Carry on up Octavius

[binidj]

For the most part, Gentle Reader, I'm enjoying Rome on the Beeb. It strikes me like a modern-day I Clavdivs including a lot of the humour¹ and, of course, the sex ... though that isn't why I'm watching it².

Last night though was a real disappointment as they dealt with Julius Ceasar's bisexuality in a way that could have been cut from a Carry-On movie. Just awful! Now I know this is one of my hobby-horses but it really is infuriating when they take 'heroic', masculine figures from history and remove any hint that such men could possibly have been gay (whether by dint of lovers becoming cousins or sex becoming an epilepsy gag) leaving us with effeminate or untrustworthy (or both) role models. HBO has a lot to make up for ... this really is homophobia, fear of portraying gay men in a positive light.


¹ "bring him back safely or I'll use your children's eyes as beads" is a personal favourite.
² No, really ... I doubt very much that we'll be seeing Ciaran Hinds in the buff any time soon so there's really very little in the way of eye-candy, though Ray Stevenson really is quite cute, isn't he?

Comments

[quintus.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was muttering something to the effect of "Quick praetor, into the cupboard, here comes my husband! Whoops, there goes my stola!"

Sexuality was defined a little differently then too, it was all about whether one was the do-er or the do-ee and the gender of the other party seemed not to matter as much. Odd lot. Claudius was pointed out as being odd for (amongst other things) being exclusively hetero'.

Cop out, less by the BBC methinks and more a bowing before HBO and their American mores.

[quintus.livejournal.com]

Oh, and have you noticed that Caesar looks less like the statues we have of him and everso slightly like the depiction in Asterix? Marvellous actor, great charisma but still amusing to dwell on.

[curlwomble.livejournal.com]

And yet sexual relations between legionaries were punishable by stoning.

[quintus.livejournal.com]

Well, by definition one of them would have to be the do-ee and that'd be against the ethos of the legion or sommat like that.

[curlwomble.livejournal.com]

I think it was more to maintain discipline (as opposed to increasing valour like the Theban Sacred Band). Don't want troops doing something rash to rescue their lover in battle and endangering their century-mates, nor discord in the ranks over who's boffing whom. Too complicated.

ok I was wondering

[garethd.livejournal.com]

I watched the episode last night and when that sceen was I sat there thinking I didn't know Ceaser suffered from epilepsy. Silly me I just did not look at from any other angle. Me being all innocent and all that.

G

[spiraltower.livejournal.com]

I haven't been watching Rome, so won't join that discussion.

Re HBO, however, have you watched Six Feet Under?

[binidj.livejournal.com]

No I haven't but I am aware that a couple of the primary characters are gay. Nevertheless, what I'm talking about here are actual, historical men who had sex with men. The reasons for concealing the sexualities of Ceasar, Achilles and Alexander can only be put down to homophobia ... there just isn't a plausible reason for such revisionist treatment otherwise.

[quintus.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they somewhat played down just how special a friend Patroclus was to Achilles in 'Troy' which I thought was a bit cowardly.

[curlwomble.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Troy really didn't even bother having punches to pull... I didn't think they covered up Alexander's sexuality. They might not have depicted the homo side as directly as they did the hetero in the recent film, but there was no thinking he didn't have sex with men.

[pauln.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't that count as "lying by omission"?

Lying by omission

[curlwomble.livejournal.com]

I don't consider it so. They implied it very strongly in all sorts of filmic language. The difference between "blow-by-blow" account (which we were given about his het. activities) and just saying "He had sex with men," if you like. I guess it's possible I am more aware of the issue than the general audience, having had a long interest in Alexander and been party to discussions about the depiction of his sexuality before having seen the film, but to me it was obvious he had at least one (detail of the film is hazy memory) male lover (and only one female one).

Re: Lying by omission

[pauln.livejournal.com]

Fair 'nuff. Thanks for the further explication

[kathbad]

I have seen a couple, but missed last night - so I cannot comment on the main point of your post - I just wanted to say that the "bring him back safely or I'll use your children's eyes as beads" was one of my favourites too - and the second part is starting to be repeated at (in)opportune moments in the Robinson-Bird household

[curlwomble.livejournal.com]

"...very little in the way of eye-candy, though Ray Stevenson really is quite cute..."

James Puerfoy full frontal doesn't count for y' then? Cuh. Picky, picky, picky :-)

[binidj.livejournal.com]

Nah, well-hung but not really my type.