Premiering as part of Discovery Channel's History Night, Rome chronicles the significant events surrounding the violent transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. The triple Emmy-Award winning drama series features a cast of top British acting talent, headed up by Ciarán Hinds (pictured), Kevin McKidd and Lindsay Duncan, Rome reveals how world history changed, through civil warfare between populists and conservatives, the decay of political institutions, and the actions of ambitious men and women.
This powerful series is portrayed from the aristocratic viewpoint of Julius Caesar, his family, his adopted successor Octavian Augustus and their political allies and adversaries, but also the politically naive viewpoint of ordinary Romans. The epic drama illustrates Julius Caesar's civil war of 49 BC against the traditionalist conservative faction in the Roman Senate, his subsequent rise to absolute dictatorship and his eventual fall. Whilst chronicling the lives and deeds of the rich, powerful and historically significant, the series also focuses on the lives, fortunes, families and acquaintances of two Roman foot soldiers, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo.
This is an intimate drama of love and betrayal, revealing a fascinating and influential period of history - the birth of a modern society as we know it today - bringing the audience vividly into everyday Roman life.
(3 Star)
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