Imperium: Augustus (2003) (TV)

Director:

Roger Young

Writer (WGA):

Eric Lerner (written by)

Release Date:

30 November 2003 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance | War

Tagline:

History will bear the mark of his rule.

Plot:

Caesar Augustus (O'Toole) tells of how he became the emperor to his reluctant daughter, Julia (Belvedere) following the death of her husband Agrippa (Duken).

Plot Keywords:

Marc Antony | Friend | Emperor | Livia | Death

Cast

Peter O'Toole	...	Augustus Caesar
Charlotte Rampling	...	Livia Drusilla
Vittoria Belvedere	...	Julia Caesaris
Benjamin Sadler	...	Gaius Octavius / Young Augustus
Ken Duken	...	Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Russell Barr	...	Gaius Maecenas
Juan Diego Botto	...	Iullus Antonius
Martina Stella	...	Young Livia
Valeria D'Obici	...	Atia
Michele Bevilacqua	...	Tiberius
Riccardo De Torrebruna	...	Decimus
Giampiero Judica	...	Scipio
Vanni Materassi	...	Musa
Elena Ballesteros	...	Octavia
Gérard Klein	...	Julius Caesar (as Gerard Klein)
Achille Brugnini	...	Cassius
Alexander Strobele	...	Lucius Tutilius
Gottfried John	...	Cicero
Michael Reale	...	Lepidus
Anna Valle	...	Cleopatra
Massimo Ghini	...	Mark Antony
Massimo Sarchielli	...	Beggar / Farmer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hatem Maroub	...	Centurion
Francis Pardeilhan	...	Tiberius, Scipio (voice)
Antonio Petrocelli	...	Brutus
Hichem Rostom	...	Lawyer
Paolo Scalabrino	...	Plancius
Noureddine Souli	...	Centurion
Nick Alexander	...	Physician (voice) (uncredited)
Gregory Snegoff	...	Cicero (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Young

Writing credits (WGA)
Eric Lerner		(written by)

Produced by
Luca Bernabei	....	producer
Matilde Bernabei	....	producer
Ferdinand Dohna	....	producer: EOS
Salvatore Morello	....	executive producer
Corrado Trionfera	....	line producer

Original Music by
Pino Donaggio

Cinematography by
Giovanni Galasso

Film Editing by
Alessandro Lucidi

Casting by
Fabiola Banzi
Cornelia von Braun
Jeremy Zimmerman		(as Jeremy Zimmermann)

Production Design by
Carmelo Agate

Set Decoration by
Titus Vossberg

Costume Design by
Paolo Scalabrino

Makeup Department
Jana Carboni	....	makeup artist
Elisabetta De Leonardis	....	key hair stylist
Marcelle Genovese	....	hair stylist
Federico Laurenti	....	key makeup artist
Alberto Moccia	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Franco Casellato	....	post-production supervisor
Rosario Ranieri	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sergio Ercolessi	....	first assistant director
Corrado Meotti	....	first assistant director: second unit
Corrado Meotti	....	second assistant director
Franco Maria Salamon	....	second unit director

Art Department
Cristiano Donzelli	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Marco Giacomelli	....	sound editor
Andrea Moser	....	sound mixer
David Quadroli	....	sound effects editor
Fabrizio Quadroli	....	sound effects editor
Marco Streccioni	....	sound engineer

Special Effects by
Pasquale Catalano	....	special effects
Massimo Ciaraglia	....	special effects technician
Edmondo Natali	....	special effects coordinator
Fabio Traversari	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Massimo Cipollina	....	visual effects
Salvo Severino	....	visual effects
Nicola Sganga	....	visual effects
Giuseppe Squillaci	....	visual effects supervisor: Proxima
Giuseppe Tagliavini	....	digital artist

Stunts
Paolo Antonini	....	stunts
Mauro Aversano	....	stunts
Massimiliano Bianchi	....	stunt camera vehicle assistant
Massimiliano Bianchi	....	stunt rigger
Jacqueline Freda	....	stunt rider
Jacqueline Freda	....	stunt wrangler
Riccardo Mioni	....	stunt coordinator
Alessandro Novelli	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Giordano De Blasis	....	electrician
Cristiano Natalucci	....	focus puller: "a" camera

Casting Department
Fabiola Banzi	....	casting: Italy
Cornelia von Braun	....	casting: Germany
Jeremy Zimmerman	....	casting: English (as Jeremy Zimmermann)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Stefano De Nardis	....	assistant costume designer
Maurizio Torti	....	key set costumer

Editorial Department
Valentina Mariani	....	assistant editor
Ivan Tozzi	....	on-line editor

Other crew
Giorgio Antonini	....	sword master
Carlo Antonioni	....	horse master
Francesco Arlanch	....	story editor
Mirko D'Angeli	....	production secretary
Ivana Kastratovic	....	production coordinator
Fernando Muraca	....	story editor
Marco Olivieri	....	location manager

Production Companies

• EOS Entertainment
• Lux Vide
• Radiotelevisione Italiana
• Telecinco
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)

Distributors

• Casablanca Filmes (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Casablanca Filmes (2004) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Force Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Germano Natali
• Proxima

Other Companies

• SIF309 Film & Music Productions  film score recording
• Sud Ovest Records  music production

Also Known As:

Augustus (Australia) (DVD box title) (USA) (video title)
Augustus - El primer emperador (Spain) (DVD title)
Augustus: The First Emperor (UK) (DVD title)
Imperium: Augusto (Italy)
Mein Vater, der Kaiser (Germany)
Mi padre, el emperador (Spain)
My Father the Emperor (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some war violence.

Runtime:

200 min | Argentina:180 min | USA:178 min | UK:177 min (cut) | Spain:161 min (DVD edition)

Country:

Germany | Italy | Spain | Austria | France | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:15 (DVD release) | UK:12 (cut UK version) | UK:15 (uncut) | USA:R (DVD and VHS) | Spain:13 | Australia:M | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Company:

EOS Entertainment

Trivia:

The full German title "Augustus - Mein Vater, der Kaiser" literally means in English "Augustus - My Father, the Emperor." The title "My Father, the Emperor" was originally going to be the international English title, but distributors felt that "Augustus" was more suitable.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Temples and buildings in Ancient Rome were normally painted in bright colors.

Quotes:

Augustus: Cleopatra and Antony met Agrippa and I for battle at the coast of Actium. They had only one thought in mind - to kill us.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Empire" (2005)

On the shoulders of Peter O'Toole

Well I have not the faintest idea how accurate this mini-series is historically but it's not as bad as previous IMDb reviewers have suggested.

It is a talk-athon and some of the dubbed actors are really out of their depth. The young Augustus is played well, multi-layered and rather complex and unpredictable. Mark Anthony and Cleopatra are an aside, and performed in a bland obvious manner. Charlotte Rampling is frighteningly real.

But it is O'Toole's show all the way as the older Augustus.

After 30 years of "wafer thin ham" acting this and his performance in "Troy" show what an experienced actor can do with a good part. It is a grand part for an actor and makes the 3 hour journey quite moving at times. So the grand total as an entertainment experience is....6/10