After the screening, I had a chance to compare notes with a lot of people at the after-party. By the way, HBO throws the best parties in town and when they break out a new series or a new season it's always a spectacle. Last night's felt like a Roman toga party, complete with archery and psychics and torches. Anyway, based on what I heard I think, initially, men may like this more than women. Still, that may change as people realize that Rome isn't I, Claudius or Spartacus or even ABC's recent Empire. It's more Gladiator in tone with sex substituting for a few of the battles. Works for me as a male and will probably work for women as well when they realize it's not just blood and guts but has a lot to say about society and empires.
Rome premieres August 28 at 9pm. Watch the first episode for the spectacle because HBO thought it was good enough to make a signature series out of. Stick around for a few episodes after that, and you'll stop seeing the robes, sandals and swords and see only the riveting story and the profoundly human characters. This is going to be very good stuff...
**********
News! — Views! — & Schmooze! (Dispatches, POVs and Idle Chat from Hollywood's Front Lines) is the flagship blog of Bryce Zabel — covering TV, film, culture, writing and politics.
Bryce is a working screenwriter/producer whose current credits include The Poseidon Adventure and Blackbeard. He was the chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences from 2001-2003. He maintains two other blogs: Instant History and Movies-Squared.
Article comments
1 - Juan Rostagno
If auhenticity was the goal of this lavishly promoted series, it suffices to take a look at the first front view of a pussy to see HBO has done a sloppy research, or failed miserably to properly vet its nudes. How can you present a vagina shaved "a la 21st Century Hollywood" and still speak of fidelity to history?
2 - Titus Cornelius Ultor
Well...I've worked in the making of the series,but as soldier,so I dont have reason to say IT'S ALL GOOD...(the fact is that I have not seen it yet,eheh).
Anyway...the vagina SHAVED is not an ABSURD for ancient Rome...u should learn how many things NOBLE and RICH people in Rome could do...and then u could understand,eheh... Roman soldiers could shave themselves everyday,if thy wanted...
ok,just to tell history :)
3 - tarleisio
Well, someone obviously got their hairy history errrr...stuck in their throats..;) Romans - in particular patrician Romans. and especially patrician/high-born Roman women - quite frequently shaved off their pubic hair in all sorts of fancy ways, mainly because it did wonders to keep the vermin away - and with, I'm sure, a few "fringe benefits" thrown in...;)
4 - Octavian Spittle
Let's just all calm down, and admit to ourselves that we do history no justice by depicting Roman beauty with savagely bearded clams. I love hollywood.
5 - Torley Wong/Torley Torgeson
That sounds pretty surreal... I wonder if that kind of, uhm, hair will ever come back in fashion in a big way, or will we all be as hairless as chrome surfaces in the future.
6 - Student
Seeing as geneticists at the university of waterloo are experemnting on how to keep body hair from even coming in at puberty ill go with the chorme future idea
7 - wdbms
It would be helpful if people who wanted to make profound statements about female anatomy got their termonology right. One cannot shave a vagina-it's an internal structure. One might very well shave her mons venerus and her labia majora. These are external structures that sprout hair post-puberty. HBO's new series is just the latest method used by pay t.v. to use nudity to attract viewers. I have watched several episodes and I find the program rather boring.
8 - Tessa
As for comment regarding "I, Claudius"; "...most people alive today have never seen it". What utter rubbish! It was aired in 1977,not 1877 for Christ's sake. I, being the ripe old age of 29, have seen it, a number of times as well. It is, undoubtedly, an excellent example of Historical drama done flawlessly and without the gloss and gilding so often overused by Hollywood.
Regardless, "Rome" does seem to be well done, if lacking in the subtle and sinister undertones that made "I, Claudius" such a compelling and exemplary drama.
9 - Uncle Vanya
An excellent series by 'HBO' I have watched both series and thoroughly enjoyed them. The set pieces were as authentic as can possibly be known. No doubt there were experts on Ancient Rome on hand to advise the producers in the making of this serries. What it does show was that life in ancient Rome, one of the most overcrowded cities of ancient times, that life for the ordinary 'plebs' was probably short and brutish at times. I certainly think it gave a fair 'taste' of ancient Rome, obviously total accuracy cannot be achieved, but a good 'guestimate' can be taken. Well done 'HBO', I certainly will watch any future productions of an historical nature.
[Ps - yes, I did enjoy the nudes!!]