Augustus (2004)

Augustus

By ChazT  Apr 14, 2005

Pros: Peter O'Tool and Charlotte Rampling give outstanding performances

Cons: A few weak performances, redundant scenes, no special features

The main thing to recommend in this retelling of the story of Augustus (which will be familiar to fans of 'I, Claudius', 'Julius Caesar', and the various incarnations of 'Cleopatra') is the outstanding performance of Peter O'Tool as Augustus. He's absoulutely riveting, another great performance in a very full career of great performances. The same can be said for Charlotte Rampling; these two are electric in their scenes together. The rest of the film is your basic mini-series (which I believe this was.) The script does a pretty good job of expostion, always a main stcking point in movies set in times and cultures not our own (see Oliver Stones' 'Alexander', or better yet, don't) and there are redundant scenes and dialogue (probably to tie in mini-sereis part I and part II) and is best when it is tackling it's main theme, which isn't just that power currupts, but it's a trap that makes us do things we don't really want to do. There are a few historical inaccuracies (Augustus did not reconcile with his banished daughter Julia in real life) but for the most part it's accurate (it's a movie, after all, not a history lesson). The production values range from an impressive recreation of the Roman Forum to some tacky green screen effects. The cast is largely Italian, which gives the film an authentic feel. (The actor playing Cicero has a great face.) And the actor playing the Octavian is a dead ringer for the sculpted portraits of the young emperor.