Nero
Nero
PG-13 | 23 May 2004 (USA)
Nero Trailers

As a young boy, future emperor 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 Acte, but soon he gradually goes mad with power and sets fire to Rome.

Reviews
Jeanskynebu

the audience applauded

... View More
Evengyny

Thanks for the memories!

... View More
Curapedi

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

... View More
Hadrina

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

... View More
Armand

and not only. a film who creates one of many Nerone's portraits. not extraordinary but decent. only sin - the fear of Hans Matheson to explore new solutions for create his role more than copy of other emperor's representations. but he does a beautiful role, not real profound but honest, powerful and realistic. like many historical movies, the accuracy is not the best point and, in many scenes, Nerone seems be only sketch. but it is a good choice for an evening after work day, as mixture of history and crumbs of fairy tale, remembering Quo Vadis and the representation of the Roman emperor in different novels and in cinema. sure, the stereotypes are not the inspired ingredients and the story of Nerone could be more a story "ad usum Delphini" but the result is far to be bad.

... View More
David O'Brien

This movie was good. It was both entertaining (although long at 3 hours) and refreshing.I have seen a lot of movies on the Roman Empire, including Augustus (to which I also found great). Although I only have mild university level knowledge on the history of the Roman Republic and Empire, I know very little of Nero, so I watch Nero from an ignorant point of view.Gladiator had little historical background yet was hailed and given high ratings and great reviews. Although that is a story, one would assume Nero (as well as Augustus) to be an accurate day-to-day recount of the lives of these Emperors. True, there are some parts that seem out-of-date, far-fetched, and alienated from what seems to be 'truth', but you can't hide that this is a story.I found huge gaps in Augustus, Rome, and Julius Caesar, but I loved every second of them, and as far as I'm concerned, Imperium: Nero is better than Augustus (even though I studied him for quite some time).If you haven't seen Nero, it's a good movie, and a great night at home with some ice cream, or popcorn! Most of the reviewers cast "hog-wash", but use Historical Inaccuracies as their main attack, then again, "Gladiator" wasn't the most historically accurate film ever made either.6.7/10

... View More
ma-cortes

This mini-series describes first the emperor Caligula become himself nutty and proclaims senator his horse , kills his brother-in-law ( Nerone's father )and exiles his sister Agripina (Laura Morante) to far island. Caligula is murdered by his generals and succeeded Claudio , he married Mesalina who will cheat him with several lovers and then she is repudiated. After that, Claudio married Agripina . She convinces Claudio for heir to Nerone (Hans Matheson) marring him to Octavia, Claudio's daughter, and disinheriting his another son, Britanico . The Nerone empire (54-68) was under influence of Burro and stoic philosopher named Lucius Anneo Seneca( Matthias Habich) his sage and wise assistant but Agripina actually governs . Then she conspires against her son and Nero orders kill her along with Britanico . At the beginning years Nero empire were peaceful and prosperous but when he turned nut-head and supported by his favourite, the evil and ambitious Tijelinus , the governed with despotism , submitted the senate and committed atrocities , pursued Christians, murdered to Burro , Seneca ,Popea , senators(Ian Richardson, Simon Andreu).. becoming an authentic tyrant . Besides , he ordered firing the ancient Roma and Christians are accused and martyrized . Deprived emperor orders burn them on flaming cross and bear a cruel martyrdom . Later on, Nero is killed and was succeeded by Galba, and empire took a while for decadence and downfall. The film is the second episode of the ¨Imperium¨ series covering the Roman empire , the first was ¨Octavius Augustus¨ with Peter O'Toole and Charlotte Rampling (as Livia). The costume design and production design hold similar features than former production but have made good use of it. Setting are pretty nice , scenarios are spectaculars . The Roman Forum , Roman Capitol , temples are well designed . It's an European co-production made by numerous countries (Italy, France, Germany )and is shot in Tunisia. This television movie has epic action , love story , exciting drama, bloody gladiator combats in the arena and lots of crowd scenes , however the runtime is overlong and a little boring . Main actors interpretation is good, as Hans Matheson and Laura Morante but Nero personage belongs forever to Peter Ustinov ( Quo Vadis) . The picture is profitable for public tendency to ¨Sword and Sandals¨ genre re-initiated with ¨Gladiator¨ (Ridley Scott). The flick will appeal to Romans genre fans and history buffs.

... View More
gradyharp

The miniseries made of television that examines the highlights of the Roman Empire ('Imperium: Augustus' was the first). While the sets and costumes and flavor and atmosphere of that phenomenal period in history is well captured and the production qualities are strong, the historical accuracy is diminished by 'cleaning up' the facts and rearranging dates and incidents to make a 'Hollywood version' of the Roman Empire.Given the fact that this is not a biopic but rather an entertainment, IMPERIUM: NERO is interesting, if long at 192 minutes, to watch in continuity. Nero was born in 37 AD and died in 68 AD and during those 31 years much changed in Rome. We first met Nero as a child 'abolished' to a life with the slaves by the infighting among the Emperors - Caligula (John Simm) and Claudius (Massimo Dapporto) - and the Senate - namely Porridus (Simón Andreu), Burrus (Maurizio Donadoni), and Septimus (Ian Richardson). While living among the people we are informed that Nero (a fine Hans Matheson) falls in love with commoner slave Acte (Rike Schmid) and when misdeeds in Rome call him back to power (through the wily and devious guidance of his mother Agrippina (Laura Morante, the true star of this film), Nero is forced to marry well and forswear his love for Acte. Once proclaimed Emperor, Nero does some bad things such as having his brother Britannicus (Francesco Venditti) killed, etc and begins to descend into madness instead of fulfilling his vision of creating an empire for the people. His teachers include wise Seneca (Matthias Habich) and commoner Etius (Jochen Horst) and his loyal friends include Tegellinus (Mario Opinato). Once on his downward spiral Nero begins to murder and destroy those close to him and finally burns the city of Rome to prepare the ground for his grand palace and city, all the while playing on is lyre.If this all sounds wicked and cruel, then it is probably better that the story didn't 'flesh out' the true obese, schizophrenic, megalomaniacal, sexually dysfunctional creature that was Nero. You need the history books to see what a hideous tyrant he was, a man who placed his acting and circus skills above all else, castrating young boys who resembled his mother to marry while also marrying the prostitute Poppea (Elisa Tovati). But the major problem with this version of Nero's tenure is the emphasis on the new sect called Christians. Indeed, even the apostle Paul is brought in to cleanse the proceedings and seep evangelicalism into the story to help it end! But for the script as written (by Paul Billing and Francesco Contaldo) director Paul Marcus brings off a fascinating though long image of the Roman Empire. Not for Roman scholars perhaps, but for those who enjoy historically based epics, this NERO should do nicely Grady Harp

... View More