Rome: Season 1

Product Details

Format : AC-3, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Aspect Ratio : 1.66:1
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0026359284823
Product Group : DVD
Release Date : 2006-08-15
Studio : HBO Home Video
UPC : 026359284823

ASIN : B000FJH4X2

Customers who bought this goods also bought.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.ca

Family dysfunction. Treachery. Betrayal. Coarse profanity. Brutal violence. Graphic (and sometimes brutal) sex. No, it's not The Sopranos, it's Rome, HBO's madly ambitious series that bloodily splatters the glory of Rome just as savagely as Monty Python and the Holy Grail soiled the good name of Camelot (but with far fewer laughs; very few funny things happen on the way to this forum). Set in 52 B.C. (Before Cable), Rome charts the dramatic shifts in the balance of power between former friends Pompey Magnus (Kenneth Cranham), leader of the Senate, and Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds), whose imminent return after eight years to Rome after conquering the Gauls, has the ruling class up in arms. At the heart of Rome is the odd couple friendship between two soldiers who fortuitously become heroes of the people. Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) is married, honorable, and steadfast. Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) is an amoral rogue whose philosophy is best summed up, "I kill my enemies, take their gold, and enjoy their women." Among Rome's most compelling subplots is Lucius's strained relationship with his wife, Niobe (Indira Varma), who is surprised to see her husband alive (but not as surprised as he is to find her upon his homecoming with a newborn baby in her arms!) Any viewer befuddlement over Rome's intrigues and machinations, and determining who is hero and who is foe, disappears the minute Golden Globe-nominee Polly Walker appears as Atia, Caesar's formidable niece and a villainess for the ages. In the first hour alone, she offers her already married daughter as a bride to the recently widowed Pompey. One eagerly awaits to see what (or who) she'll do next as much as we anticipate her comeuppance in the final episode.

Rome is a painstakingly mounted production that earned eight well-deserved Emmy nominations in such categories as costumes, set design, and art direction. Michael Apted (Coal Miner's Daughter) was honored with a Director's Guild Award for the first episode, "The Stolen Eagle." But artistic considerations aside, instantly addicted viewers will agree with Atia, who notes at one point, "I adore the secrecy, the intrigue. It's most thrilling." --Donald Liebenson

Beyond the Series

The Roman Empire in film and television

The Roman Empire in documentaries

More HBO DVDs

Stills from Rome (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Great Action (2008-05-02)

Rome takes you back to the times of the Roman Empire. This series is very realistic. It is packed with great action and has an amazing story line.

Brutal but excellent series (2007-10-27)

To answer Paul Meyer: DVD's (and CD's) ARE covered by our free trade agreement with the U.S. BUT, if customs wants to, they CAN charge you FULL tax (HST,PST) on the declared value from the sender. In N.B., that is a whopping 14%. IF they decide to do that, or open the package, they also charge a $5.00 "handling fee" which I have never understood. I don't particularly WANT customs to "handle" my package, and I do resent that charge. Why should I have to pay extra for people who are well-paid to do their jobs anyway? It is hit-and-miss. Some they let go through, and some they charge the fees afore metnioned.I bought ROME locally, and it DID cost. But, while the series is brutal, it is also fascinating. Some of the characters, such as Atia are particularly evil. This has all been covered in other reviews, however. It is a series that is instantly captivating.

Cost of DVDs (2007-09-10)

Review deals with pricing only.As of today, (Sept 10, 2007) Amazon.com offers ROME Seasons 1 and 2 for 54.99 US each, 109.98 for both. No free shipping to Canada, so each DVD will cost 1.99 $US shipping, for the cheapest/slowest method, minimum 16.99 $US for courier. Getting fast shipped to Canada will cost about 136 to 140 $CDN, assuming you don't get nicked for any customs duties or brokerage fees. Compares to 147.45 $CDN from Toronto, pretty much risk free. Anyone know if Canada Customs charges import duties/handling fees on DVDs? I've had orders for clothing from the US where I've paid $25+ on one T-shirt just for the "brokerage" fees. Anyway, caveat emptor, eh?

49.99 ON AMAZON.COM DUDES! (2007-08-09)

With the Canadian dollar almost at par why would you pay 70 bucks Canadian when you could pay 50 bucks US??? DUH!!

Epic! (2007-01-23)

Rome is a very realistic and well-researched look into the lives of Romans. The series is very detailed and extravagant. The sets and costumes are gorgeous and bring beautiful colours to the screen. Romans loved rich colours and a lively life style. The scripts are very well-written and filled with plot twists. The best part is this all happened. This is our history, and we are closer to it than we think.

Look for similar items by category

• Genres > Drama
• Genres > Drama > Television
• Genres > Television Central
• Genres > Television Central > HBO
• Genres > Television Central > TV Series > TV Series By Letter > R
• Genres > Television Central > By Decade > 1990s and Newer
• Genres > Television Central > Drama

Related Link