, sparked some fond reminiscences of the series recently with my friends on Facebook. I have to dig out my DVD set and devote some time for re-viewing after the kid has retired for the evening, but in the meantime I couldn't resist checking out one of my favorite scenes from the series, from possibly the maddest Caligula episode, "Hail, Who?"Caligula, "Do you think I'm mad?"Claudius, "M-m-mad?"Caligula, "Yes, sometimes I think that I'm going mad. Do you — be honest with me — has that thought ever crossed your mind?"Claudius, "Never. Never. The idea is preposterous. You set the standard of sanity for the whole world."
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| John Hurt and Derek Jacobi |
and Claudius the God
and loved them, too. But it is the series' vivid depictions of ancient Rome that have stayed with me through the years.To keep the Claudius fun going here are some other great links to check out:
The complete episode of "Hail, Who?"
Derek Jacobi's amazingly articulate acceptance speech for his BAFTA for the role of Claudius in 1976
John Hurt on playing Caligula from I, Claudius A Television Epic
2 comments:
That is one scene I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for when they were rehearsing / filming it. How anyone managed to get through that with a straight face is anyone's guess, and I bet more than one take was ruined, even with such magnificent actors in it, by someone's breaking out into a hysterical giggle fit ... Thank you for the reminder, Elizabeth, and for the links. --Mario R.
I read somewhere in my internet reminiscing/research that John Hurt did his own make-up for that scene. He felt the professionals on the set mad him up too tastefully and Caligula would have been more over-the-top. He certainly succeeded.
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