Togas on TV

[altariel]

Togas on TV, BBC Four, 9.30pm tonight: "An exploration of television's obsession with ancient Rome".

Meanwhile, the season 1 DVDs of Rome are in the most insanely attractive box I have ever seen, and it is still absolutely brilliant. I must prepare a list to prove why. There are simply not enough bull sacrifices on telly these days or at least there haven't been any in this season of Big Brother (yet). And, damn, why is there never an icon of Titus Pullo yelling, "Sons of Dis!" to hand when you need it?

Comments

[gair.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Thanks! Just after Scrubs!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

We aim to please!

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

I walked past the Rome box set in Borders the other day, remembering what you'd told me about it, and thought that it did indeed look gorgeous.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

They are all but carved in marble.

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

I thought Rome was visually gorgeous, and I liked te fact they did the pagan religion stuff *properly* too, but after a while I got tired of trying to keep up with all the torturously complicated subplots and gave up...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

A lot of it is tied up at the end. I think watching The West Wing for so many series may have brushed up my following-tortuous-subplot skills, or at least following-tortuous-dialogue skills.

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

I said tortuRous, not tortuous - I find watching that kind of complex long-winded stuff absolutely nightmarish. I'm one of those people who watches TV in the hopes of switching their brain *off* :)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Oops, I got sleepy and misread, sorry!

[shezan.livejournal.com]

I have at last spotted one historical mistake in Rome! And it took time, too. Actually, you can only really see it in this still - Romans did not separate words with spaces the way we do, so that latin text looked more like this:
CAESARISCOMMENTARIORVMDEBELLOGALLICOLIBERQVINTVS
than like this
CAESARIS COMMENTARIORVM DE BELLO GALLICO LIBER QVINTVS.

If you have to quibble this far, it does mean they've achieved what they aimed at. I am still in thrall to the whole thing.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I have at last spotted one historical mistake in Rome!

Oh, well done, excellent hunting! (A friend said it was inaccurate to use "Octavian" before he was adopted?)


I am still in thrall to the whole thing.

Me too. It's so funny, beautifully made, brilliantly written. The glee with which the writers put Pullo and Vorenus into every pivotal moment of the period is magic.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Did they call him "Octavian" in the first season, i.e. before the opening of Caesar's testament (which included announcement of the adoption? In which case, yes, inaccurate, although they may conceivably have decided to do it not to confuse viewers more (I personally disagree; the viewers who pay attention would have known, and it would have been easy to slip in a line along the lines of "Have you seen Gaius Octavius?" "Oh, didn't you know? He's Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus now." "You don't say?" etc. etc.=

Okay, they're not hiring me any time soon as an extra writer...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'm fairly certain they call him "Octavian" throughout the season (he's Octavian on the website). I'll listen out later when I watch another episode. You're quite right they could have done the change - maybe the brilliant town cryer could have done it, or Octavian himself: "Hail, Gaius Octavius, and what news of Caesar's will?" "That's Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus to you, matey." Or something like that.

Nor are they hiring me, sigh...

[manna]

And, damn, why is there never an icon of Titus Pullo yelling, "Sons of Dis!" to hand when you need it?

I really need to find some screencaps and make myself one of "If Triton can't keep me any drier than this, he can suck my cock!" followed by the thunderbolt hitting the ship.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

God, I love Rome!

[furius.livejournal.com]

Darn, I may have to haunt the Internet for this one.

And the next season's in 2007. Argh.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'm enjoying it just as much all over again.

2007 isn't so long away! And there's Torchwood to keep us busy in the meantime!

[melinafandom.livejournal.com]

BTW, there are Rome stories over at yuletidetreasure.org (do search by fandom). And I heard that some dope has a songvid that premiered at some con last weekend and may be on the internets soon.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'll check that out.

James Purefoy is so damn good as Antony. He is all intelligent, amoral appetite.

[melinafandom.livejournal.com]

He is pure porn. I love it :) And I never really go for the bad boys. My friends are all laughing at me.

Oh, it seems that said dope has posted said vid.