s gates. Rome was defenceless, even the remnants of its garrisons abandoned their posts. The events that brought Rome to the brink of disaster had their roots in a betrayal two years earlier.
— Alisdair Simpson’s opening narration
The Roman Empire is under barbarian assault from Huns and Vandals. Emperor Honorius's chief general and adviser Flavius Stilicho has negotiated a treaty with the Goth leaders Alaric and Athaulf, but the Emperor has him executed for conspiracy. Honorius orders Olympius to slaughter all Barbarian families within the Empire and the survivors flee to Alaric's camp. The Goths sweep through Italy to set siege to Rome, trapping the Emperor's sister Galla Placidia within. Senator Attalus rides to the Imperial capital at Ravenna and Honorius agrees to the Goths' demands.
The Goths withdraw but Honorius breaks the agreement, sending reinforcements to Rome that Athaulf intercepts and eliminates. Alaric speaks directly to the Senate and they elect Attalus as Emperor, but Honorius has Rome's grain supplies cut off and Attalus loses authority. Alaric travels to meet Honorius at Ravenna but is ambushed by his old rival Roman General
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Media information
DVD and video download release
- Released on Region 2 DVD by BBC Video on 2006-10-23.[14]
- Released on Video Download by BBC Shop on 2007-05-30.[15]
Companion book
- Baker, Simon (14 September 2006). Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. ISBN 978-0-563-49360-0.
- Baker, Simon (7 June 2007). Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. BBC Books (paperback). ISBN 978-1-84607-284-0.
See also
Notes
- When the series was broadcast on the Discovery Channel as Battle for Rome, from 5 November 2006 onwards, the episodes were broadcast in their chronological order (i.e. Gracchus, then Caesar, then Nero, then as BBC order).
References
- ^ a b Davis, Lindsey (16 September 2006). "All tantrums and togas". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
- ^ Rome wasn't shot in a day, it was shot in HDX! Archived 27 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "CDX". BBC History. 17 October 2005. Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
- ^ Banks-Smith, Nancy (22 September 2006). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 August 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ Banks-Smith, Nancy (29 September 2006). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ Wollaston, Sam (6 October 2006). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ Day, Julia (23 September 2006). "Emmerdale thriller crushes EastEnders". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ Deans, Jason (29 September 2006). "What Not to Wear makes smart start". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ Conlan, Tara (6 October 2006). "Ladette to Lady wins the night for ITV1". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ Conlan, Tara (13 October 2006). "Mrs O falls to new low". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ Deans, Jason (20 October 2006). "What Not to Wear stays in fashion". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ Holmwood, Leigh (27 October 2006). "Catherine Tate raises a smile for BBC2". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ "Sophie Hunter as Sophronia in "Ancient Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire" (2006)".
- ^ "Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire". BBC Shop. 23 October 2006. Archived from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
- ^ "Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire". BBC Shop. 30 May 2007. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.