Nero (film)
Encyclopedia
Imperium: Nero, the movie, is an Italian-British-Spanish Christian apologetic
TV movie, part of the Imperium series; it was made film available on DVD
as of November 2005 in the U.S.A. and Canada
. Produced by EOS Entertainment and Lux Vide for RAI
and Telecinco
.
Nero
witnesses the mad
Emperor Caligula
kill his father and exile his mother
. While in exile in the pontine islands
, Agrippina, his mother, sees a vision telling her that her son can become emperor, but she will have to die first. She accepts the proposal. Back in Rome, Nero, now being raised by emperor Claudius
after Caligula's death, Agrippina returns. She poisons Claudius' food and Nero becomes emperor. At first, Nero cuts taxes and introduces successful programs and invades Brittania
. Soon he meets a beautiful slave named Claudia Acte
, and marries her, throwing off his engagement with Claudius' daughter, Claudia Octavia
, telling her she can marry someone she will be happy with. Heartbroken, she arrives at an island and kills herself. Nero enjoys being married to Claudia Octavia, but soon he gradually goes mad with power and sets fire to Rome. He divorces Acte, and forces the citizens to watch hour long recitals, and at one of these, accidentally kills his new pregnant wife, Poppaea Sabina
. He kills several members of the senate
and orders his mother to be stabbed, where she says: "Strike the womb, for that is what bore him." Nero's madness soon causes a riot, causing himself to flee the city in disguise, and slit his wrists under the saddened embrace of Claudia Acte, his once passionate lover.
The movie in many ways tries to show Nero as a good soul gone mad, beginning as a brilliant young prince enduring injustice, then hailed enthusiastically at the beginning of his reign, implementing much-needed reforms and enjoying immense popularity. Half the film concentrates on Nero's teenage years and his love life with Acte.
, his childhood sweetheart, is altered, and its influence on his divorce of Claudia Octavia
exaggerated. In fact after Nero's divorce to Octavia he married his pregnant mistress Poppaea Sabina
who had married twice before marrying Nero (Rufrius Crispinus
and the future Emperor Otho
). She did not die the way she actually did, as in reality, she was kicked to death by Nero in a vicious rage. The film also omits Nero's first three attempts to kill his mother Agrippina the Younger
, first by poisoning. Nero's second attempt at his mother's murder was having her mattress fixed so that when she lay down to sleep, a decoration on the ceiling above her bed would fall onto the bed. Agrippina, however, always had one of her slave girls lay in her bed for a while to warm it up, so her slave girl was killed by the falling decoration rather than Agrippina. A third attempt was to have her take a voyage on a sabotaged ship, but she managed to swim to shore. The fourth attempt was to have a soldier kill her on the spot, which is shown in the movie as Agrippina comes towards the soldier and tells him, "Strike the womb that bore him". In the film Nero is shown to have a fixation on playing the harp
, which is only partly true. In a late part of the movie Nero is shown playing his harp in the center of a Roman Theatre as Emperor
around 62 A.D. (which is fiction because Nero never played his harp at any time in front of a large audience. He usually played his harp
in isolation or within a small group of friends).
At the end, Nero escapes the city by himself and slits his wrists where he is embraced by Acte. In reality, Nero was carried out of Rome by guards before plunging a dagger into his throat.
The film's budget was around 800,000€ and filmed on location in Sicily
and Tunisia
in late 2004 and early 2005.
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
TV movie, part of the Imperium series; it was made film available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
as of November 2005 in the U.S.A. and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Produced by EOS Entertainment and Lux Vide for RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
and Telecinco
Telecinco
Telecinco is a Spanish commercial television channel operated by Mediaset España. Launched in 1990 as Tele 5, it was the fifth of the national terrestrial television channels. In 1997, Tele 5 was rebranded as Telecinco, dropping the flower logo seen in other Mediaset channel...
.
Plot
As a young boy, future emperorRoman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
witnesses the mad
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
Emperor Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
kill his father and exile his mother
Agrippina the Younger
Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
. While in exile in the pontine islands
Pontine Islands
The Pontine Islands are an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the west coast of Italy. The islands were collectively named after the largest island in the group, Ponza. The other islands in the archipelago are Palmarola, Zannone,...
, Agrippina, his mother, sees a vision telling her that her son can become emperor, but she will have to die first. She accepts the proposal. Back in Rome, Nero, now being raised by emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
after Caligula's death, Agrippina returns. She poisons Claudius' food and Nero becomes emperor. At first, Nero cuts taxes and introduces successful programs and invades Brittania
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Soon he meets a beautiful slave named Claudia Acte
Claudia Acte
Claudia Acte was a freedwoman of ancient Rome who became a mistress of the emperor Nero. She came from Asia Minor and might have become a slave of the Emperor Claudius, following his expansion of the Roman Empire into Lycia and Pamphylia; or she might have been purchased later, by Octavia,...
, and marries her, throwing off his engagement with Claudius' daughter, Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia was an Empress of Rome. She was a great-niece of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal first cousin of the Emperor Caligula, daughter of the Emperor Claudius, and stepsister and first wife of the Emperor Nero...
, telling her she can marry someone she will be happy with. Heartbroken, she arrives at an island and kills herself. Nero enjoys being married to Claudia Octavia, but soon he gradually goes mad with power and sets fire to Rome. He divorces Acte, and forces the citizens to watch hour long recitals, and at one of these, accidentally kills his new pregnant wife, Poppaea Sabina
Poppaea Sabina
Poppaea Sabina and sometimes referred to as Poppaea Sabina the Younger to differentiate her from her mother of the same name, was a Roman Empress as the second wife of the Emperor Nero. Prior to this she was the wife of the future Emperor Otho...
. He kills several members of the senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
and orders his mother to be stabbed, where she says: "Strike the womb, for that is what bore him." Nero's madness soon causes a riot, causing himself to flee the city in disguise, and slit his wrists under the saddened embrace of Claudia Acte, his once passionate lover.
The movie in many ways tries to show Nero as a good soul gone mad, beginning as a brilliant young prince enduring injustice, then hailed enthusiastically at the beginning of his reign, implementing much-needed reforms and enjoying immense popularity. Half the film concentrates on Nero's teenage years and his love life with Acte.
Historical Flaws
His relationship with Claudia ActeClaudia Acte
Claudia Acte was a freedwoman of ancient Rome who became a mistress of the emperor Nero. She came from Asia Minor and might have become a slave of the Emperor Claudius, following his expansion of the Roman Empire into Lycia and Pamphylia; or she might have been purchased later, by Octavia,...
, his childhood sweetheart, is altered, and its influence on his divorce of Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia was an Empress of Rome. She was a great-niece of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal first cousin of the Emperor Caligula, daughter of the Emperor Claudius, and stepsister and first wife of the Emperor Nero...
exaggerated. In fact after Nero's divorce to Octavia he married his pregnant mistress Poppaea Sabina
Poppaea Sabina
Poppaea Sabina and sometimes referred to as Poppaea Sabina the Younger to differentiate her from her mother of the same name, was a Roman Empress as the second wife of the Emperor Nero. Prior to this she was the wife of the future Emperor Otho...
who had married twice before marrying Nero (Rufrius Crispinus
Rufrius Crispinus
Rufrius Crispinus was a knight who lived during the later Julio-Claudian dynasty. The satirist Juvenal spitefully described him as one the "dregs" of the "Nile", indicating his Egyptian origin. It is believed he came to Rome as a fish merchant. Under the Roman Emperor Claudius he was the commander...
and the future Emperor Otho
Otho
Otho , was Roman Emperor for three months, from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the four emperors.- Birth and lineage :...
). She did not die the way she actually did, as in reality, she was kicked to death by Nero in a vicious rage. The film also omits Nero's first three attempts to kill his mother Agrippina the Younger
Agrippina the Younger
Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
, first by poisoning. Nero's second attempt at his mother's murder was having her mattress fixed so that when she lay down to sleep, a decoration on the ceiling above her bed would fall onto the bed. Agrippina, however, always had one of her slave girls lay in her bed for a while to warm it up, so her slave girl was killed by the falling decoration rather than Agrippina. A third attempt was to have her take a voyage on a sabotaged ship, but she managed to swim to shore. The fourth attempt was to have a soldier kill her on the spot, which is shown in the movie as Agrippina comes towards the soldier and tells him, "Strike the womb that bore him". In the film Nero is shown to have a fixation on playing the harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
, which is only partly true. In a late part of the movie Nero is shown playing his harp in the center of a Roman Theatre as Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
around 62 A.D. (which is fiction because Nero never played his harp at any time in front of a large audience. He usually played his harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
in isolation or within a small group of friends).
At the end, Nero escapes the city by himself and slits his wrists where he is embraced by Acte. In reality, Nero was carried out of Rome by guards before plunging a dagger into his throat.
The film's budget was around 800,000€ and filmed on location in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
in late 2004 and early 2005.
Cast
- Hans MathesonHans MathesonHans Matheson is a British actor.-Life and career:Matheson was born in Stornoway, Scotland, the son of Sheena, a therapist, and Iain , a folk musician and painter. He made his feature film debut as Johnny Silver in Jez Butterworth's critically acclaimed directorial debut, Mojo...
- NeroNeroNero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death.... - Laura MoranteLaura MoranteLaura Morante is an Italian film actress.She was born in Santa Fiora, province of Grosseto , and is the niece of renowned Italian novelist Elsa Morante.-Career:...
- Agrippina the YoungerAgrippina the YoungerJulia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty... - Rike Schmid - Claudia ActeClaudia ActeClaudia Acte was a freedwoman of ancient Rome who became a mistress of the emperor Nero. She came from Asia Minor and might have become a slave of the Emperor Claudius, following his expansion of the Roman Empire into Lycia and Pamphylia; or she might have been purchased later, by Octavia,...
- Simón AndreuSimón AndreuSimón Andreu is a Spanish actor. He has appeared in over 135 films since 1961.-Selected filmography:* The Good Love * Bad Man's River * The Blood Spattered Bride * El sacerdote...
- Porridus - Sonia AquinoSonia Aquino- Biography :Theatre, cinema and television actress, she graduated at the National School of the Cinema in Rome and attended Francesca De Sapio's Duse Studio. Moreover she studied performing arts at the theatre "Bellini" in Naples, taking part in some stages held by Peter Del Monte, Marco...
- MessalinaMessalinaValeria Messalina, sometimes spelled Messallina, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Claudius. She was also a paternal cousin of the Emperor Nero, second cousin of the Emperor Caligula, and great-grandniece of the Emperor Augustus... - Maria Gabriella Barbuti - Licia
- James BentleyJames Bentley (actor)James Bentley is a child actor who won a Young Artist Award for playing Nicholas Stewart in the 2001 psychological horror film The Others. He also played Michael Sellers in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers in 2004.-External links:...
- Young Nero - Marco Bonini - Rufus
- Robert Brazil - Silus
- Philippe Caroit - Apollonius
- Todd Carter - Senator # 1
- Massimo Dapporto - ClaudiusClaudiusClaudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
- Maurizio Donadoni - Burrus
- Emanuela Garuccio - Claudia
- Matthias HabichMatthias HabichMatthias Habich is a German actor.Habich was born in Danzig and lives in Paris. In the 2001 film Enemy at the Gates about Stalingrad, he played the part of General Friedrich Paulus...
- Seneca the YoungerSeneca the YoungerLucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero... - Klaus HändlKlaus HändlKlaus Händl , also known as Händl Klaus, is an Austrian actor and writer.-Biography:Händl was born in Rum, near Innsbruck. He started his theater career as an actor in Vienna's Schauspielhaus. His first theatrical production, which he also directed, was premiered in the Styrian Autumn Festival...
- Pallas - Jochen HorstJochen HorstJochen Horst is a German/English Film, TV and Theater actor.Jochen Horst finished at the state College in Graz, Austria, the Music Academy of Performing Arts with "summa cum laud" in 1986...
- Etius - Ruby Kammer - Marzia
- Ángela MolinaÁngela MolinaÁngela Molina is a Spanish actress, and a daughter of Antonio Molina, Spanish singer and actor.Molina studied dance and theater art in the Escuela Superior de Madrid. She rose to international prominence after starring in Luis Buñuel's last movie That Obscure Object of Desire...
- DomitiaDomitia LepidaDomitia Lepida, also known as Domitia Lepida the Younger, Domitia Lepida Minor, or simply Lepida ; was the younger daughter of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and Antonia Major. Her elder siblings were Domitia and Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, father of the emperor Nero... - Mario Opinato - TigellinusTigellinusGaius Ofonius Tigellinus, also known as Ophonius Tigellinus and Sophonius Tigellinus , was a prefect of the Roman imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard, from 62 until 68, during the reign of emperor Nero...
- Vittoria PucciniVittoria PucciniVittoria Puccini is an Italian film and television actress.Puccini is perhaps best known for playing a lead role in 2003 in the Italian soap opera Elisa di Rivombrosa...
- Claudia OctaviaClaudia OctaviaClaudia Octavia was an Empress of Rome. She was a great-niece of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal first cousin of the Emperor Caligula, daughter of the Emperor Claudius, and stepsister and first wife of the Emperor Nero... - Ian RichardsonIan RichardsonIan William Richardson CBE was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards trilogy. He was also a leading Shakespearean stage actor....
- Septimus - Paolo Scalabrino - Senator # 2
- John SimmJohn SimmJohn Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
- CaligulaCaligulaCaligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most... - Liz SmithLiz Smith (actress)Liz Smith, MBE is a British actress, best-known for her roles in the sitcoms The Vicar of Dibley and The Royle Family. She also appeared in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.-Early life:...
- Soothsayer - Elisa TovatiElisa TovatiElisa Tovati born Elisa Touati is a French singer and television celebrity.- Early years :Elisa Tovati was born in 1976 of Russo-Moroccan Jewish origins in Paris, France. She showed interest in theatre early in her life, and her teenage years saw her co-presenting a French programme Y'a pas d'lézard...
- Poppaea SabinaPoppaea SabinaPoppaea Sabina and sometimes referred to as Poppaea Sabina the Younger to differentiate her from her mother of the same name, was a Roman Empress as the second wife of the Emperor Nero. Prior to this she was the wife of the future Emperor Otho... - Pierre VaneckPierre Vaneck-Biography:Son of a Belgian officer, Pierre Vaneck passed his youth to Antwerp before continuing at 17 years, of the studies of medicine in Paris. Then it followed studies of dramatic art with the courses Rene Simon and the Theater Academy, the class of Henri Rollan. It earned its living while...
- Paul of TarsusPaul of TarsusPaul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament... - Francesco Venditti - BritannicusBritannicusTiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus was the son of the Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. He became the heir-designate of the empire at his birth, less than a month into his father's reign. He was still a young boy at the time of his mother's downfall and Claudius'...
Crew
- Directed by: Paul MarcusPaul MarcusPaul Coryn Valentine Marcus was a British television director and producer. His most notable success was as producer of the television series Prime Suspect, but he also worked in cinema, theatre and many other TV series.-Early life:Marcus was born in London in 1954, the son of playwright Frank...
- Teleplay by: Paul Billing & Francesco Contaldo
- Produced by: Luca Bernabei
- Director of Photography: Giovanni Galasso
- Production Designer: Paolo Biagetti
- Edited by: Alessandro Lucidi
- Costume Designer: Paolo Scalabrino
- Music By: Marco Frisina