Rome: The Complete Series – Blu-ray Disc Review

November 16, 2009 – 6:42 PM - Posted by: Danielle Byington

Tags: Bonus View, Ciaran Hinds, David Bamber, HBO, Indira Varma, James Purefoy, Karl Johnson, Kenneth Cranham, Kerry Condon, Kevin McKidd, Lee Boardman, Lindsay Duncan, Max Pirkis, Nicholas Woodeson, Polly Walker, Ray Stevenson, Rick Warden, Simon Woods, Tobias Menzies, Warner

has an average rating of 9.2 on IMDb
1080p in AVC on TEN 50gb discs
DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio
are extensive with each disc
–
– 2005 – 2007
– 22 hours
– HBO (Warner)
–
Street Date: November 17th, 2009

Overall Verdict – Very Highly Recommended

Buy it for $83.99 @ Amazon.com

— Review written by: Danielle Byington —

The Show Itself was created by Bruno Heller, John Milius, and William J. MacDonald, and aired for two seasons from 2005 through 2007 on HBO.

The story draws much inspiration of its characters and scenarios from actual historical events and figures of the relevant era, though of course possesses much fictionalization. The two key characters of the series are Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd), and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), two soldiers who are historically mentioned in Commentarii de Bello Gallico (literally, Commentaries of the Gallic War), Julius Caesar’s personal account of his experience of the Gaul battles, fighting against those who refused Roman authority and domination. The end of eight years of fighting is where the series picks up, as we begin to center on Lucius and Titus, as they have rescued a kidnapped adolescent of an important political and high social status family, Gaius Octavian (Max Pirkis). Upon returning the boy to his home, his mother, Atia of the Julii (Polly Walker), gives the men reward money, and as her son informs her that they are to be well respected for his rescue, she invites the otherwise common men to share food and wine with the family in their home. The interaction of the two soldiers through the held dining conversation is really the point that shows how very different the characters are, as even Lucius addresses how the two are not friends, and that he is Titus‘ superior in ranking. Lucius expresses intelligent and logical thoughts on politics and warfare, while Titus on the other hand seems to have only brute instincts about these topics of discussion. After their quarreling in the home of their host, Lucius offers Atia their dismissal as to not be further disrespectful to her hospitality; also, Lucius is eager to return home to his own wife and children whom he has not seen in eight years. Titus and Lucius part ways in the street, Titus being a bit more respectful to his superior in this moment.

The home that the two soldiers have returned the young man to is a family that is also a significant piece of the storyline. The mother, a widow, holds a manipulative footing in the political chaos abound within Rome. Atia is very welcoming to her guests of power, often sharing with them more than just food and drinks. She particularly has a sensual affair with Marc Antony (James Purefoy), as he is an important political figure, fully supporting the rise of Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds). This is a general summary of the series’ beginning and basic characters, all of course leading into the various historical events you’re familiar with.

The full 12 (total) episodes for The Complete First Season are included:

• Episode 1 : “The Stolen Eagle“
Original Air Date: 08/28/05— 8.7 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 2 : “How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic“
Original Air Date: 9/4/2005 — 9.0 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 3 : “An Owl in a Thornbush“
Original Air Date: 9/11/2005 — 9.0 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 4 : “Stealing From Saturn“
Original Air Date: 9/18/2005 — 9.0 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 5 : “The Ram Has Touched The Wall“
Original Air Date: 9/25/2005 — 9.2 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 6 : “Egeria“
Original Air Date: 10/2/2005 — 9.0 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 7 : “Pharsalus“
Original Air Date: 10/9/2005 — 9.0 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 8 : “Caesarion“
Original Air Date: 10/16/2005 — 9.2 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 9 : “Utica“
Original Air Date: 10/30/2005 — 9.2 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 10 : “Triumph“
Original Air Date: 11/6/2005 — 9.0 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 11 : “The Spoils“
Original Air Date: 11/13/2005 — 9.4 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 12 : “Kalends of February“
Original Air Date: 11/20/2005 — 9.6 rating over at TV.com

The full 10 (total) episodes for The Complete Second Season are also included:

• Episode 1 : “Passover“
Original Air Date: 1/14/2007— 9.5 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 2 : “Son of Hades“
Original Air Date: 1/21/2007 — 9.3 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 3 : “These Being the Words of Marcus Tullius Cicero“
Original Air Date: 1/28/2007 — 9.2 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 4 : “Testudo Et Lepus (The Tortoise And the Hare)“
Original Air Date: 2/4/2007 — 9.3 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 5 : “Heroes of the Republic“
Original Air Date: 2/11/2007 — 9.4 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 6 : “Philippi“
Original Air Date: 2/18/2007 — 9.5 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 7 : “Death Mask“
Original Air Date: 3/4/2007 — 9.3 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 8 : “A Necessary Fiction“
Original Air Date: 3/11/2007 — 9.6 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 9 : “Deus Impeditio Esuritori Nullus (No God Can Stop a Hungry Man)“
Original Air Date: 3/18/2007 — 9.5 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 10 : “De Patre Vostro (About Your Father)“
Original Air Date: 3/25/2007 — 9.6 rating over at TV.com

In closing, I must say “Rome” in it’s entirety as a complete series, in two seasons, was a very very unique and wonderful HBO series. It’s no wonder that it is rated as highly as it is over at IMDb and TV.com, as the show itself truly was spectacular. The efforts in the production’s set design alone are beautiful, as it goes for any period-drama that is done right. The story throughout the series is definitely strong, deriving a portion of its characters and scenarios from historical happenings, adding the appropriate spice from its creators to make for a fictionalization of a culture with issues and emotion that draws viewers inside of it. The show’s use of the two soldiers from Julius Ceasar’s Commentaries of the Gallic Wars delivers an incredible depth of character development, and it is a rather intriguing thought to fictionally intertwine their actions and thoughts within the historical events. For that matter, the cast and their portrayal of characters you are familiar with from history, as well those who are fictional, is a large piece of what will make you fall in love with this show, with such a variety of personalities, and such straight forwardness in their actions and dialogue (which I suppose there is not much time for mushiness when the typical lifespan is half of that today).

The series has received a broad positive reception from the general public, and in the case of particular dislikes for the show, it seems that general criticism accuses the story’s reflections of history as being difficult to follow. You do not need a doctorate in history to understand the events and politics of this show; having a basic knowledge of the events surrounding Julius Caesar will do. Overall, this fictional arrangement of ancient Rome’s historical events and the happenings amongst the well-known persons is highly entertaining, surely hooking you with simply the first episode. The storyline, characters, and action are addictive, showing to audiences several perspectives from within this time, and all of the manipulation, lust, love, politics, and brutality it harnessed. Finally, “Rome” earns itself a strong “4.5 Star Rating“.

Video Quality on this release is in full 1080p using the AVC MPEG-4 codec on TEN BD-50‘s (50 gigabyte dual-layered Blu-ray Discs) in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Having previously watched the first half of this series on DVD about two years ago, I (D.B.) have to say that seeing it now on the Blu-ray format does offer a noticeable increase in video quality. There is a copious use of various shades of red throughout the set design, wardrobe, and of course lots of blood; however, even bold hues such as this remain simply “bold” to the eye, steering away from a more perky vibrancy, which is utmost suitable to the tone of the series as it conveys such dramatic elements. There is apparent use of a “crush” styled filter used, more visible in some scenes than others, which would be the element that subdues the otherwise vibrant color palette. Within this filter, the color palette is presented in a more dark and sharpening tone, and exhibits heightened sharpness within the video quality, making for a very inky color palette, and exaggerated definition in the majority of scenes. Scenes displaying the settings of the wealthy are typically more warm, whereas scenes showcasing the settings of the poor are conveyed through a more cool filter. Fleshtones are accurate to the color palette, often displaying a wide range of variety from the fair complexions typically seen in Rome’s females, and the more rugged fleshtones of the men.

Clarity is amazing, particularly in scenes with exterior lighting conditions, really showing off the definition this release has to offer. Film grain is mildly present, retaining a gritty feel of the story’s content, and also not dampening the quality of detail visible in the amazing set design, the textures of wardrobe, and the physical features of the actors. Very rarely you may notice a few seconds of issues such as interframe deformation, or salt & pepper film grain, however, these moments are entirely brief, and not extreme. Mostly, these small flaws occur during scenes of very dim lighting conditions, so it is understandable considering the on-set period lighting sources often include flames from various medians. Overall, the Blu-ray release of this series is highly impressive in general, with a more balanced look and higher quality of detail in comparison to the DVD release, earning itself a “4.5 Star Rating“.

Audio Quality on this release is presented in DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio. The tones that your ears will take notice to is the show’s era-relevant opening credits theme, which presents itself very robustly from all channels within the 5.1 setup; this music, composed by Jeff Beal (also a composer for “Monk“, and “Ugly Betty“), has a very primitive yet archaically classy feel with the melody of flutes and brass filling primarily the front channels, the harmony of strings mostly heard in the rears, and semi-thundering bass sounds of percussion conveyed from the subwoofer, as well as the front channels. This original music follows the content of the series well, with an appropriate dramatic effect accompanying climatic scenes. The series’ score also does little sleeping within the many scenes of battle and fighting, definitely awakening you from more subtle scenes.

The various foley heard within the series is unique to its period setting, and makes itself suitably audible to its respective on-screen action. The unsheathing of blades, creaking of primitive wheels, and many other subtle soundeffects are just an example of frequent foley that is presented from multiple channels within the soundscape. For instance, a scene involving discussion between two characters in the first season consists of a fountain within the set design; while one shot catches the fountain behind the first character, we hear the rush of flowing water from the front channels, then from the rear channels once the shot moves to the opposing character. There is definitely some flare expressed on this audio track with examples such as those, and of course several others, proving it is no mundane listening experience.

Subwoofer use throughout the first and second season of the show is very impressive. Bass presence offers a great deal of thundering and rumbling, especially within climatic scenes, fights, and several sequences of the Roman’s galloping steads. However, bass presence occurrence also does not require a climatic battle scene or such as you may otherwise imagine, often following characters through scenarios whose content is rather dramatic. Dialogue is a very strong piece of the play within this series, and is conveyed crisp and clearly from the center front channel, with the occasional occurrence from other channels reflecting the respective on-screen situation. Overall, the audio quality for this series earns itself a serious “5 Star Rating” for baring such a bold audible presentation continuously through each episode.

Bonus Materials on this release are presented in Standard Definition (Season I), as well as High Definition (Season II), using DTS 2.0 Stereo.

All Discs include the following supplements:

• “All Roads Lead to Rome” basically works as a trivia track, with information put together by the show’s historical consultant Jonathan Stamp, leaving very few gaps throughout the series’ runtime as it provides you with historical facts relevant to the scene and actions on-screen. A very interesting supplement, especially for history buffs. This feature uses Bonus View to deliver Picture-In-Picture graphics and such, meaning it requires a “Profile 1.1” capable Blu-ray Disc Player.
• “Bloodlines” functions the same as the above track, however, this track allows you to select a character from the menu, as it informs you of their connections, and blood-relations to other characters. This feature uses Bonus View to deliver Picture-In-Picture graphics and such, meaning it requires a “Profile 1.1” capable Blu-ray Disc Player.
• “Episode Previews“

Individual discs include the following supplements:

Disc 1:
• “Commentary on Episode 1” with Bruno Heller, and Jonathan Stamp.
• “Commentary on Episode 2” also with Bruno Heller, and Jonathan Stamp.
• “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” (11:03) includes a broad array of various topics concerning the series; the cast discuss their characters, the general Roman religion of multiple gods is analyzed, the series relevance to historical known accuracies to compared, and much more.
• “The Rise of Rome” (23:38) is basically a general discussion about the production’s physical development, such as the set design and building, filming on location in Rome, and recreating the setting to best as known of.

Disc 2:

• “Commentary on Episode 5” with Ray Stevenson (Titus Pullo).

Disc 3:

• “Commentary on Episode 7” with Bruno Heller, and Jonathan Stamp.
• “Commentary on Episode 8” with director Steve Shill

Disc 4:

• “Commentary on Episode 9” with director Jeremy Podeswa.
• “Shot X Shot: ‘Caesar’s Triumph’” (22:53) interviews with much of the crew as they discuss the details and effort put forth in making this sequence of the series shine, and to bring a realistic point of view to this history of this happening.

Disc 5:

• “Commentary on Episode 11” with Kevin McKidd (Lucius Vorenus).
• ‘Commentary on Episode 12” with Bruno Heller, and Jonathan Stamp.
• “Shot X Shot: ‘Gladiator’” (23:02) is a nice summary of the production working on this scene, attempting to create a ‘gladiator’ sequence unlike any other seen in previous films.
• “When in Rome” (22:42)

Disc 6

• “Commentary on Episode 1” with Bruno Heller, and Jonathan Stamp.
• “A Tale of Two Romes” (20:31, HD) is nearly like a history channel special, with details and facts in comparison to the show, really showing audiences how far the production team went to recreate the historical city, including factual information from Jonathan Stamp that you may have otherwise overlooked as simple creative production design.

Disc 7

• Standard Supplements are Included

Disc 8

• “The Making of ‘Rome, Season II’” (22:53, HD) consist of discussion of the production’s obstacles in further developing the second season of the series. Here, you will find an informative facts about the extremes the crew and cast went through to create further depth of the story of “Rome, following the history of the society’s rise of gangs, and the peeks of the city’s political decline.

Disc 9

• “Commentary on Episode 7” with director John Maybury & Lindsay Duncan (Servilia).
• “Commentary on Episode 8” with executive producer John Melfi & director Carl Franklin).
• “The Rise of Octavian: Rome’s First Emperor” (20:45, HD) discusses much of the factual history of the first Emperor; very much as likable as other supplements outlining Roman history.

Disc 10

• “Commentary on Episode 9” with James Purfoy (Marc Antony).
• “Commentary on Episode 10” with Bruno Heller, and Jonathan Stamp.
• “Antony & Cleopatra” (14:49, HD) is a historical outline of the general known history of the couple’s relationship in comparison to the series.

Blu-ray Disc packaging:

Screenshots:

NOTE: The full-sized 1920×1080 files are in a .PNG file format and uncompressed. Bare with the slow loading times, keep in mind these files are at least 1MB (1 megabyte) in size each.

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