Nearing the end of his life and surrounded by spies, claudius, emperor of rome, writes his family history. Seriously, i used to know every single line of every single episode. A part series based on robert graves novels, centering on the historian claudius and how, in an unlikely and violent chain of events, he came to rule the roman empire. She also portrays the wonderfully evil livia in i, claudius 1976. The series opens with an elderly claudius penning his memoirs. Claudius wrote a history of rome that does not survive, but novelist and poet robert graves 18951985 imagined what claudius reported and presented it in two books. I, claudius returns in a 35thanniversary dvd set the new york. I, claudius by herbert wise derek jacobi, sian phillips, brian. I, claudius 35th anniversary edition by sian phillips. I, claudius is a historical novel by english writer robert graves, first published in 1934. Sian phillips in i, claudius vintage photography ebay. It was curtains for husband peter otoole before sian. Written by jack pulman, it starred derek jacobi as claudius, with sian phillips, brian blessed, george baker, margaret tyzack, john hurt, patricia quinn, ian ogilvy, kevin mcnally, patrick stewart, and john rhysdavies.
Perhaps best known to american audiences as livia in i, claudius, sian phillips has a very expressive voice that is a wonderful match for heyers proseshe can convey volumes in her reading of a syllable or two. Among other points, i love the way that sian phillips and brian blessed do such an excellent job playing a married couple you feel you know. Why you should be watching the roman saga of i, claudius. This renowned 1976 miniseries based on the books i, claudius and claudius the god by robert graves follows the history of the roman empire, from the latter reign of augustus starting around 2423 b. And, of course, derek jacobis claudius is so sympathetic you will never again be able to read a classical roman historians description of him without bristling and wanting to come to his defense.
The series covers the history of the early roman empire, told from the. I, claudius is a 1976 bbc television adaptation of robert graves i, claudius and claudius the god. That was before sian phillips said goodbye to her mr. Sian phillips, derek jacobi, patrick stewart, john hurt. U2, scorpions, bon jovi, the eagles, aerosmith, led zeppelin best rock songs playlist 2019 duration. I, claudius is a 1976 bbc television adaptation of robert gravess i, claudius and claudius the god.
Please do not use any of our photographs before contacting us first. With derek jacobi, john hurt, sian phillips, brian blessed. Her broad range of roles went from endearing to downright deadly. Tv program, sian phillips in i, claudius, sian phillips as livia, augustus second wife. The autobiography first edition by phillips, sian isbn. Home entertainment why you should be watching the roman saga of i, claudius set in antiquity, this is a soap opera on a grand scale, featuring murder, madness, incest and betrayal books and. I found it interesting to read that at first, she had a hard time getting a grip on the role, trying to make the first roman empress more sympathetic and to figure out how to humanize her wickedness. The entertaining history lesson that is i, claudius offers a rare amount of high quality acting. Claudius are in the driving pace, sharp wit, and ferocity of jack pulmans script and the host of brilliant performers who play it out. The durability of i, claudius began with gravess books. Public places, my life in the theater, with peter otoole. Cast as the secret memoirs of claudius himself, they were grounded in exhaustive scholarship but.
My husband and i watched it in the seventies and we both had good memories of it. It was as good as we remembered itfabulous acting, especially by derek jacobi and sian phillips, tremendous writing and a huge dramatic impact. I claudius complete bbc series 5 disc box set dvd 1976. The 1976 bbc production of i, claudius is often cited as the best television miniseries of all time. Sian phillips, george baker, and john hurt, but also ian ogilvy, simon. I, claudius is my favorite tv miniseries of all time. Before all the bitch characters that became so popular in the eighties, we have livia, the queen of bitches. I, claudius was adapted in 1976 from author robert graves books charting the decline of ancient rome. Written by jack pulman, it starred derek jacobi as claudius, with sian phillips, brian blessed, george. The story is better known in britain than here, how phillips married otoole just as he was about to become world famous as lawrence of arabia in the landmark 1962 film. Though the narrative is largely fictionalized, most of the. Written in the form of an autobiography of the roman emperor claudius, it tells the history of the julioclaudian dynasty and the early years of the roman empire, from julius caesars assassination in 44 bc to caligulas assassination in ad 41. Sian phillips my six best books sian phillips, 80, made her film debut in becket and went on to win a tv bafta for i, claudius as well as olivier award nominations for her west end roles in pal.
Dame sian phillips autograph signed theatre film tv. I remember my mom watching this on pbs when i was a tiny little tyke 6 i read the book in high school and bought the dvd set years later and watched it several. The history of the roman empire as experienced by one of its rulers. Derek jacobi as claudius, brian blessed as augustus, patrick stewart with hair as sejanus and so many others. I, claudius and claudius the god the original novel was written in 1934 and was intended for a large screen adaptation starring charles laughton which was abandoned and the book deemed unfilmable for the. Can i use this photograph in a publication i am doing, such as book, documentary or website. For nearly 20 years, sian phillips was in thrall to peter otoole, the man she married and describes now as a dangerous, disruptive human being.
Claudius marries agrippinilla, mother of nero and the deadliest woman in rome. Download audiobooks narrated by sian phillips to your device. Augustus brian blessed is emperor and livia sian phillips his scheming, ambitious wife, claudius s aunt. Written in the form of an autobiography of the roman emperor claudius, it. Audible provides the highest quality audio and narration. For some images it is an absolute no, for some it might. Younger readers who dont remember i, claudius, the 1976 tv adaptation of the two robert graves novels, i, claudius and claudius the god, may wonder what all the fuss was about. Claudius was the son of general nero claudius drusus and the grandson of livia drusilla, the wife of caesar augustus, who ruled rome as its first emperor from 27 b. It provides a thorough exploration of the novels plot, characters and main themes, as well as a useful introduction to the historical fiction genre. Phillips was born in gwauncaegurwen, glamorgan, wales, the daughter of sally nee thomas, a teacher, and david phillips, a steelworker who became a policeman. I, claudius is a brilliantly written piece of historical fiction from the perspective of a haplessyetintelligent black sheep of the julioclaudian house during the augustan era of the roman empire who stumbles his way through to survive the reigns of augustus, tiberius, and caligula only to be made emperor himself. Best sellers todays deals new releases books electronics gift ideas home customer service computers gift cards sell. I also have read the robert graves books that were the basis for the series and read a lot of history on ancient rome my favorite was suetoniusa major source for the graves books.
Written by jack pulman, it proved one of the corporations most successful drama serials of all time. Claudius knowingly seals his fate and that of his own son by naming nero his heir. And, while phillips, who like her husband trained at the royal academy of dramatic art, achieved considerable fame as livia in the i claudius tv miniseries, and has appeared in many dramas and musicals, the role that determined the course of. I had been trying to find a version of i, claudius with captions or subtitles for years. I, claudius by herbert wise derek jacobi, sian phillips.
Sian phillips in i, claudius sian phillips as livia, augustus second wife. The i, claudius novels are two books published in 1934 and 1935, respectively, both written by the english 20th century writer robert graves, but in the form of an autobiography of the roman emperor claudius who ruled the roman empire from 41 to 54 ad the first book, titled i, claudius, chronicles the history of the julioclaudian dynasty and the roman empire, from the. Lots of period drama set around the louche lifestyles and murderous intrigue of generations of roman emperors, they may say, plus a few wellknown faces looking. Apart from the acting, two things make the show a pleasure to revisit in isolation. I claudius complete bbc series 5 disc box set 1976 dvd. His tale begins during the reign of augustus, with his treacherous grandmother, livia, scheming to advance the career of her son, tiberius. A prophecy has told him that nero will be romes next ruler.
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