Customer Reviews

Rome - Power & Glory

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

At 5+ hours, this is certainly an ambitious documentary of the rise, hegemony & eventual decline and fall of the Roman Empire. For many subjects, one would think that a study of this length would be overkill. However, when you're talking about an empire which spanned nearly 1,200 years, 5 hours barely scratches the surface. Don't get me wrong, this is a fairly well-done piece. However, there is only so much that you can stick into a video of this duration.

One of the most impressive aspects of the DVD is its inclusion of people of varying expertise. Sure, it has the normal college history professors, but it also summons an art professor, as well as a US Army general to discuss Roman military tactics, and a US Senator to analyze Roman politics & diplomacy.

On the downside, some notable personages in history are omitted, such as Spartacus, Attila the Hun, Shapur, Vespasian (except for a brief biographical sketch) and Justinian. Again, 5 hours is hardly enough time to delve into every nook & cranny of Roman history, but one would think that these names would stand out, nonetheless.

The worst feature of this documentary is the soundtrack. It is very amateurish and repetitive, basically the same musical phrase played over & over & over again. By the 3rd hour, hearing it gets quite annoying. One need only view "Greeks: Crucible of Civilization" to be convinced that there is no reason a historical documentary can't have a quality score.

The melodramatic and redundant music is almost entirely offset by the professionalism of the narrator, however; Coyote's voice is pleasing to the ear & does not get tiresome to listen to.

What the DVD does cover, it covers very well. As others have mentioned, some material does get repeated every so often, but it is sometimes necessary for what the creators are trying to accomplish. As an American, I found the nexus that was emphasized between the Roman Republic & the polemics of the United States' founding fathers quite interesting. However, I am sure that people from other parts of the globe will likely be disinterested in that digression.

All in all, this is an excellent introduction to the ancient world of the Roman empire. One cannot admire too much a people who were so bloodthirsty as to stage gladatorial games where thousands of men & animals would be killed in a single day. The approach of this inquiry does a credible job of giving a balanced treatment to both the noble traits and the vices of the Roman people.

If you have any interest in classical history at all, I would highly recommend this DVD. Both novice and historian have a lot to gain by owning this scholarly and insightful study of Rome.

If I could offer 3.5 stars it would be a toss as to whether I did that, or gave it the 3 stars I'm offering. This is a reasonably competent production, but, as other reviewers have noted, it's repetition is very noticeable - even if you view the episodes in isolation.

Good points

The series does move from the beginnings of Rome to it's demise, and does give a convincing feel for the ebb and flow of Rome. It covers quite a few notable incidents, some of which will almost definitely be new to viewers unless they are students of ancient history. It succeeds in conveying something of the originality of Roman society (while noting it's heavy Greek borrowings), and appears to give a balanced assessment. There is a reasonable information content in this DVD.

Bad points

There was one episode in particular in which I felt over 50% of what was discussed had already been discussed. There must be at least four or five times when the same incident is recounted. This is all wasted space really. Also, I felt that the flow of the series was a bit disordered. Whilst it is roughly chronological, it digresses, following a thematic path sometimes, but seems to do haphazardly.

Summary

It is moderately informative and credible, but won't satisfy those looking for a lot of detail or a scholarly account. The occasional short interviews with academics with are interspersed throughout are effective, but probably could have been more frequent. I think there is too much emphasis on the emotional reality of Rome for most of it's citizens, and not quite enough on it's intellectual or engineering achievements. They are mentioned but not explored.

There is no shortage of material if you're looking to learn about the Roman Empire. It is one of the most studied topics in history, particularly when it comes to books and documentaries. It was an empire that Streched from Scotland to the Sahara - from Spain to Saudi Arabia. An empire uniting the meditaranian world into a solid political entity with one currency, one set of roads, consistantly well planned cities, ingenious architecture, a common set of laws, a common language, and protected by the mightiest military machine of the ancient and classical periods. Many of these aspects europe is only today striving to achieve once more with the EU.

Rome: Power & Glory is a fairly good documentary on this great empire to which much of today's government architecture and many of our laws owe thier heritage.

I found plenty to like about this series. It offers plenty of information across 6 aproximatley one hour episodes. The series is broken up into 6 volumes each of which covers a different aspect of Rome - the rise of the empire, the fall of the empire, the effect of Romanization across the empire, etc. Thus it's organized by topic rather than chronologically. Whether or not you like this system will depend on personal taste and on whether or not you plan to watch them all at once (unlikely unless you have 6 hours to kill). A positive aspect of this is that if you want to know about a specific topic concerning Rome you can pull out the volume relating to that and watch it. however if you really want a good understanding of the timeline of events, the growth, the hieght and the decline, then you may dislike this as it breaks things up. You'll talk about ceasar for example in different episodes at differing levels of depth and in different lights. Basically this method has both it's benefits and it's consequences.

The series is entertaining and well shot the whole way through. While some footage seems to be reused, they attempt to use old movie footage from films such as "Scipio Africanus" in conjunction with modern images of the ruins, paintings, drawings, and plenty of shots of reenactments to create a more vissually diverse experience. But a lot of this footage is reused throughout the episodes which can feel a bit redundant.

The informative content in the series is pretty good. Lot's of interviews, good naration, very intriguing, and entertaining at the same time. It also offers some solid analysis of the events and thier importance. Lots of attempts are made to put these in perspective and offer the information in ways that most people today will easily relate to and be able to digest. This includes many lovely analogies that at least one other reviewer complained about. When talking about the gladiators they are compaired to modern day Mike Tysons. When talking about Romanization and the spread of grecco-roman culture and it's effects, they draw analogies to present day americanization (english being common language and the spread of mcdonnalds and coca cola and american music etc). I think this is great. Not only does it effectively get accross the point and put things in perspective while demonstrating what the implications were - but it also goes a long way to say that we need to look back to history to learn it's lessons. America is very much the Rome of today's world and we had better look at the fall of Rome and avoid the pitfalls of being a super power. This is appraoched in the series several times in a subtle kind of way, implying that the spread of culture and the disparity of wealth can cause resentment of a society - and obviously we see this happening today.

Rome: Power and Glory is not perfect though. It's a great overview of Rome - from republic to empire to the fall. What it lacks is sufficient depth in certain areas. Do not expect a complete coverage of roman history - the topical apprach works well in giving you an overview of Rome, not so good if you want you want to know all about the specific wars, battles, generals etc. You wont learn about the battle of Cannae, or cover hannibal in any kind of detail.

In the end it may not be the best documentary about Rome, but it's a good one. Especially for those wanting the big pictures and some depth while not a completely comprehensive look at Rome. This would be great for the class room or the living room - and even if this series doesnt serve all your needs it will make a solid addition to your collection.

I do not consider myself an "expert" on Roman history, but I've studied enough about the History of Rome, to know that I understand a hell of a lot more than the average person who's only been acquainted with it. This documentary is great for anyone who wants to own their own library of information on the subject. While there is far too much history to cover the entire lifespan of Rome in huge detail, and within the time frame of 6 - 1 hour episodes, this documentary is one I strongly recommend. It does a great job of giving anyone interested in Roman History an overview; from it's beginnings as an Etruscan Monarchy, to it's founding as a Republic, to an Empire under the Ceasars, to it's fall. However it also hits on particular subjects in a way that is interesting, even for one like myself who is well read on the overall topic. I was not at all disappointed in this film. After each episode I found my appetite for information quite satisfied, while at the same time looking forward to starting another. Even though I was familiar with most of the material, I enjoyed watching it come to life beyond the pages of a book. I recommend this film for both those new to the subject, as well as those who are somewhat advanced in their studies, even if it only serves as a visual depiction of what they already know. I think they'll still enjoy the way the information is layed out and conveyed to them, giving them a visual context to refresh their memories with.

I love documentaries on ancient empires and already have a number on Rome. This far surpasses them all. Like most I have seen, it is made for a wide audience, but this one does offer a wonderful glimpse into this civilization that still impacts so much of our current world. Each disc also has lots of extras as well as some have virtual recreations. I will enjoy watching this for years.

I have seen and have unfortunately bought some pretty cheesy documentaries on Rome. What made me want to purchase this one was the fact that it is narrated by Peter Coyote. That told me this one was first-class. It is.

I purchased Rome: Power & Glory in order to complement my university studies. The content was disappointing: very few maps, too much emphasis on legends rather than historical facts. Some very necessary explanations are missing: surprising if you consider the participation of very good University professors. The image of the entire title is a mix of contemporary ruin scenes -very well photographed-, sketches from an old b&w movie, and some modestly produced scenes obviously to fill up. The reconstructions of ancient monuments are well made, but the 12 Caesars Biographies are barely one paragraph long: any general encyclopedia contains much more information. If you are looking for a basic overview of Rome the title is OK, but if you are seeking for a more historical content and analysis, to complement studies for instance, you will find it lacks professionalism. However the image quality is good and the photography of the ruins is excellent. No caption or subtitles in other languages.

I love history and civilizations, and this DVD was a great catch for me because of its educational value and entertaining side as well. It was little lengthy, so a guy who's not really interested in history might not want to sit down and watch through the whole thing.

I have one complaint though, the events weren't told in order! There are six chapters, they start with the rising of the Roman empire and end with its collapse; However chapters overlap in their events and at times they become very confusing! That really annoyed me. It annoyed me that it deserved wiping out a whole star :)

Absorbing and detailed 6-part DVD, 312 minutes in length.

Additional features of this DVD include

o A Timeline.

o Virtual Reconstructions and descriptions of the Forum, Baths, Circus Maximus, Colosseum, public buildings, and the House of the Vestal Virgins.

o Textual summary of The Twelve Caesars, Suetonius (69-140 A.D.), chronicling the exploits of Julius Caesar and the first 11 Roman emperors.

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Comments follow:

Fascinating overview of the Roman origins, Republic, Empire, Emperors, subjects, slaves, conquests, and the conquered.

It skips over most of the conquests in the east, with the exception of Judea and the failed campaign against the Parthians. Many of the additions/segments with historians are of interest, some are distracting and seem out of place.

The Greek influence on the Romans? Check elsewhere for details as that's given scant mention via this DVD.

It uses a lot of old movie footage to depict wars, slavery, gladiators, etc., although there are original scenes with production value and quite a lot of modern day footage of the areas/topics covered.

Unfortunately, some of the footage is used several times for different aspects of history, but only someone (like me) who focuses on detail would be bothered by that technique.

The strengths of the show? The narration by Peter Coyote and the exhaustive coverage of some little-known or little-mentioned aspects of Roman history, such as

o the nuances involved in the spread of chris- tianity which were in no small part a result of Roman subjugation of conquered territories combined with increasing proclivities towards enslaving/impoverishing said territories,

o Rome's persistent focus on shifting resources to the very top of the empire with steadily degrading adversity for the vast majority of its subjects, over time,

o the causality/impetus behind the endorsement/ official establishment of christianity by Roman emperor Constantine.

Unfortunately, it gives scant mention to details on paganism, sun worship, the mystic cults, and other religions, for the most part.

Parts of the show could be used by christian churches to promote christianity (and appear to have been constructed with a christian audience in mind). On the other hand, other parts (especially the details on pre- and post- Constantinian advocacy of christianity) would likely discomfort a christian audience ...

Gives a good overview of Rome's rise and fall, but is somewhat repetitive, with many facts and stories being used in several chapters. Also video images are repeated many times.

Great story of Rome, where each tape takes a subject and deals with it in more detail. Lots of old movies are used, which is something I found nice. Only one big problem, that was added to the DVD version, is that the VHS version has no timeline. One has to remember that the tapes deal with events that overlap the events and facts they talk about in other tapes. So a person might have trouble with realizing the overlapping cause and effect of the history. It is still a great set of tapes for the price, but if you want more details on certain subjects you will want to get a book (or look it up on some of the Roman web sites).