I, Claudius [TV Classics Review]

I'm just going to paraphrase the back of the DVD as a quick introduction. I, Claudius is one of the '100 best television shows of all time,' at least according to Time Magazine. This is the true definition of an epic, and it is coupled with a cast of utterly amazing actors.

Brian Blessed plays Augustus Caesar.

I was wary of this show at first.
It was too good sounding, too many accolades. For a show that was produced in the 1970s (1976) it all seemed too good.

5 out of 5 stars

I, Claudius is the story of the Roman Empire from August Caesar to Claudius (Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus - his full Latin name). It begins in 54AD as then Emperor Claudius is writing his history of his family beginning with the murder of his father (Nero Claudius Drusus) and eventually grandfather (Augustus Ceaser) at the hands of Livia, Augustus' wife.

Sir Derek Jacobi plays Claudius.

Sir Patrick Stewart plays Sejanus and he has hair!

You know what. I'm not going to cover all of Roman history here.

Nor am I going to deal with utterly insane and completely complex genealogical chart tracing the line of Emperor's from Augustus to Claudius.

That is history, and anyone can look that up.

I am here to give my opinion of an excellent TV show, and excellent it was.

Sir John Hurt plays the depraved and insane Caligula.

It actually began quite slow in my opinion, but it rapidly picked up pace. I became truly hooked in the scene were Augustus dies. You spend ten or maybe 15 minutes just looking right at Augustus' face. You think that perhaps it is a still shot with Livia merely doing a voice over...

It is not. That is all a take, and it is amazing. You would not think that such a scene, a close-up of a face as it dies, would be so absolutely powerful. This one is. It is television unlike anything done today. It is eerie, and peaceful, and terrible, and awesome all at once.

John Rhys-Davies is also in it!

The cast, while not literally a cast of hundreds, it gets close. We are covering from 9AD to 54AD, which is many lifetimes of many Emperors.

The cast, again, is filled with well known actors. Powerful portrayals. Most of them have been knighted by the British Crown.

There is of course Claudius, the title character, who is played by Sir Derek Jacobi. He play Claudius for a majority of the series, after Claudius has reached adulthood.

Sir Brian Blessed plays Augustus Caesar. When you first see him you will not recognize him. He is beardless, and that is just so not the Brian Blessed I know.

Sir John Hurt, you may remember him from his recent stint as the War Doctor in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special. Well, he plays the depraved Caligula. He is amazing. 

Sir Patrick Stewart, yes Captain Jean Luc Picard, has a devious role as Sejanus. I thought they were calling him Janus through out most of his episodes, so his duplicity made sense to me. But no, his name is Sejanus... which sounds just as duplicitous. 

Let us not forget John Rhys-Davies. Another actor who appears quite strange when he is beardless. His role is not as large as the aforementioned actors, but it is still nice to see him in the series.

Fantastic Actors, Fantastic Story, this is a classic that is certainly worth watching. I heartily recommend I, Claudius.

Caractus has hair covered in what appears to be silver.
That is actually pretty darn cool...