Me, Claudius, Kaiser and God
Ich, Claudius, Kaiser und Gott is a television series produced by the BBC2 , which was first broadcast on September 20, 1976 and broadcast in many countries. Based on the historical novels I, Claudius and Claudius, the God (both 1934) by Robert Graves, it describes the history of the Julian-Claudian dynasty from Augustus to Claudius . The series, written by Jack Pulman, turned out to be one of the most successful television series of all time.
In Ich, Claudius, Kaiser und Gott , the aging emperor Claudius tells the story of Rome from the death of Marcellus, the nephew and son-in-law of Augustus, in the first episode, to his own death in the last episode.
Episode guide
The series begins with Augustus, ruler of the Roman Empire, looking for an heir, while his wife Livia is constantly plotting to succeed his own son Tiberius from her first marriage. The conspiracies and intrigues stretch over several decades, through the conspiracy of the Praetorian Prefect Seianus and the reign of the insane emperor Caligula, and culminate in the apparently accidental accession of Claudius to the throne. The enlightened and wise rule of Claudius, however, is overshadowed by the infidelity of his adulterous third wife Messalina and the betrayal of his childhood and youth friend, Herod Agrippa. Eventually Claudius accepts the inevitability of his own assassination and the seizure of power by his insane stepson Nero.
1. A Touch of Murder
24-23 BC Chr .: For a few years there has been peace in the Roman Empire under Caesar Augustus. Emperor Augustus begins to favor his nephew Marcellus over his old friend and comrade in arms Marcus Agrippa, whereupon Agrippa leaves Rome angrily. But an unexpected threat to the state arises: Livia, the emperor's third wife, does everything in its power to make Tiberius, one of her sons from her first marriage, Augustus' successor. When Marcellus, who is married to the Emperor's daughter Julia, falls ill, she takes care of him all by herself - and immediately uses her outstanding talents as a poisoner. After the death of Marcellus, Augustus calls his friend Agrippa back to Rome. In order to seal the renewed friendship, the emperor married his daughter Julia - Marcellus 'widow - to Agrippa, who was many years older than him - and thus, without realizing it, thwarted Livia's plans that Julia wanted to marry off Tiberius in order to make him Augustus' To position his successor.
2. A fine family (Family Affairs)
13 BC Chr .: Augustus' daughter Julia loses her second husband Marcus Agrippa under mysterious circumstances. Empress Livia immediately forces her son Tiberius to divorce his wife Vipsania so that he can marry the newly widowed Julia. However, Tiberius still loves Vipsania and secretly meets with her. Augustus is furious, but Livia defends her son by claiming that Tiberius told her about his secret meetings with his ex-wife. The visit of his brother Drusus is a pleasant change for Tiberius, but shortly before his return to Germania , Drusus argues with his mother Livia when he surprisingly speaks out in favor of the abolition of the empire. Back on the Rhine , Drusus writes a letter to Tiberius in which he asks him to help convince Augustus to resign and make Rome a republic again. But Tiberius receives the letter in the presence of Augustus and Livia, and his mother uses the letter to discredit her son Drusus with the emperor. When Drusus falls from his horse in Germania and is injured in the process, Livia sends her reliable personal physician to the front with a special order - shortly afterwards Drusus dies in the presence of his wife Antonia and their recently born son Claudius. Julia's sons Gaius and Lucius, whom she gave birth to the deceased Agrippa, will now become the favorites of her grandfather Augustus. How long will they survive their murderous grandmother Livia's lust for power?
3. Before the big show (Waiting in the Wings)
2 v. BC - AD 5: Gaius died and Tiberius was exiled to Rhodes for treating his wife Julia badly. One day in the garden a wolf cub falls from the clutches of an eagle into the lap of young Claudius, and an augur who happens to be present predicts that the cripple Claudius - who is otherwise only pitied by everyone - will one day save Rome in times of greatest danger. Meanwhile, Livia continues to weave her strings: When she notices that Antonia's young daughter Livilla and Julia's youngest son Postumus Agrippa, whom this Marcus Agrippa gave birth to shortly after his death, feel drawn to one another, she proposes that Augustus engage the two children with other family members in front. Meanwhile, disappointed in her marriage to the exiled Tiberius, his wife Julia has fun in the beds of countless Roman men. Her stepmother Livia forces Aulus Plautius, one of the lovers, to draw up a detailed list of Julia's love affairs. Finally, Livia gets Julia's son Lucius to deliver this list to the emperor and thus completely discredits Julia against her father, who always values moral values. Augustus is furious about his daughter's depraved way of life. If he doesn't want to become a mockery of the empire, he has to punish her severely - she will be banished. When Julia's son Lucius, who was to become Augustus' successor in office, dies in a boat accident in Massilia / Marseille , Tiberius is supposed to return to Rome - as the emperor's right-hand man and, together with the young Postumus Agrippa, as a possible heir to the throne ...
4. Claudius - a problem (What Shall We Do about Claudius?)
9 AD: Three Roman legions were destroyed in the Teutoburg Forest in Germania. Tiberius and Germanicus are sent on a punitive expedition. Meanwhile, Claudius, who is universally ridiculed as an idiotic cripple, learns from the historian Asinius Pollio that his father Drusus is said to have been murdered many years ago. Pollio advises the young man to exaggerate his physical disability in order to avoid his family's murder conspiracies as an alleged idiot. Augustus has determined that Postumus Agrippa, the last surviving son of Juliet from her marriage to Marcus Agrippa, should succeed him as ruler - but Livia does not pay attention, but takes the initiative on her part: She blackmailed Livilla, who was married to Tiberius' son Castor, Claudius' sister, to lure her lover Postumus into a trap and portray him as a rapist in front of his grandfather Augustus. Postumus claims to Augustus that Livia put all possible rivals of Tiberius out of the way for the line of succession, but the emperor doesn't believe him. Shortly before Postumus is exiled, he can inform Claudius of his (well-founded) suspicions about the mysterious deaths in the family for which Livia is responsible. Postumus also advises his friend Claudius to continue playing the disabled idiot in order to survive. The episode ends with Claudius' marriage to Plautia Urgulanilla, who is so much larger than her husband that the wedding ends in incessant laughter and ridicule from everyone present.
5. Poison is Queen
13-14 AD: Germanicus has defeated the Germans and returns to Rome in triumph. Claudius lets his brother in on the murder plot at the imperial court, and Germanicus is able to persuade Augustus to visit his grandson Postumus on the rocky island near Corsica , to which he had banished him because of the alleged rape of Livilla. The two men are reconciled. Postumus is expected to return to Rome soon and become the next emperor. In private, Augustus thanks Claudius for opening his eyes to his brother Germanicus and tells him that he has already changed his will in favor of Postumus. But Livia, who is always suspicious , uses a trick to trick the upper vestal virgin into allowing her to see the amended will - and for her part forges it. She does everything to ensure that her son Tiberius can ascend the throne of Caesar. A little later Augustus falls ill. But he recovered when he began to only eat fruit and milk he had milked himself. But his recovery is short-lived: He finally dies in Nola after Livia had poisoned all the figs on the tree that night. A Praetorian officer named Sejanus is sent out to kill Postumus on his island. Meanwhile, Tiberius prepares to ascend the throne and, according to the will (forged by Livia), is awarded two thirds of Augustus' property, while Livia receives the remaining third.
6. Law should remain law (Some Justice)
19-20 AD: Tiberius, supported by Sejanus, rules with an iron fist. Only Claudius' brother Germanicus prevents total tyranny, but when he mysteriously dies in Syria , the rumors that Tiberius should have had a hand in it - did he and Livia initiate the poisoning of Germanicus? Gaius Calpurnius Piso and his wife Plancina are said to have murdered him on the highest orders - this is not only suspected by Germanicus' widow Agrippina, but also by the people of Rome. At the suggestion of Claudius, the Senate is to clarify the egregious allegations in order to avoid a possible obstruction of the courts by Tiberius' agents. The main witness, the passionate poisoner Martina, is hidden in a secret place by Claudius and his friend Herodes Agrippa before the trial, but is found by Livia's informers. Martina tells Livia that her Germanicus' own son Caligula helped put his father to death by convincing him to be cursed through witchcraft . Meanwhile, Piso hopes to be acquitted, as he could publish the emperor's written murder orders in his defense. Even when these letters are taken from him by Sejanus, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, he has another trump card in his hand - a letter from Livia that does not have an imperial Sphinx seal and is therefore not subject to secrecy in court, and which he does now threatens to read before the Senate. Livia then threatens Plancina with Martina's testimony in return. Plancina now tries to persuade her husband Piso to commit suicide - knowing that Livia will spare her herself and that she and her children would not lose their entire family fortune through the dishonorable death of Piso. When Piso hesitates, Plancina stabs him. This ends the process, and Agrippina and her friends have to be satisfied that at least "some justice" has been enforced.
7. Companions of Hardship (Queen of Heaven)
23 - 29 AD: Emperor Tiberius lives almost exclusively for his sexual debauchery, during which his great-nephew Caligula is only too happy to keep him company. However, he doesn't want to have anything to do with his mother Livia. This makes his dependence on Sejanus, the power-hungry commander of the Praetorian Guard, all the stronger. He maintains a huge network of agents in Rome and is gradually building a police state. Trials of high treason against rich senators, nobles and citizens are now the order of the day. Through a relationship with Claudius 'sister Livilla - who is married to Tiberius' son Castor - Sejanus even wants to become a member of the imperial family. Livilla falls so deeply into the hands of the Prefect of the Praetorians that she poisons her husband Castor just to be able to marry Sejanus. Sejanus also sets up his half-sister Aelia with Claudius by telling Claudius that his wife is expecting a child from another man. Livia, fearing her imminent death, tells Claudius at her last birthday party about an unpublished prophecy of the Sibyl, which says that he and Caligula will one day become emperors. She makes both of them promise to declare her a goddess after her death so that she can escape the torments in Tartarus for her crimes. Claudius agrees - on the condition that she tells him, the passionate historian, the truth about her crimes. On her deathbed, Livia receives a visit from Caligula, who withdraws his promise and at the same time reveals to her that he himself will be the greatest god the world has ever seen.
8. The Reign of Terror
30 - 31 AD: Emperor Tiberius has finally withdrawn to Capri , where he continues to live out his sexual perversions. He has the state affairs done by the secret service chief Sejanus, who consolidates his power in Rome by banishing Agrippina and her eldest son Nero and imprisoning their second son Drusus and starving to death. Sejanus has also divorced his wife and asks Tiberius to consent to his marriage to Livilla. The emperor does not allow that, as he does not want Sejanus to rise so high in rank, but he suggests a marriage with Helena - Livilla's daughter - instead. The furious Livilla then tries to poison her daughter Helena. Antonia discovers letters from her daughter Livilla to Sejanus, which prove the joint approach of the two in the murder of Livilla's husband Castor and indicate that Sejanus wants to murder Tiberius. At Antonia's instigation, her son Claudius brings the incriminating letters to the emperor in Capri. Caligula then advises Tiberius to entrust the ambitious Praetorian Macro with the removal of Sejanus, his followers and his family - including Claudius' wife Aelia. While Antonia locks Livilla in her room and shows herself to the shaken Claudius determined to hold out until the death of her own daughter, the streets of the capital are soon littered with corpses after the fall of Sejanus ...
9. By Jupiter! (Zeus, by Jove)
37 - 38 AD: Emperor Tiberius dies of old age (although the Praetorian prefect Macro has to help with a pillow in the presence of Caligula) and leaves behind his 25-year-old great-nephew Caligula - a scheming and incestuous patricide - and his grandson Gemellus, who is around 18 years old as heirs. Claudius' longtime friend Herod has returned to Rome on the occasion of Caligula's accession to the throne. Despite his concerns, he appoints his uncle Claudius as co-consul. The new emperor, who as the son of the revered Germanicus initially received the sympathy of the Senate and the population, soon showed signs of psychological instability and shortly afterwards fell into a coma . When he wakes up from it, he believes that he has become the god Zeus . Claudius speaks to him and hopes that Caligula will announce the "news" to the Senate, who will then depose him and restore the republic. But instead, the emperor's senate accepts divinity. Over time, Caligula's behavior becomes increasingly violent: a senator who told Macro during Caligula's coma that he would give his life for that of the emperor is forced to commit suicide by him. He also has Gemellus killed. He declares his sister Drusilla to be his wife and the goddess Hera . Disgusted by the abysmal depravity into which her family and all of Rome has sunk, Claudius' mother Antonia commits suicide. Caligula, who fears that his child might one day become more powerful than himself, tries to imitate the birth of Athenes : As Zeus has demonstrably done with Hera, he cuts the unborn child out of his sister Drusilla's belly and devours it.
10. Heil! Whom? (Hail! Who?)
40 AD: Claudius lives with the ex-prostitute Calpurnia in meager circumstances. Emperor Caligula had his palace converted into a brothel. High-ranking senators and their sons provide the clientele, their wives and daughters have to make themselves available as whores. His uncle Claudius is forced to take over the purser post. Caligula himself soon moved to Germania, where he wanted to wage war and put down an alleged rebellion. Claudius, together with two senators, receives the absurd order to deliver household effects from the property of the late Livia to the emperor for auction. When the delivery takes place on a completely rainy day, it is clear to Caligula: The three have conspired against him with the sea god Neptune , his greatest enemy. Only Claudius' literary education saves them from death. On the beach of the English Channel , the emperor lets his soldiers fight Neptune and brings lots of mussels back to Rome as spoils of war. He is deeply angry that - according to his instructions - no triumphal procession is prepared in the capital and he wants to have the entire Senate executed immediately. Only his wife Caesonia and Claudius can stop him. After an eccentric dance performance in the palace, he couples Claudius with the much younger, extraordinarily beautiful Messalina for fun. At the wedding ceremony, Incitatus - his favorite stallion - who was recently appointed Senator by Caligula , is shown into the hall. But conspiracies are already being forged against him in the vicinity of the emperor: Cassius Chaerea, the prefect of the Praetorians, whom Caligula continually humiliates, is planning his assassination with some senators. During the games in honor of Augustus they strike by luring him away from his guard of Germanic tribes and killing him in a locked corridor. Cassius also murders Caligula's wife Caesonia and their baby Julia Drusilla and wants to wipe out the entire imperial family once and for all. While the suddenly leaderless Praetorians plunder the palace, they come across Claudius, who is hiding behind a curtain. To everyone's surprise and against his own protest, they proclaim him the new emperor.
11. Claudius the Emperor (Fool's Luck)
41 - 43 AD: In order to prevent a renewed civil war and the murder of his own family, Claudius agrees, on the advice of the Praetorians and his friend Herod, to become Emperor of the Roman Empire. Claudius himself convinces the Senate to proclaim him emperor. In his first official act he condemns Cassius Chaerea for the murder of Caesonia, but pardons the other conspirators. His third wife Messalina not only makes him a father of two, but also convinces him to share the burden of government with him and henceforth advises him on many political issues. But it is corrupted by the outrageous power it receives: Since Herod is about to leave to take control of the areas in the east that Claudius has given him, she proposes that Senator Appius Silanus be brought to court to support the emperor. Soon after, Silanus married Messalina's mother, Domitia Lepida. Before Herod leaves, he warns Claudius not to trust anyone - neither his advisors nor his wife, nor himself - Herod - himself. Shortly afterwards Messalina lies before Silanus that he should be of sexual service to her on the imperial commission. Silanus feels so degraded by Claudius that, when the opportunity arises, he draws his dagger to stab the "matchmaker tyrant". With the help of her mother, Messalina is able to convince Claudius of her own innocence and Silanus is sentenced to death.
12.Last stop: Hades (A God in Colchester)
43-48 AD: While Claudius conquers Britain , his wife Messalina indulges in sexual debauchery. She initiates a sex competition with Sylla, the most successful whore in Rome - and wins him easily. Everyone knows about the empress's orgies - except the emperor. When he returns to Rome in triumph, he learns that his friend Herod has instigated a revolt in the eastern provinces against his rule. Herod believes he is the "King of the Jews" but dies before he can carry out his plans. When Messalina publicly divorces Claudius and marries her lover Gaius Silius, it comes to a bloody test of strength. The two believe that the people of the capital will join them and proclaim them rulers. Forced to act, Claudius' adviser Narcissus and Pallas persuade his former lover Calpurnia to tell the unsuspecting emperor the truth. In the end, he believes them, and the conspirators are arrested and killed. In a drunk state, he even carelessly signs the execution order for Messalina. When the unhappy Claudius mourns those whom he has worried about and who are now all dead, he learns that the British have built a temple for him in Camulodunum / Colchester and declared him a god.
13. On the steps to the afterlife (Old King Log)
48-54 AD: Claudius' benevolent rule over the Roman Empire leads the population to accept the imperial rule, but he himself feels that this is a mistake. He decides that the people must be made to hate and overthrow their ruling family in order to ultimately restore the republic. To achieve this, Claudius marries for the fourth time: Agrippina the younger, called Agripinilla, a sister of Caligula, becomes Empress of Rome. She wants power for her son from her first marriage, Nero, with whom she associates much more intimate things than just motherly feelings. To everyone's surprise, Nero is adopted by Claudius, married to the emperor's daughter, Octavia, and named co-heir with his own son Britannicus. Britannicus no longer understands the world because he wants to become Caesar by himself. But Claudius knows from a prophecy that Nero will become the next ruler of Rome. But he still tries to protect Britannicus by planning to send him to Britain, from where he could take over rule after Nero's death. Unfortunately, Britannicus' sense of honor does not allow himself to enter into this plan, and Claudius, who foresees what is to come, must leave his son to his fate. The emperor willingly eats a poisoned mushroom dish from the fork of his wife Agrippinilla and dies. While searching for Claudius' will, Agripinilla and Nero come across his autobiography and burn it. Lying on his bier and knowing that Britannicus, Agripinilla and Nero will ultimately die a violent death, the late Emperor and the Sibyl laugh heartily at the fact that Claudius buried a second copy of his book that is said to be found centuries later. Claudius learns that the republic will not be restored, but that Nero will be the last Claudian emperor, and that the emperors following him will mostly not be so bad.
production
The television series was produced by Joan Sullivan and Martin Lisemore, and Herbert Wise directed it in the studios of the BBC Television Center. Production was delayed due to difficult negotiations between the BBC and the owners of the rights to Alexander Korda's unrealized film version from 1937. This in turn gave the writer Jack Pulman more time to fine-tune the script.
Ich, Claudius, Kaiser und Gott was produced at a comparatively low cost of £ 60,000 for an hour of airtime - in a series that has a total running time of 650 minutes. Taking into account sterling inflation, the entire series would have cost £ 3,960,000 in 2013.
The scene at the end of episode 9, in which Caligula snatches the fetus from Drusilla's body, was perceived as too shocking and therefore re-cut several times on the instructions of Bill Slater, the then head of the series department - even on the day of the television premiere. After initially resuming the scene and broadcasting it again two days later, the recording of the fetus was removed, so that the episode now ends with Claudius' shocked and horrified look, while the viewer does not see what he sees. The cut scene was only broadcast twice in 1976 and has been lost since the BBC no longer has a copy.
In Pulman's script for Claudius' speech to the Senate in the last episode, the emperor prophesies that "the man who dwells by the pool shall open graves, and the dead shall live again". This is a reference to the screenwriter Jack Pulman and a play on words related to the book author Robert Graves .
music
The concise title music comes from Wilfred Josephs. The diegetic music for most of the episodes - that is, heard or played by the actors themselves - comes from David Wulstan and the Ensemble Clerkes of Oxenford.
Awards and reviews
When it first aired in 1976, the BBC estimated, based on surveys, the average viewer number for I, Claudius at 2,500,000 viewers per episode.
Among other prizes, the series won three BAFTA Awards in 1977 (Derek Jacobi for Best TV Actor, Siân Phillips for Best TV Actress and Tim Harvey for Best TV Design).
The series subsequently aired in the United States as part of the PBS ' Masterpiece Theater , where it was critically acclaimed. Tim Harvey won an Emmy for Outstanding Artistic Direction in 1978 . The producers and program director were nominated for Emmys. In a list drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000 of the “100 Greatest British Television Programs”, for which television industry professionals voted, I, Claudius came in 12th.
In 2007 the series was listed as one of the “100 Best TV Shows of All- TIME ” by Time Magazine .
Aftermath and VHS / DVD editions
In 1968 the ITV historical drama The Caesars was created , which deals with very similar historical material, but in contrast to I, Claudius pursues a less sensation-addicted approach with regard to the main characters and their motives. The subsequent BBC historical dramas The Borgias (1981) and The Cleopatras (1983) were produced in a similar way, but were not as successful as I, Claudius , with either the critics or the audience .
Most of the VHS and DVD editions of the television series include the 1965 BBC documentary The Epic That Never Was, about the unfinished film version of Alexander Korda's first novel by Robert Graves. This documentary contains interviews with the production staff and actors, as well as most of the surviving scenes. The British DVD edition from 2002 as well as the German DVD edition from 2009 contain the documentation I, Claudius - A Television Epic about the series, as well as some alternative and cut scenes. The UK DVD edition was updated on December 2nd, 2008. While this edition has better audio and video quality than the US DVD edition from 2000, it has received criticism from some consumers. In this British edition, for example, some scenes from the original version were either cut or censored and there are no subtitles or end titles. On March 27, 2012, a 35-year anniversary edition was issued in Great Britain. This contains the uncut 12 episodes on four discs (in the English version of the series the first two episodes are combined into a double episode) except for the above-mentioned cut final scene of episode 9, as well as an extra disc with bonus material.
Web links
- I, Claudius God in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- I Claudius A Television Epic, in 8 parts (in English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Annual report 1978 of Bayerischer Rundfunk, page 23 (PDF, 6 MB).