| I, Claudius | 
 enlarge | Director: Herbert Wise
Actors: Derek Jacobi, Sian Phillips, Flora Robson, Emlyn Williams, Eileen Corbett
Studio: Image Entertainment
Category: DVD
Buy Used: $85.78
Used (2) from $85.78
Avg. Customer Rating:  230 reviews
Sales Rank: 19034
Format: Box Set, Color, Full Screen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Running Time: 740
Picture Format: Pan & Scan
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.6 x 3
MPN: 014381918724
UPC: 014381918724
EAN: 0014381918724
ASIN: B00004U12X
Theatrical Release Date: November 6, 1977
Release Date: August 15, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: outer slip case scuffed/scratched, 5 dvds in individual dvd cases-cases scuffed/scratched, discs have small scuffs - play perfectly.
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Product Description
Dramatization of the reigns of the first four Julio-Claudian emperors of Rome as seen through the eyes of the fourth, the emperor Claudius, who was considered a most unpromising youth, yet survived the political dangers of decades to become a wise and jus
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: NR
Release Date: 21-AUG-2007
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com essential video
This superbly acted, mordantly funny romp through 70 years or so of Roman history is one of the best-loved miniseries ever made, and deservedly so. Derek Jacobi plays Roman Emperor Claudius, who reflects in old age on his life and his remarkable family, giving us a history lesson that's unlike anything you learned in school. The story begins in 24 B.C. during the reign of Augustus Caesar, Rome's first emperor, and ends in A.D. 54 with Nero on the throne. In between, I, Claudius details the scheming, murder, madness, and lust that passed for politics in the early years of the Pax Romana. The biggest worm in the Roman apple is Augustus's wife, Livia (the superb Sian Phillips), whose single-minded pursuit of power shapes the destiny of the Empire. With a carefully planted rumor here and a poisoned fig there, she gradually maneuvers her son, Tiberius, toward the throne, creating an atmosphere of suspicion and treachery that starts Rome on its helter-skelter slide into bloody chaos. Phillips somehow makes us understand this extraordinarily wicked woman. As she ages and her carefully wrought webs begin to unravel, it becomes clear that Livia has been as thoroughly poisoned by her own ambition as her victims were by her carefully prepared meals. Further acting honors go to George Baker as Tiberius, who resists but eventually succumbs to the destiny forced upon him by his mother, and to John Hurt as a hilarious and absolutely terrifying Caligula. In one breathtakingly tense scene, the mad Emperor performs a dance in drag, then asks Claudius to critique it, perfectly capturing the horror of a world where one wrong word means death, or worse. Jacobi is the perfect Claudius, hiding his intelligence behind a crippling stammer and shuffling around the edges of events--until he finds himself pulled to the very center. His wry comments give shape to the tangled story of his family and help the audience make sense of a dauntingly complex cast of characters. I, Claudius might seem a little studio-bound to viewers brought up on more recent big-budget costume dramas, but the topnotch cast and the incident-filled plot are more than enough to hold the attention through almost 11 hours of gripping, deliciously wicked Roman follies. This boxed set also includes a documentary entitled "The Epic That Never Was," about Alexander Korda's failed attempt to film I, Claudius in 1937. The film, directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Charles Laughton as Claudius and Merle Oberon as Messalina, was abandoned unfinished, and it remains one of Hollywood's great lost movies. --Simon Leake
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| Customer Reviews: Read 225 more reviews...
 A Masterpiece of Television, Finally Remastered December 4, 2008
I belong to the generation that saw high-budget Roman period productions such as Ridley Scott's Gladiator, HBO's Rome, and even the Polish adaptation of Quo Vadis (highly recommended). Having also been brought up in the States and becoming something of a classicist during my later education, I had read Robert Graves' books I, Claudius and Claudius the God, and heard of the BBC miniseries and always meant to see it, though not expecting much due to the age of the series and low budget it required to be realized.
When the chance came I snagged up the DVD series, and was so taken by the marvelous acting, intricate yet engaging storyline, and historical accuracy (it is not 100% accurate, but it is more accurate than the likes of Gladiator or HBO's ROME), that I watched the entire miniseries in a day. It was released originally in the 70's, however, and it showed. It was pity that Image Entertainment did not put in the extra money to restore such a masterpiece of television, one of Time Magazine's Top 100 television shows of all time- and rightfully so.
I believe each actor did a superb job (though I don't think Augustus was casted or played true to history, Brian Blessed played and excellent father of the Empire). Hats off to the leading ladies, Sian Phillips as an iconic Livia no doubt, but also Margaret Tyzack plays the stoic, noble, yet imperfect matron Antonia with unforgettable force and sincerity. Tyzack's performance is perhaps my favorite in the series, as she shines in each scene. The writers did an excellent job in not type-casting evil as pure evil and good as pure good. They gave Livia her reasons, and Antonia her imperfections, and the intelligent viewer is to be thankful for that. Livilla, Messalina, and Agrippinilla were all exceptional "bad apples of the Julio-Claudians" as well.
As for the men, Derek Jacobi brought the stuttering Claudius off the pages of history and into life with an uncanny naturalness. But the standout among the men, I believe, is John Hurt's Caligula which is played brilliantly, and that is no understatement. Caligula is always an odd character in both history and fiction, and John Hurt does the impossible by injecting both hilarity and eeriness into the mentally unstable emperor. Though Malcolm MacDowell did a terrific job in the controversial, and decidedly "smuttily inaccurate," version in Caligula by Tinto Brass, John Hurt's characterization is more interesting.
As a whole, the entire plot is lengthy but coherent. You cannot help but get sucked in. It is no boring, old costume drama, but indeed a work full of intense gravity (i.e. Antonia's "farewell" and the secret meeting between Posthumus and Augustus), extreme hilarity (i.e. the marriage of Claudius to Urgulanilla), or an intriguing mix of both (i.e. the exposure of Livilla's murder plot by Antonia to Claudius, Tiberius, and Caligula, or the domestic strife between Julia and Tiberius). There is nudity and sex, but not so much that it makes you feel the need to shower after. There is violence and vulgarity, but not so much that it seems to beat you relentlessly over the head. I, Claudius is all about taste, variety, balance and unity. It is the reason it is still a classic and is relevant more than thirty years after its premiere.
Liberties are taken with history, for example the infamous murder of Drusilla and cannibalism of her child by Caligula, or even the poisoning of Augustus by Livia, but speaking as a classicist, there is so much truth to the series (or at least it adheres to all the strange material we have from the sources that survive, Suetonius, Tacitus, and Dio especially). There are so many films, many of which are my favorites (Rome, Gladiator), that I would not recommend to any student as a basic run-down of historical events. I, Claudius is the exception.
Yesterday, I bought the remastered, 4-disc edition. They did not give the series the "George Lucas treatment," but the sound is immensely improved as is the picture. There is hardly any hint of grain and finally it looks more like a DVD, rather than DVD on VHS like the old, 5-disc set. The soundtrack and voices are all clear as a bell. The menus are more appealing. There are, however, still no subtitles included, but that is a minor quibble.
I do hear a film-version -a "remake"- of I, Claudius is in the works with writer Jim Sheridan (of the film My Left Foot) acquiring the rights. I am eager to see Robert Graves' literary classic transferred onto the big screen with a large budget comparable to the sword-and-sandal dramas of recent years from HBO and Ridley Scott, but am wary that the acting will not match those of this beloved 1970s television miniseries. Many of them, after all, are Royal Shakespeare Company veterans. Part of the reason I, Claudius is so great is that the acting had to compensate for the production constraints... note the amount of extras used and reused, and the prevalence of close-up indoor shots versus wide-angle outdoor ones. Low production costs could have been a blessing in disguise. In the meantime, however, as we wait for Sheridan's big-screen remake do not hesitate to get this remastered set of one of televisions best events. The price is steep (though the remastered set is about 10 dollars less than the previous 5-disc version) but I would gladly pay way more for the classic material contained here.
Christmas present December 2, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a gift, so I have not looked into it, but it looks like a gift anyone would be pleased to receive.
Superbly acted and still fresh November 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Robert Graves wrote the book this fine Masterpiece Theater version is adapted upon in 1977, eight years before his death. Graves himself was a survivor- most notably surviving the trenches of World War I as an English Infantry Officer, (which was no small feat considering the typical 80% casualty rates- at the Battle of the Somme he was listed as having died from his wounds). Known best for his poetry, his sparkling translation of "The Twelve Caesars" and his friendship with conscious objector "Mad Jack" Siegfeid Sassoon, Graves was awarded the 1934 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for both "I, Claudius" and for the sequel, "Claudius the God." Fortunately, this small screen adaptation by the BBC is just as good as the book.
So how's this screen adaptation? Scary. Thought provoking. Entertaining. This work brings to life Rome in the first century during the time of Christ. Augustus (Octavian), Tiberius and Claudius Caesar are mentioned by name in the Bible. Each of their lives (and many others) are detailed here- they each come clearly to life, with more than enough time to fully develop each of their characters. Imagine video cameras going "behind the scenes" in ancient Rome, and you'll better understand what's being shown in this adaptation.
While it's a work of pure fiction, it's all based on fact. And in the process, "ancient" Rome comes to life all over again.
This is eleven hours of pure drama and character development. And "Claudius the Idiot", "Claudius the Stammerer", "Poor Uncle Claudius" or "Clau-Clau-Claudius" (as he was known to his contemporaries and family) managed to survive by staying at the edge- until he was drug into the center of things when made Emperor of Rome by the palace guard, completely against his own will.
I have noted that several reviews don't like the quality of the videotape transfer to DVD. Ok, I will give them that. And I will also agree that it has a very studio feel, rather than a more modern natural feel. But I'm much more interested in the acting and the story than the quality of the screen image. I must be showing my age, I guess.
With this work, the early Caesars come to life with all of their strengths and weaknesses. A sparkling performance by all of the major characters only enhances my opinion of the overall package.
So do I endorse this one? Oh, yes! Very much so.
The Series ranks very high on several critics' all time lists... November 22, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
So which version will you pursue:648 minutes or the 564?
Hint: There is more than one national Amazon; and despite the postage you may actually save a small amount of money with something older, longer, and with better visuals. And regions are no longer a legal issue with some of the later players.
You knew all that already, but...
I own the original set November 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I own the original set of this DVD and don't plan to replace it. However, this is one of the best TV miniseries ever and if you haven't seen it, then obviously you should buy the new version. I am a hugh fan of Derek Jacobi and this is one of his finest performances. (He was also Cadfael on PBS). Sian Phillips, John Hurt, George Baker all give terrific performances. The story is funny, scary, and extremely interesting. Makes you glad you didn't live in those days - 'cause you didn't live long.
Watch it and enjoy!
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