hou-3

It is rare to watch a film with such a clear split between the good and the bad. On the credit side, there is a whole series of exceptionally good set pieces, ranging from Nero's parties to a deeply impressive burning of Rome. Thousands of extras (what great work for unemployed Italians in postwar Cinecitta!), a menagerie of wild animals, stirring brass fanfares. To audiences in austerity-ridden Europe this must have been a wonderful relief from their daily grind, and all of it filmed in gorgeous deep colour. That said, the film is dragged down by its pervasively banal script, and by wooden performances by the two leads. Ustinov as Nero gives it his all, but even he could do little with these dire lines. My advice: watch it for the great visuals, then watch Spartacus for a correspondingly good script, one that takes you into the heart of ancient Rome.

You can see that this series benefited from massive investment. The production values are as high as they could possibly be. The period pieces alone are lovingly recreated and the settings beautifully filmed, both interior and exterior. There are some first rate performances and the special effects are simply mind-boggling, clearly state of the art. What a pity, then, that the series' creators could not come up with plots to match. All of the dramas are thin, and painfully stretched out to make them fill an hour of screen time. Characterisation is minimal. The series is worth watching for its good qualities, but every episode leaves the viewer thinking 'is that it?'

Some wonderful acting here, without a weak link, but let down by two big failings. First, it was totally incredible that an intelligent young man wouldn't have questioned this isolated upbringing. Apart from anything else, where were the house's electricity and TV transmissions coming from? And secondly, at over three hours it was far too long. A two-hour span, comprising four half hour episodes, would have made for a tighter, more coherent drama. I thought this was a great shame, because as a coming of age drama, focusing on the three young people brought together by these painful events of the past, it would have been excellent viewing. Loved the old songs, a technique borrowed from Dennis Potter but no worse for that.