'I, Claudius' is one of the most famous televison dramas of all time, a twelve part epic from 1976 based on Robert Graves's novels about the early days of the Roman emprire, and with a cast list comprising pretty much the entirity of the great and the good of British television acting. I was a bit young to watch it when first broadcast; how does it hold up 44 years later? Firstly, with politics laced with plenty of sex and violence, there are certain resemblences to 'House of Cards' or 'Game of Thrones', but without the lavish location shots (and computed assisted graphics) it inevitably has a stagey air at times. It's worth noting that television drama was itself a relatively young artform at the time it was made, but 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and 'Boys from the Blackstuff' were only just around the corner, and in comparison it definitely feels dated. Perhaps the greatest limitation is the central conceit; that Claudius, accidental emperor, quietly watched and recorded the madnesses of his familiy. But beyond his own survival, Claudius (as presented here) has relatively little skin in the game; as the viewers, we may watch his kindred plot and scheme, but seeing events through Claudius's eyes, we have insufficient skin in the game. The Roman empire may make great history, but judged purely as drama, the story didn't quite work for me. One reason it mioght be so fondly remembered in its sheer ambition ambition; it's modern, long-form structure was very rare in an era where viewers got just one chance a week to catch each episode. I do give it credit for its intelligence, its absence of heroes, and its refusal to make every character beautiful; qualities too often missing in modern productions.
Review of I, Claudius
