HotToastyRag I, Claudius, the story of the stuttering, limping cousin and successor to the cruel Emperor Caligula, was never released. Filming was halted when Merle Oberon was in a terrible car accident, and for thirty years, the footage was locked away. Finally, as there was such a great mystery as to why the film was never finished, a documentary was released in 1965: I, Claudius: The Epic That Never Was. Dirk Bogarde hosted the documentary, and Emlyn Williams, Merle Oberson, Flora Robson, director Josef von Sternberg, and writer Robert Graves all gave their own interpretations of why the filming was stopped and never resumed. Alas, Charles Laughton and Robert Newton had since passed away. It's a very interesting hour, and all the original footage is included for the audience's viewing pleasure. Outtakes and misspoken lines are shown, as well as entire completed scenes, adding up to almost thirty minutes of footage from I, Claudius. Charles Laughton plays the title character, and he delivers what would have been one of the most memorable screen monologues, had it been released into theaters. He's so very pitiful as Claudius, and it's truly heartbreaking to see the other characters make fun of his flaws. I happen to like Charles Laughton and think he's very talented, so it was easy for me to be engrossed by his performance. Nothing's sadder than his pout; and when he's ridiculed, he never gets angry or has attitude, making him all the much more endearing.If you like Charles Laughton, definitely give this documentary a watch. You'll get to see a good semi-performance, and you'll be educated in film history.

MartinHafer Although I adore the wonderful British mini-series, "I, Claudius", I had no idea that decades earlier there was a movie version in the works...a movie project that never was completed. I am actually thankful for that, as a film never could have adequately captured Robert Graves' two novels about the early Roman emperors....plus, perhaps if the film HAD been made, the mini-series never would have been made.In this made for television documentary, the great British actor Dirk Bogarde not only talks about this aborted film but introduces many surviving members of the cast to talk about the film (including, among others, Josef von Sternberg, Merle Oberon, Flora Robson, Robert Graves and Emlyn Williams). Additionally, much of the existing scenes from the film are shown. And, through seeing them, you can only assume that the makers of the mini-series must have watched these clips and used them in writing this....some are nearly word-for-word...and some aren't even close (such as Messalina's reaction when she meets Claudius).This is a marvelous film...but one that folks who never saw the mini-series or read the books would not enjoy. But for fans, it is an absolute must-see and an extremely interesting television documentary.

mark.waltz "Clash of the Titans" has two things in common with "I, Claudius": two actresses who played the role of Roman empress Livia. Sian Phillips looked like a young Livia from the BBC production of Robert Graves' novel, playing a Greek queen, while Flora Robson from the unfortunate, uncompleted version had a cameo as a soft-spoken witch. Corruption in the courts of the ancient world were common place no matter what part of the world they were from, it was all the same. Poison was queen, figs could be dangerous when ripe, and fifteen year old girls could be insatiable nymphomaniacs. Such is the ancient world. Such was the renaissance world, and such is the modern world. The Alexander Korda production directed by Joseph von Sternberg never made it to completion, and this fabulous documentary explains why. What was filmed is presented, and four of the major characters are seen here: Charles Laughton's Claudius, Emlyn Williams' Caligula, Flora Robson's Livia and Merle Oberon's Messalina. So where are Tiberius, Antonia, Serjanus and Nero (among others)? Unseen here, either cut out of the final script or not yet cast or filmed most likely. What is here is a profile of British filmmaking, often overshadowed by Hollywood. Laughton's inability to find his character (although he had already played Claudius's adopted son/great nephew Nero), other principal casting, and ultimately Oberon's accident. What remains gives a glimpse into the four characters who made the later T.V. mini-series. Laughton, Williams and Robson are letter perfect in their parts, but Oberon is obviously wrong for the role of a teenaged girl. Dirk Bogarde adds class as the narrator with the surviving actors determined to share their experiences. This is a must, especially if you have just seen the T.V. production.

Doug-193 This is a good, entertaining and revealing document of the abandonment in mid-production of a film spectacle, begun in England in the mid-1930s, but which happily still saw the light of day thanks to the preservation of several reels of assembled footage in mint condition. Those involved in the production still alive by 1964 are interviewed with their slightly divergent points of view, and they are a colorful lot: Von Sternberg, Oberon, Emlyn Williams, Flora Robson. Dirk Bogarde is impeccable as the host-narrator who observes of Charles Laughton, immediately following a stunning monologue, that he was "kissed with genius." And so he was.