strange and random happenstance: I Claudius

During my childhood it seemed that Derek Jacobi was omnipresent. Or perhaps I just watched The Secret of NIMH more times than I can count. But whenever his name was mentioned everyone would always add the caveat about what I great actor he is. At the time I didn't understand why the caveat was needed. And then I watched I, Claudius and I understood. The thing is you can never really grasp what an amazing actor Derek Jacobi is until you've seen him as Claudius. In 2007 for Masterpiece's thirty-fifth anniversary they conducted a poll to codify The Best of Masterpiece. I might have really gone in hard on the voting for the 2002 adaptation of The Forsyte Saga, which means that I, Claudius placed third behind that adaptation. I now take full responsibility for this happening, because I, Claudius deserved the highest spot it could get. Because there was no way it could upset Upstairs, Downstairs from the top spot. And I agree, Upstairs, Downstairs is the definitive show connected to Masterpiece, but I don't think it's the best show, especially in those early seasons of Masterpiece. In those early seasons I honestly don't know of a show with a more perfect cast than I, Claudius. The cast is what raises this above the typical Roman fare. And let me tell you, I know my Roman fare. I watch a lot of miniseries about Rome. I'm not thinking about Rome all the time, but if there's a miniseries or series about Rome I will devour it. Obviously there's Rome, but I have a soft spot for Britannia and Domina. In fact I know it's been two years, but I'm still not over Domina's cancellation. But these shows are nothing to I, Claudius. NOTHING! These are perhaps the best twelve episodes of any series ever. The cast alone is stacked! Brian Blessed as Augustus, Siân Phillips in her award winning turn as Livia, John Hurt as Caligula! Once you see their performances of these characters no one else could ever do them in your eyes. Caligula is unhinged yet at the same time sympathetic. He's out of control, he has a freakin' horse as a senator, and yet, during this spiral of debauchery there is such pathos that John Hurt brings to the role. Malcolm McDowell didn't stand a chance of usurping John Hurt when he took on the role three years later in the eponymous film. Did HE do a modern dance drag show? Well!?! As for Siân Phillips? Oh, she's so deliciously devious but her trying to find a loophole to eternal suffering on her deathbed for all the harm she has done, and let me tell you, if there was a death and it looked like poison, it was, and Livia was behind it, was television at it's best. Also, apparently getting deified is the loophole she was looking for. Thankfully she had a devoted grandson to carry out her final wishes. It was Claudius if you were wondering. And Claudius, that poor ruler sandwiched between Caligula and Nero. But Derek Jacobi brings this man out of the shadows of history, shows that this man with a limp and a stammer had insight beyond his years. The way he shepherds the story, being the focal point, yet also an outsider, makes this a show you just can't turn away from. There's a reason Kenneth Branagh cast Jacobi in Dead Again. That stammer, that will, it's unforgettable and interestingly an important twist to that film. Plus, oddly enough this show is currently escapist, because Rome really makes current politics and ever the fantastical politics seen in shows like Game of Thrones look tame by comparison. Now if only they'd release this on Blu-ray for it's upcoming fiftieth anniversary life would be worth celebrating. But I'd avoid the figs at the celebration if I were you. If you know, you know.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments

Labels: Augustus Caesar, Brian Blessed, Caligula, Dead Again, Derek Jacobi, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Horse, I Claudius, John Hurt, Kenneth Branagh, Livia, Malcolm McDowell, Politics, Rome, Siân Phillips, Stammer, The Secret of Nimh

Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Gollancz
Publication Date: November 20th, 2018
Format: Paperback, 406 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Martin Chorley and his co-conspirator Lesley May will be run to ground and made to pay for all their crimes. Which are numerous. Operations Tinker, Wentworth, Carthorse, Cartwheel, and Marigold were all separate investigations into their crimes, now combined under the aegis of the Folly and Operation Jennifer. The Folly is groaning under the influx of police officers, but Molly seems happy to feed them all, even opening up the dining room. Their only hope of finding Martin Chorley is through his connections to other Little Crocodiles, that Oxford dining club that was more about magic and less about running riot. Which is why Richard Williams is under surveillance. He ticks all the boxes. And soon his heart will tick no more because Chorley is tying up loose ends and as soon as the police approach Richard Williams all hell breaks loose. He doesn't die immediately. But he does die. But they find a clue in his papers. A screenplay for movie set in Roman London called Against the Dark written by Richard Williams and Gabriel Tate from a story by John Chapman. This is right up Chorley's alley. His romantic view of the Dark Ages might just have something to do with his plans, why else would he silence Williams? And Chapman and Tate as it turns out once they hear back from Australia and America. All three people associated with the screenplay being deceased is a dead giveaway that it's integral to Chorley's plans. But the first real lead they get is Richard Williams's interest in bells. He made several visits to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry where they forged a bell for him. He provided them with the materials, some of it nicked from archaeological sites throughout London. The bell draws Peter in and he knows it's magic. This bell is important and could very well be the lure they need. They use the large police presence for Michelle Obama's visit to Whitechapel to make the foundry look unguarded. But Lesley fails to make off with the bell and they all think that despite it's beauty, destroying the bell is a plus because it hobbles Chorley's plans. It won't stop them, he'll just make another bell, but bells take time. And in that time they start to put the pieces together; Roman London, the Temple of Mithras, St. Paul's, The Silmarillion, and last but not least, Mr. Punch. Will this knowledge be enough or will Martin Chorley make myth reality?

Lies Sleeping is the big culmination of, well, basically everything that has come before. The book hits the ground running with all the various MET operations that are folded into one unwieldy operation, Jennifer, that is to deal with all of Martin Chorley's crimes under the remit of the Folly. That means Nightingale is in charge. From the first few pages it feels as if this book is struggling to do too much. I've been reading this series over the last three months so there hasn't been the passage of time that usually occurs between volumes, so, logically, I should know every single little detail, and yet I found myself spending an inordinate about of time on Follypedia. Every police officer that has ever appeared is pulled into this operation. And yeah, apparently I should have remembered who David Carey was but by the time I got to Follypedia I'd forgotten his name. This happened repeatedly. He's very forgettable. So while Aaronovitch does successfully tie together all the loose ends, from Martin Chorley to Lesley May to Mr. Punch to all that stuff I'd rather forget from the comics, I really don't like the comics, it doesn't create a satisfying story. It's just one thing happening after another with what feels like a cast of thousands. The Rivers of London series has always perfectly balanced the character of Peter Grant with the character of London itself. With little moments and asides that feel like lovely character studies. Quiet moments. Here there's no time for those quiet moments. There's no working along with Peter to solve a crime it's just them, and a lot of them, trying to run Chorley to ground. All the characters have become stock figures and the one who suffers the most is Lesley May. I no longer get where she's coming from. Yes, revenge and a return to her life before Mr. Punch has always seemed her motivator, but here, here she has a chance at that and she blows it all up. Yes, Aaronovitch is probably setting her up to be the next Big Bad, but her change seems too out of character. She monologues about her hatred of magical creatures at one point and I couldn't help thinking she's turning into a bit of a bigot but without any reason why. I need the why. But I'll give Aaronovitch the benefit of the doubt, because the ending with Mr. Punch in the very first book felt convoluted and dreamlike, and here Aaronovitch is, seven books later, and he knows he messed up and is trying to set it to right. And as someone who has recently watched all of I, Claudius, I gotta admit he got Roman Britain and the Roman mindset down perfectly, when in doubt kill someone and make them a god.