Augustus

December 12, 2015  | By William Glasgow

Augustus is equal parts history lesson and soap opera, and thoroughly engaging at all levels. Peter O’Toole plays Octavius/Augustus, heir to his doomed uncle Julius Caesar’s command of the far-flung Roman empire. Surviving an assassination attempt and struck by news of the death of his old friend and ally, Agrippa (Ken Duken), in the same day, Octavius waxes nostalgic about his youthful exploits in Caesar’s army (Benjamin Sadler plays the young Augustus in flashbacks) and his unprepared immersion in the deadly politics of the Mark Antony (Massimo Ghini) era. More immediate are Octavius’ problems trying to stave off conspiracies by his wife Livia (Charlotte Rampling) to set up the emperor’s stepson, Tiberius (Michele Bevilacqua), as heir, and talk his dutiful daughter Julia (Vittoria Belvedere) into a marriage she doesn’t want. Roger Young (Jesus) directs this highly watchable costume drama, and O’Toole’s golden presence makes the ancient intrigues tragically human. –Tom Keogh