HBO's Rome Wasn't Built in a Day - More like 12 Hours

In the hands of HBO, Ancient Rome gets the grunge treatment. Gone is the expansive, lily white marble majesty that the academic textbooks would have you envision, and in its place we get a louche, densely packed, syphilitic urban center. The sets, art direction and costumes are assiduously detailed and it lends this 12-episode series such a stunning reality that one could easily mistake a history lesson come alive. Little wonder since it also boasts some incredible acting and a screenplay rich with meaty, crackling dialogue. But that's also the rub: Rome conflates historical fact with dramatic fictional elements. By no means should this series act as a cliff notes for your research paper, even though much research went into realizing the minutest particulars of Roman life and culture. Credit Jonathan Stamp, the show's historical consultant for this amazing feat.

The historical arc of Julius Caesar's rise to power is the premise behind Season One. It begins in 52 B.C. just as Caesar has finished conquering Gaul. In between, all the major events are here: Caesar's Battle of Alesia, his crossing of the Rubicon and consequent maneuvering for dominance and control over his co-consul Magnus Pompey (Kenneth Cranham), and later, his arrival in Egypt to forge an alliance with Cleopatra. However, the series is wholly realized in the smaller details, in the every day existence of Roman life in both class divides. As the powerful, ambitious general, Ciaran Hinds gives Julius Caesar a calculating and measured menace. More hotheaded and passionate, yet just as brave and cunning is Mark Antony, Caesar's second-in-command played by James Purefoy. The great family of the Julii also include Atia (Polly Walker), Caesar's niece, Antony's lover and mother to the precocious Octavian (Max Pirkis) and Octavia (Kerry Condon). Servilia (Lyndsey Duncan) is part of another rich and influential clan called the Junii. A staunch proponent of the Republic, Servilia is also Ceasar's lover, Atia's archenemy, and mother to Brutus (Tobias Menzies).

The storylines of the rich and powerful families are intertwined with that of two soldiers, Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson). Interesting fact is Vorenus and Pullo actually existed. Of all the soldiers in Caesar's army, historical accounts mentioned these soldiers by name, however, nothing is known about their lives. The life story of these two are completely fictionalized for the series. Complete opposites in almost every respect, Vorenus and Pullo become very best friends, brothers practically. Pullo is vulgar, a shameless lover of life and a wastrel, while Vorenus is gruff yet honorable, taciturn and prone to brood. Being soldiers, both men are ferocious and violent when the need arises, but they're also firmly loyal to their Legion as well as to each other. The story of Vorenus and Pullo's world at first may seem only tangentially connected to that of the rich families and squabbling senators, but there's a handy plot point that finely threads together the two storylines from the beginning to the end of the first season.

Fine storytelling is in the details and Rome is chockablock with them. Roman society was polytheistic and fanatically superstitious. A god literally existed for every aspect of life. If iPods existed in Ancient Rome, there would be a god for the mp3. Animal sacrifices, offerings and prayers were very much part of the culture and the show generously depicts these rituals among both classes. Additionally, the violence, nudity and sex in this series is very graphic, but not unnecessarily so. Predating the Christian era, sex and sexuality in this society were quite uncontroversial; the act of sex itself was regarded as little more than a common human urge that needed to be satisfied. There's one particular scene where Atia conducts the act as a mere business transaction; her slaves present, watching over her and fanning the proceedings. When marching along the countryside, Mark Antony thinks nothing to stop and hump a peasant girl behind a tree while his soldiers wait in the distance.

The DVD for the first season is gorgeously packaged with art and pictures from the series. Six discs in all, the first five include all 12 episodes, with the final providing bonus features in the form of a photo gallery and two vignettes titled "When in Rome" and "The Rise of Rome". Audio commentary is available for some of the episodes, but more alluring is the interactive pop-up feature called "All Roads Lead to Rome". Once activated, each episode plays through with some text that explains in greater detail an aspect of Roman life or a custom that is enacted in a particular scene. Sometimes we get more insight into a wealthy Roman's diet, the organization and strict discipline of Roman warfare; other times a scene is further explained with a historical factoid. It's like pop-up video for history lovers and it practically begs for multiple viewings. Even without this feature, Rome begs to be watched over and over. The acting is scintillating and the dialogue has a Shakespearean rhythm. When Servilia conducts a spell to curse Atia, she calls upon both her dead ancestors and the Gods of the underworld to enact it. As she spits through clenched teeth, "let dogs rape her", we get in just four words just how much she wants this woman destroyed.

Creators Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald depict with a stark and unflinching eye the rise of an empire in which only the thinnest veneers of civility masked a brutal and often violent, bloodthirsty society (slavery was commonplace, gory gladiator fights provided entertainment). Immanuel Kant once said, "Out of the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing was ever made." Rome illustrates this adage with wicked veracity. Even with great civilizations, you can't ignore the filth, blood, exploitation and corruption that helped make it so, and for this, Rome is another stellar addition to HBO's pantheon of fictional dramatic programming.