8 Days That Made Rome.... (with Bettany Hughes)

Started by Glorfindel, 19 November 2017, 05:30:03 PM

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Glorfindel

Wow.   I've just watched the first of the above series.   

Campaign history, battle scenes and Bettany Hughes looking like a goddess.

What more could you ask for ?   I can die happy now...

(and seven more episodes to go...)

Sigh


Phil

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SV52

Certainly makes a change to get TV history fronted by someone who can speak with authority and it's not about the Tudors.
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Leman

HOWEVER .......here's our Betany speaking authoritatively about Rome and Carthage, with an 'expert' on the Roman military, and there in 202BC are reasonably authentic looking Carthaginians fighting Romans in lorica segmentata and really rather advanced looking Gallic helmets. At 15 years old I knew that lorica segmentata only appeared in the early years of the first century AD, that Julius Caesar's legions fought in Gallic style mail and that the Roman legionaries in the Carthaginian Wars wore either small chest plates or, if they were wealthy, mail. That the main form of head protection was the montefortino helmet or the Etruscan-Corinthian. Why, fifty years later, in a supposedly factual programme is the general public still being fed this Hollywood impression of the Romans, when dozens of books, and some previous TV programmes, have attempted to correct this view? Do the producers think Joe Public will have a massive cardiac arrest when he discovers that the Romans did not wear lorica segmentata from 756BC to 476AD. See also my thread on TV and History.
PS - can't wait for a programme on the 45 showing screaming, bekilted, sword and targe swinging Highlanders fighting camo uniformed, fritz-helmeted, Tommies with machine guns.
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SV52

You're forgetting the general audience, the majority watching won't know or care what a lorica segmentata was.  They don't make these programmes for nerds like us. 

My opinion of Ms Hughes' scholarship is undeminished.
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d_Guy

Proving the old saying "That Rome wasn't built in a day".
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Techno

I think I've watched four of the series now....(Last one, was Augustus manipulating his way to power, and all the plotting that was behind that.)

Thoroughly enjoyed them all.

Cheers - Phil

pierre the shy

Sounds like its worth watching, not that I expect to see it on TV down here unless its on at 4am....might impinge too much on "reality TV" shows that TVNZ seems to love airing in primetime  :o
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Leman

Well, how utterly Patrician! The Plebs don't know any better so who cares. Let them continue to wallow in their ignorance. Know your place!
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Techno

Oooh.....There's a bitterness there, Andy.  ;)  :)

Cheers - Phil

fred.

Quote from: SV52 on 19 November 2017, 11:58:10 PM
You're forgetting the general audience, the majority watching won't know or care what a lorica segmentata was.  They don't make these programmes for nerds like us. 

I'm sure many won't. But they will recognise the classic Roman look, even if they don't know the name. But that is even more reason to show them in the appropriate armour for the era, because then it will make some people go, why are those Romans in mail, I thought they were normally in plate armour with big shoulders. And might then do a bit more digging around to find out more.

But by simply going with the stereotype of Roman Soldier then it doesn't help anyone, other than the guy tasked with getting images and film clips together.

Personally I notice this kind of thing most in WWII documentaries where any clip of tanks moving forward from any point in the war will be used to illustrate a battle, even if its from the opposite end of the war. A lot of it smacks of laziness and ignorance by the production team. And the shame is that the visual impact has a huge influence on the watchers, so getting it wrong just reinforces errors, so that the next production builds on the mistakes of the earlier ones.

There is the phrase standing on the shoulders of giants, to represent scientific progress, I'm not sure what the equivalent is for sloppy copying of preceding TV shows.
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toxicpixie

20 November 2017, 08:26:18 AM #11 Last Edit: 20 November 2017, 08:27:53 AM by toxicpixie
Quote from: Leman on 20 November 2017, 07:53:19 AM
Well, how utterly Patrician! The Plebs don't know any better so who cares. Let them continue to wallow in their ignorance. Know your place!

Quite. Par for the course, mind :/

Surely if you go to the trouble of putting an actual history program on, then go to the trouble of getting re-enactors in, and make sire one side is authentic then why bugger up the others?!

I presume someone in production/accounts said "Romans are all alike aren't they? That metal armour made of strips? We're not paying for a different set of Roman soldiers every episode, bung 'em all in the lobster outfit!". I'm not fussed myself, as I can watch it it and think "that's wrong, cheapskates!", but it's really annoying - if you didn't know, given the very authoritative presentation and production values you'd think it accurate.

Quote from: LemanPS - can't wait for a programme on the 45 showing screaming, bekilted, sword and targe swinging Highlanders fighting camo uniformed, fritz-helmeted, Tommies with machine guns.

That'll be the Mel Gibson variant, with said Tommies routinely behaving like the SS!

PS: I did enjoy the rest of the content, although Jules the C seems a very decent chap, nobly sacrificing all he holds dear for vast wealth and power, the poor soul.
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Leman

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Techno

The one that I haven't bothered to look at, so far, is the 'Spartacus' series.

I just have the feeling that that's going to be 'sexed up'.

Cheers - Phil