The costumes and sets are another two high points of the series. For lack of a better descriptor, they look very real. While the city of Rome at this point of history was the beacon of modernity in their part of the world, it was not without its seedy districts, squalor and dirt, and representative of the widely differing social classes that inhabited the city then. The clothes worn by each main character, and even the extras in the background, look worn, hand-made, and according to production information, were made from fabrics sourced throughout Asia that were very close to the actual materials worn back then.
I’m reminded of The Tudors in contrast, where each character’s costumes look like they were tailored using modern sensibilities and King Henry’s court and the London of its time look like they are swept and sanitized by the same efficient team of cleaners that scrub clean our HDB flat void decks every morning. I never quite got the suspension of disbelief that the sets in The Tudors looked actually lived-in and was anything other than a stage for 20th century actors to sashay in a fancy dress parade, unlike in Rome when every frame oozes visual authenticity.
A good part of the series is shot in what eventually became one of the largest production backlots recreating Rome before Christ, and you get a good sense of the ancient city like from Gladiator, the other recent big-budget sword and sandals epic set in very roughly the same age. In the series’ largest scenes too, there is no sparing of expense in portraying the kind of pomp and circumstance – as in Caesar’s Triumph march through the city – or scale, as in the massive Battle of Philippi of 42 B.C. where the armies of Mark Anthony/Octavian Caesar clash against Marcus Brutus and Cassius Longinus.
On the other hand, other things worked less well for me. On the top most is the unfortunate fact that the decision to cancel the very expensive series was made in the middle of the second season. Rome was initially envisioned as a four season series, and with its length cut by half, the production had to squeeze two more years worth of historical plot outlines into a quarter of time. It’s hard not to notice in the second half of the season many historical events removed for brevity, especially if you’re familiar with the events following Caesar’s assassination and the rise of the Second Triumvirate from around 43 B.C. onwards.
Related to the issue regarding the long span of history the series covers is the fact that you never quite get a good sense of the passing of time and age from the second season onwards. Historically, a span of 11 years passes between Caesar’s assassination to the death of Mark Anthony and the rise of Octavian, but apart from a change of a younger to older actor portraying Octavian, none of the other actors seem to ‘age’. So, while the entire series spans 18 years in all, Vorenus and Pullo, like most of everyone else, look quite exactly at the end of Rome as they did at the start of the series. It’s a small point, but will be noticeable enough for any discerning viewer.
Despite the series’ premature conclusion, to its credit, Rome is able to tidily wrap up every major character’s story arc. Quite unlike other great TV series that has got canned midway, e.g. Firefly, leaving audiences with unresolved stories and key plot developments.
In all; of the several historical drama television series I’ve seen in the last year, I’ll rank Rome just slightly below Spartacus: Blood and Sand, slightly ahead of The Pacific, and far superior to The Tudors. It’s flawed, given the fact that the series was canned midway. But if you have even the slightest interest in ancient history or enjoy a good yarn of political intrigue and drama, Rome is one of the best offerings around.
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