The series "Roman Spain, the legend" legend appeared on the screens from 2010 to 2012, a total of 20 episodes were shown, divided into 3 seasons. If the series was a resounding success in their homeland, few people heard about it outside Spain and very vainly. In terms of the scale of filming, this is certainly not “Game of Thrones”, but a very good historical drama, for the shooting of which (at different stages) eight directors were responsible! Including Jorge Sanchez Cabecudo, in whose filmography the series “Grand Hotel”.
Plot
“Roman Spain” is, first of all, a historical drama, it is based on many real facts. The storyline of the series is built on the events that occurred in the II century BC, when the residents of Lusitania - a small ancient Roman province (now these lands belong to Portugal) are trying to resist the invaders from Rome. If Guy Julius Caesar needed only five years to conquer Gaul, then the conquest of Lusitania took almost two hundred from the Romans.
At the center of the story, the Roman emperor Lucius Commodus, it was his impulsive, rash decisions that had a great influence on the decline and further collapse of the entire Roman Empire.
The first series begins with the death of Commodus’s father, Marcus Aurelius. Despite the fact that the wars he started with the Germanic tribes were almost completed in favor of the empire, the death of Aurelius and the first weeks of Commodus’s rule change everything. Having proclaimed himself the successor of the emperor, he begins to build a kingdom of debauchery, blood and atrocities, thereby destroying the greatness of Rome.
Creature
All seasons of "Roman Spain" were filmed in the west of the country in the province of Cáceres. Local landscapes, so similar to historical ones, helped to add naturalness to the shooting. Thanks to the huge budget, unlike other Spanish TV shows, this one is thought out to the smallest details: clothes, props, make-up artists. For some scenes, special scenery was even built.
Due to this, the series "Roman Spain" was received by the public very well. About 4 million people watched each episode.
Errors and Inaccuracies
The creators in their narrative could not avoid historical errors. For example, in those days the mounted Roman army did not wear a red uniform and did not use stirrups. In response to these comments, the producer of the series said that this was done deliberately: stirrups guaranteed additional safety for the actors during the filming, and the red color in the clothes increased the recognition of the characters.
Another fact that critics like to find fault with is characters. In “Roman Spain” the heroes are called Helena, although this is a Greek name, Darius is Persian, Sandro is medieval Italian. But the producer has an answer to this. According to the study, the real ancient Roman and ancient Spanish names, such as Tuto or Likino, are very poorly remembered by the audience.
Well, and, of course, the most obvious mistake: in the series, some of the characters call themselves hispanos (Latinos), although at that time they could not know about such a territorial affiliation.
Actors
The cast of "Roman Spain" was played by many excellent actors, the first number on this list, undoubtedly, is Louis Omar as Praetor Galba, who played in the movie Broken Embrukes. The presence of the talented Natalie Pose (“Lex”, “All Women”) in the role of Galba’s wife is also pleasing to the eye. On the "Spanish side" Roberto Henriquez, known for the film "The Essence of Strength", and Juan Jose Ballesta from "El Bola"
Men will love the beautiful Ana de Armas, and for women, one of the most prominent male actors in the Spanish cinema world is Jesus Olmedo, whose filmography contains more than ten paintings, including Lola.
For those who are tired of Hollywood but miss the Game of Thrones, Roman Spain will appeal to you. Let not so large-scale, but colorful and historically true in almost everything.