ROME: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION (DVD Review) - 26/12/07

I seriously thought what was the reason behind these DVDs being so expensive? When you watch the actual show you can see why - Cost! It was the main factor for this "Complete Collection" because HBO will not be making anymore due to the prohibitive expense of filming. You can it all on the screen the attention to detail from the costumes, sets and settings, to the props and all the finer detail from the graffiti on the walls to the literal shit in the street. It all looks incredibly real from the styles and mannerisms of a dozen cultures. Watching the making of tells you why - It was all done as historically true to life as possible. Through the dramatic re-interpretation of historical events with a small leeway on Hollywood licence and Rome comes into your living room. From the political and social internecine struggles, the traitorous and the depravity, alliances formed and pacts crumble, the strife and mayhem and ongoing wars, mixed in with personal conflicts and interaction between various classes this story long resonates after it finishes. The unfortunate result leaves you hanging with tales untold as all good TV shows do (Which I hate!) and leaves the way open so that if another TV Studio should open it's coffers it could finish off the whole adventure. Another naughty habit these companies have is slinging the individual boxsets together and forming one package - In this case it is the complete First Season of "Rome" with the Second Season bunged in with it with a new outer casing as above. Strangely enough though the packaging for the outer casing is very well done and both seasons also have been both well laid out with a booklet per season covering the episodes. Really it is jaw dropping when someone shouts out "Your a fucking cunt" and then proceeds to thrust a sword through a person's throat out the other side and the blood sprays everywhere and it then continues in that vein with heads being lopped off, full frontal nudity from both sexes with even more excess and one can see the 18 Certificate looming. The more you watch the more you realise it is a different world entirely; strange that it should so represent current society with it's ongoing wars, violence in the streets with no punishments as crime runs rampant, sleazy politicians saying one thing and taking a backhander, the poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer - Business as usual then - What's a few centuries between societies? Just history repeating itself.

ROME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON...the year is 52 B.C. This 6-disc set has various commentaries, featurettes and interactive onscreen guides.

Audio: 5.1. Dolby Digital. Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen. Runtime: 595 Mins. Approx. Languages: English, French, German. Subtitles: The same plus Dutch. Rating: 18. Hearing Impaired: English & German.

ROME: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON...the year is 44 B.C. This 5-disc set has various commentaries, featurettes and interactive onscreen guides.

Audio: 5.1. Dolby Digital. Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen. Runtime: 568 Mins. Approx. Languages: English. Subtitles: English & Dutch. Feature Only Subtitles: Danish, Finnish, Norwegian & Swedish. Rating: 18. Hearing Impaired: English.

Region 2 (UK) DVD 11-Disc Boxset. WARNER/HBO 2007. DY20221. ISBN # 7321902202211>