Decades before there was "Rome," "I, Claudius" set the gold standard for quality historical drama. So, this week, I wanted to give a shout out to one of the greatest TV series of all time:
By turns gripping and chilling but always compelling, "I, Claudius" brings to life the wicked schemes and dastardly deeds of those vying for power over the mighty Roman Empire. Based on the best-selling novels "I, Claudius" (1934) and "Claudius the God" (1935) by Robert Graves, Emperor Claudius narrates an "insider's story" of the early days of the empire, from 24 BC until Claudius' death in AD 54.
After the death throes of the late Roman Republic, being beset by devastating civil war after civil war, peace has come to the Empire, or at least for the common folk. For Augustus and those who seek to replace him, it is different story, being a time rife with an orgy of betrayal and murder, as well as actual orgies.
Based on history but not strictly factual, "I, Claudius" vicariously brings to life names and places from dusty pages of history textbooks, with a degree of creative license.
As with "Rome," "I, Claudius" focuses on the personal political scheming rather than massive battles to stretch the budget. Indeed, there are no fight scenes of any kind. Oh well.
However, the series does excel on the scheming front, covering dozens of characters and their changing fortunes over a century. From aging Augustus to brutal Tiberius to depraved Caligula to the Hobbit of Emperors (i.e., Claudius being the most unlikely person imaginable to become First Citizen) to even more depraved Nero, the show vividly airs the dirty laundry of the Julio-Claudians.
Moreover, the lengthy, set-bound scenes give the series a distinctively theatrical quality which plays to the strengths of the cast, a veritable who's who of great British actors of the period, including the great Brian Blessed as Augustus and Siân Phillips as the deliciously evil Livia. Plus, there's evil rapey Captain Picard with hair!
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