of all time. And Derek Jacobi and Sian Phillips give performances which will go down in history as two of the greatest ever recorded on film.
shareIt is all in all an absolutely stunning achievement, but I have always regretted that the writers made Augustus a jerk. True, it made Livia"s maneuverings all the more credible, but how much more tense it would have been had Augustus not been portrayed as an amiable family man,which according to history he certainly was not.
shareWell, this Augustus does wrathfully exile Julia and puts a dagger to Postumus' neck (and although Livia was instrumental in both downfalls, she played no part once the dung hit the fan: that was Augustus' show). If one notices, with exception to Livia's putdowns on Postumus (withholding his inheritance, stomping his betrothal to Livilla, and removing any military role in the German war), Augustus pretty much had his way. Against Livia's wishes, he let Agrippa go, married Julia to Agrippa, refused to punish Drusus for his letter ("He's your son!" he snaps), had Claudius appear at the games, and exiled Tiberius for a long time.
Also, there are several moments where the 'family man' facade breaks: his bromance goodbye to Agrippa, and then starts snapping about his insolence, and the 'Don't Sulk!' snap he gives in forgiving Tiberius.
I agree. I first watched it when it appeared on Masterpiece theater when I was a kid.
share"...performances which will go down in history as two of the greatest ever recorded on film."
Unfortunately, the series was not done on film. It was done on analogue video tape, which gives it the look and sound of a soap opera. Other than that flaw, it is a great miniseries.