Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 
Buy Used
Used - Like New See details
$20.53 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Sold by ExpressMedia.

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Sell Us Your Item
For up to a $7.94 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here

I, Claudius (1977)

Derek Jacobi , Siân Phillips , Herbert Wise  |  NR |  DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (306 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Other Formats & Versions

Amazon Price New from Used from
DVD 2-Disc Version $16.98  
  5-Disc Version --  

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Amazon Originals Now Playing, For Free: Watch hilarious comedies and lovable children's pilots from top creators, featuring stars you love, only at Amazon Instant Video. See all the shows and let us know what you think.



What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Product Details

  • Actors: Derek Jacobi, Siân Phillips, Flora Robson, Emlyn Williams, Eileen Corbett
  • Directors: Herbert Wise
  • Format: Box set, Color, Full Screen
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 5
  • Rated: NR (Not Rated)
  • Studio: Image Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: August 15, 2000
  • Run Time: 740 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (306 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00004U12X
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,666 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "I, Claudius" on IMDb

Special Features

None.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This superbly acted, mordantly funny romp through 70 years or so of Roman history is one of the best-loved miniseries ever made, and deservedly so. Derek Jacobi plays Roman Emperor Claudius, who reflects in old age on his life and his remarkable family, giving us a history lesson that's unlike anything you learned in school.

The story begins in 24 B.C. during the reign of Augustus Caesar, Rome's first emperor, and ends in A.D. 54 with Nero on the throne. In between, I, Claudius details the scheming, murder, madness, and lust that passed for politics in the early years of the Pax Romana. The biggest worm in the Roman apple is Augustus's wife, Livia (the superb Siân Phillips), whose single-minded pursuit of power shapes the destiny of the Empire. With a carefully planted rumor here and a poisoned fig there, she gradually maneuvers her son, Tiberius, toward the throne, creating an atmosphere of suspicion and treachery that starts Rome on its helter-skelter slide into bloody chaos. Phillips somehow makes us understand this extraordinarily wicked woman. As she ages and her carefully wrought webs begin to unravel, it becomes clear that Livia has been as thoroughly poisoned by her own ambition as her victims were by her carefully prepared meals.

Further acting honors go to George Baker as Tiberius, who resists but eventually succumbs to the destiny forced upon him by his mother, and to John Hurt as a hilarious and absolutely terrifying Caligula. In one breathtakingly tense scene, the mad Emperor performs a dance in drag, then asks Claudius to critique it, perfectly capturing the horror of a world where one wrong word means death, or worse. Jacobi is the perfect Claudius, hiding his intelligence behind a crippling stammer and shuffling around the edges of events--until he finds himself pulled to the very center. His wry comments give shape to the tangled story of his family and help the audience make sense of a dauntingly complex cast of characters.

I, Claudius might seem a little studio-bound to viewers brought up on more recent big-budget costume dramas, but the topnotch cast and the incident-filled plot are more than enough to hold the attention through almost 11 hours of gripping, deliciously wicked Roman follies. This boxed set also includes a documentary entitled "The Epic That Never Was," about Alexander Korda's failed attempt to film I, Claudius in 1937. The film, directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Charles Laughton as Claudius and Merle Oberon as Messalina, was abandoned unfinished, and it remains one of Hollywood's great lost movies. --Simon Leake

Product Description

Meet the most powerful family in antiquity--emperors, murderers, blackmailers, debauchers, and one wise man. This brilliant award-winning epic traces the history of the Roman Empire from 50 b.c. to a.d. 50, from the reign of Augustus and his wife, Livia, through the treacherous Tiberius, the cunning Caligula, and finally Claudius, a most unlikely emperor. Starring Sian Phillips, Brian Blessed, and Derek Jacobi as Claudius, this is the original, uncut British production, including some scenes not shown in the PBS broadcast and an added-value program, "The Epic That Never Was." 13 hours on 7 cassettes or 5 DVDs in a collector's box. "Excellent indeed"--Time.

Customer Reviews

The picture and sound quality are both superior to older versions as well. Kathleen Crisp  |  41 reviewers made a similar statement
As with John Hurt's Caligula, Derek Jacobi's Claudius is a career-making performance. Paul Fogarty  |  50 reviewers made a similar statement
Acting is superb, and the story very gripping. Marjorie Cater  |  40 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
455 of 485 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars CAVEAT EMPTOR October 10, 2005
By Beav
Format:DVD
Many important scenes have been cut (censored?) from the original Masterpiece Theater version including the contest between Claudius' wife and the prostitute, Caligula's horse Incitatus being made senator, and others. These omissions sacrifice the overall continuity and flow. These omissions are unnecessary and unforgivable given the DVD format. A general disappointment for those who remember the original version. Other than the above this is highly enjoyable.
Was this review helpful to you?
526 of 571 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:DVD
I bought the DVD boxed set fully aware that this was a 24 year old made-for-TV production. I was therefore expecting perhaps a "flat" look with mono sound and muted colours.

What I didn't expect was that image-entertainment/CBS would (apparently) cut the DVD from a bad second(+) generation video tape - rather than the presumably superior BBC master.

The sound is muffled and the picture has noticeable ghosting. There are no sub-titles so the DVD has to be viewed with the sound on full blast. To be fair to IE/CBS this was true when I watched the series on BBC TV on its first broadcast.

Given the (unfortunately) limited market for quality drama in the US I wouldn't expect the full George Lucas treatment. However, why could not IE/CBS (a) get hold of a better master; (b) spend a little money on cleaning up the soundtrack/image; (c) provide sub-titles?

Buy it anyway because you'll forget the technical limitations within minutes as you become totally absorbed in this wonderful drama.

I note that "The 6 Wives of Henry VIII" (which I intend to purchase) is distributed by "BFS". I hope they've done a better job than IE/CBS and that they will be releasing "Elizabeth R" when the time comes.

Amazon should have separate content/technical ratings for DVDs.

Was this review helpful to you?
198 of 216 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best TV drama ever May 25, 2000
Format:VHS Tape
I, Claudius, Robert Graves' great book about the Caesars, was brought to television in this BBC series starring Derek Jacobi as the crippled, stuttering Emperor Claudius, narrator of the story. Jacobi is brillian in this role - going from young boy to old man as the series progresses. Other standouts are Sian Phillips as Livia, the evil wife of Augustus, Brian Blessed as Augustus himself in a wonderfully understated performance, and John Hurt as the insane Emperor Caligula in a performance that is abolutely over the top.

I have no idea how many times I have watched this series. I have never grown tired of it. The story of the Caesars - of the competition, corruption, assassinations, intrigue, political and military turmoil, family tragedy and human comedy - never fails to entertain. This series has a little bit of everything that all good stories have, great plot, fascinating characters, multiple conflicts, moments of drama and moments of comedy - and it is all (mostly) true.

One doesn't have to be an enthusiast for historical drama to really enjoy this saga. These Romans are, in their feeling and ambitions, just like modern folk. Endlessly fascinating, I, Claudius deserves a place in the collection of anyone looking to preserve the best that BBC television has had to offer.

Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Saw the original version on PBS 35 years ago
Great reproduction of the original presentation. A pleasure to see it again. Found the sound portion of certain segments to be at a very low level. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Walter Schmidt
5.0 out of 5 stars Exellent Series
If you like plot twists, intrigue, and the worst humanity has to offer, this is it. The must have series.
Published 18 days ago by John Haxton
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Set
I love this set. It taught me more about the horribleness and sickness within the Roman Empire than I learned in school. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Gbert14
5.0 out of 5 stars great series
This is a classic we watched on Masterpiece Theater many, many years ago. We loved it then and love it now.
Published 28 days ago by Donna Means
5.0 out of 5 stars I, Claudius is a true classic!
I first viewed this series while I was taking an acting class in college. There are no punches pulled in this! Derek Jacobi is an ornament to any stage. The characters evolve. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Elizabeth A. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, Despite The Losses
This very famous series kept PBS viewers coming back week after week to keep up with the dirty deeds in the palaces of ancient Rome. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Calicokid
5.0 out of 5 stars This story is timeless...
My first viewing of I, CLAUDIUS was on BBC so many years ago. It never left my mind due to the thought provoking characters, dialogue, and endless charades. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Terrie
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting history from a little known perspective
I had seen this some time back when it was broadcast and remembered being surprised at how much I enjoyed it back then. Read more
Published 8 months ago by John W. Van Hoy III
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Watched this with my first wife in the 70s, now with No. 2. Even better the second time ; )
Published 11 months ago by Doctor Bill
5.0 out of 5 stars So good to see it again
It was great to be able to watch this series of Robert Graves historical fiction again after many years. Read more
Published 14 months ago by E. Craig McKay
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews


Forums

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions

Topic From this Discussion
Close Caption
There is a difference between subtitles and closed captions. Some programs have one or the other, and some have both. Subtitles were originally used to display other languages from original audio language, just as subtitles on movies have always done. Closed captions were originally for TV for... Read more
May 3, 2008 by gtippitt |  See all 29 posts
Appropriate?
Yes it does, in fact a few episodes contain scenes that are "mature" in nature. I would not let anyone under teenage see this series.
May 1, 2011 by Eric Pregosin |  See all 3 posts
Remastered... but no new extras?
Unfortunately the reviews all seem to have been ported over from the original release, so I'm waiting to hear if the picture quality has been improved significantly. This was a low-budget production and the original DVD does not look great, but I can live with it. However, if the new edition is... Read more
Dec 5, 2008 by C. S. Junker |  See all 4 posts
Blue Skin
The video card (connected to the TV and PC monitor) is a likely culprit. You see, when video cards get too old, or people speed (and heat) them up with overclocking to improve gaming or video editing, funny colors and maddening patterns may pop up in output--the video card has to meet many... Read more
Feb 21, 2009 by G. Morrison |  See all 5 posts
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 




Look for Similar Items by Category