真可惜，HBO 为了省钱把这个剧集给停了。真好看呀真好看。
有很多感慨。
听commentary的时候发现原来Carl Franklin导演了一集！他的两部作品，One False Move, Devil in a Blue Dress，我都很喜欢，尤其是OFM。他说他一直一直想拍一部古埃及影片但找不到人出钱（没有发行公司的CEO死党）。我心想，我也想看埃及的故事啊。
他提到，“你们（编剧）这个楼上楼下的结构挺有效的哈。”指叱诧风云的历史人物之间的争斗和两个虚构的普通士兵的友谊。他说：我还是偏爱讲楼下的故事，Titus Pullo和Lucius Vorenus才是my boys，才是我更爱讲的故事。我连连点头：我也是我也是，上层大人物玩三国，一时打一时结盟，反正都是为了巩固自己的权力地位铲除异己，颠来倒去就那么些套路。还是普通人的故事和通过他们体现的文化和社会价值和大众心理有意思，看了两季，对两个粗鲁野蛮的大块头罗马士兵生出了深厚感情，几乎可与小E对老友记的感情相比。虽然他们有时候作为完全没有现代的既定套路，挺让人乍舌的。
Carl Franklin 还讲了一句，别看Pullo粗野凶暴，是个杀人犯，先把老婆的前任情人杀了以后才娶到老婆的，但是老有女观众跟他讲如何如何迷Pullo。我立刻放声大笑，可不是嘛，第一季里我就迷上Pullo了，他是我最喜欢的角色哦。可以看出编剧也最喜欢他，尽给他最逗的台词最动人的情节。当然，Ray Stevenson演得也很好，尤其是第二季里上层人物的感情冲突少了，对比那个冷酷变态的 little creep Octavian，更显得他深情热烈哦。女观众就吃这一套。
Mark Antony和Cleopatra是第二季的戏剧中心，我挺惊异作者非常忠实史书的记载，没有太多出人意料的twist，跟大家熟悉的情节过程颇吻合。
看到结尾时，当冷酷精明心狠手辣的Octavian（Augustus）当上罗马第一公民一统天下实现凯撒想坐而没坐稳的位置，我感叹：独揽大权的诱惑实在是难以抵挡啊，哪怕是罗马共和国这么深的民主传统也无法持久，大家都想当皇帝，一旦有人开了头，后面的趋势就轰轰烈烈，势不可当了。Octavian在后世的文学、野史中一直口碑不佳，大概是因为正史就记载了他的creepy冷酷的个性，不择手段，和推广道学，活着时死后都不是特别受人民热爱。但是他让我想起唐太宗。
屋大维是继承凯撒的遗志，把罗马共和国变成罗马帝国的关键人物，罗马的势力越是扩张，进账财富也就急剧积累，引诱人的贪欲空前地厉害，谁都想多分一杯羹，同时阻止别人多占了一份。凯撒想当皇帝，但没能摆平权力斗争，他的下场是屋大维的教训，而且屋大维从个性上能力上都是凯撒的最好接班人，凯撒自己也看出来了，在秘密遗嘱里收他为义子和继承人，而不是多年老友安东尼。他知道安东尼是个老粗，干不了政治。
安东尼如果没去埃及，最后也会被屋大维搞掉，除非他自动退休解甲归田。玩手段他不是屋大维的对手。他去了埃及，反而因为跟艳后的搞七捻三而成为千古传奇了。他的degeneration我觉得挺有意思的，也有必然性。他一生当罗马军人，罗马男人尚武的光荣传统本来深入他的本性，但是当军人出身肯定过惯了艰苦的日子，哪儿遇到过Cleopatra那些五花八门、万花筒一样的享乐和感官刺激？一掉进去便不能自拔，尤其是他这样从来不知自我反省为何物的莽汉。而且，我颇有点怀疑他被各色麻醉品所困，根本不是原先的自己了，更别提操练军队，备战备荒，行军打仗了。（电视剧的历史专家考证说当时吸鸦片和其他麻醉品在埃及颇为普遍。）
凯撒时代的罗马还是比较自律，屋大维就大力推广提高道德水准的措施。相比之下，埃及已经是盛极衰极好几轮，极度腐朽的社会环境了，军力衰落，政治腐败，所以才任人宰割。讽刺的是，Cleopatra和安东尼的糜烂宫廷生活跟罗马帝国后期如出一辙，跟悬崖边缘的盛唐时代也一样，原来开到荼靡都差不多。
如果安东尼掌权统治罗马，肯定不如屋大维那么精明有效，恐怕凯撒死后的混乱状况只会更糟。他不是当皇帝的料，而屋大维--象唐太宗康熙那样--是罕见的材尽其用的例子，治天下的本事无人能出其右：政治斗争，阴谋阳谋，无所不为，手段高明，残忍决断。
但是当时和后世的人都是对屋大维又敬又怕，对安东尼却是又爱又恨，文学家拿了安东尼和埃及艳后的故事都要罩层粉红浪漫的纱，缠绵悱恻荡气回肠，为之倾倒。没见人为唐太宗浪漫倾倒的，写诗的念念不忘的是他的花花公子孙子。人民对公众形象的感情经常是没有逻辑理智的，或者说有其独特的逻辑。大家偏爱热血沸腾充满人性弱点的安东尼，觉得他是可与之干杯打架讲义气的好汉子，而屋大维是个冷血、没有人性的怪物。这个印象绝对没错，只不过酒肉死党管不好国家大计，而天生没有感情因子的人（现在医学和心理学研究证明有少数人的确有天性 “冷酷” 的特征，他们还有专门的问卷测验可以把他们挑出来）反而更适合做高层管理大量人命资源的CEO。
另一件跟唐太宗类似的是，屋大维的亲朋好友恐怕日子不太好过，得了他实际好处的多半是八杆子打不着的陌生百姓。屋大维还让我想起另外一个人：Hillary Clinton。我会选她做总统，但我没胆儿娶她做老婆--如果我是Bill 的话。
除了Pullo和Vorenus的义气兄弟之外，我还对犹太人Hyman的故事挺有兴趣。我疑心作者有心讨论耶稣领导闹对内改革和对外革命之前，犹太人的实际出境和地下活动。不过这一段虎头蛇尾不了了之，大概是因为剧集中断而不得不草草收场，或者有人反对或害怕舆论而砍了。我一直认为新约是被严重“编辑”过的历史书，基督教开头本来是犹太人反罗马压迫而反抗闹革命的，后来却被罗马招安吸收成它的统治手段了，并且对历史改头换面 --- 这一节恐怕现在拿出来讲真实历史会呼啦啦得罪一大片人。
另一处有趣的是黑社会，退伍军人被上面收买操纵，在底层人民里当黑帮老大，在没有法治和警察的社会里维持秩序，处理纠纷，分配资源，管理俗世。这本来就是自发组织和形成的社会结构。教父被人称为Corporate America的写照，有其广泛性，从古代就是这样的了，难怪。
【电视剧集】罗马第二季（cont）
【电视剧集】罗马第二季（cont）
Last edited by Jun on 2007-09-10 18:01, edited 3 times in total.
Marc Antony was raised in a very rich family (his stepfather, as I can recall). So he's not exactly a 老粗, he's just free ranged. I like him a lot, both in this HBO presentation and in history books. He's a hands-on general, not a savvy politician.
Did you notice the sarcastic notion in the commentary ("all roads lead to Rome) that although Octavian himself was married four times he remained his strong faith in the institution of marriage. This cracked me up when I was watching. And also some suggestive notion saying he's physicially delicate and fragile and that he showed unusual grief and sorrow when some male (forgot the name) died.
Did you notice the sarcastic notion in the commentary ("all roads lead to Rome) that although Octavian himself was married four times he remained his strong faith in the institution of marriage. This cracked me up when I was watching. And also some suggestive notion saying he's physicially delicate and fragile and that he showed unusual grief and sorrow when some male (forgot the name) died.
脚翘黄天宝
光吃红国宝
光吃红国宝
I am still not convinced that Octavian Augustus was NOT gay, even though the TV series take the position that he is kinky but not gay. I've heard some rumors. Besides, his moralistic insistence coupled with the multiple marriage seem to back up an in-the-closet mentality!
My point is that Rome at that time was still fairly disciplined and stoic and would find the decadence of Cleopatra's court disgusting (and perhaps irrisistible) . Ironically, a couple hundred years later, the same decay was deeply rooted in Rome too.
Mark Antony was clearly a military man, not a politician. The Senate was not able to recruit him as their master -- to their own peril. And his human traits, impulsiveness, contrast with Octavian, all make him the romantic subject in artistic works to follow. Nobody would romanticize Octavian, not even in a Brokeback Mountain way. Who knows, maybe he was BOTH kinky AND homosexual.
My point is that Rome at that time was still fairly disciplined and stoic and would find the decadence of Cleopatra's court disgusting (and perhaps irrisistible) . Ironically, a couple hundred years later, the same decay was deeply rooted in Rome too.
Mark Antony was clearly a military man, not a politician. The Senate was not able to recruit him as their master -- to their own peril. And his human traits, impulsiveness, contrast with Octavian, all make him the romantic subject in artistic works to follow. Nobody would romanticize Octavian, not even in a Brokeback Mountain way. Who knows, maybe he was BOTH kinky AND homosexual.
