The Caesars is a British television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network in 1968. Made in black-and-white and written and produced by Philip Mackie, it covered similar dramatic territory to the later BBC adaptation of I, Claudius, dealing with the lives of the early emperors of Ancient Rome, but differed in its less sensationalist depictions of historical characters and their motives.
DirectorDerek Bennett
WriterPhilip Mackie
CinemaSerf
@Geronimo1967
I've just seen this on DVD and it is a superb telling of the early days of the Roman Empire. We arrive at the conclusion of the reign of Augustus and focus on the rules of Tiberius (André Morell) and of his insane megalomanic nephew Caligula (Ralph Bates). Sonia Dresdel is suitably imperious as Augustus' wife Livia and Freddie Jones stands out too, as the supposed halfwit Claudius. I think it rather pointless comparing this series (6 hours & monochrome) with the later adaptation of Robert Graves' "I Claudius" books by the BBC (12 hours & colour) that covers a similar territory, but this is certainly well worth watching in it's own right even if the production is really rather stilted and theatrical - the lighting could have done with some extra wattage too! It is still a fascinating, intelligent, review of the glory, ignominy and megalomania at the top of the Roman World at the start of the rule of the Caesars.
