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Why are British, the Romans better?

comes this week, the film "The Eagle of the Ninth Legion to the movies. It is a British production, on a widely read in England for decades youth book by Rosemary Sutcliff is based, which is set during the Roman occupation of England in the year 120 AD. All the more sensational is that is played for the first time in living memory in such a film, the main character of an American Roman: the former model Channing Tatum .

Director Kevin MacDonald is it a fun statement : "Up until the 50s were in period films, the Romans in Hollywood films always busy with English people, because at that time the British Empire existed now there is only one country. which, like the Romans as an imperialist power other countries occupied, and that is America. "

but agree not the explanation for the preference estimation of the Britons, Romans roles nor the times. For I can not remember too many turned to the fifties, American Roman films they have seen, in which the main characters not Britons were played - to say nothing of the English sandals ham My favorite Roman from recent times came from Northern Ireland and Scotland. Lucius Vorrenus and Titus Pullo, the heroes of the American TV series "Rome" were presented 2005-2007 by Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson and . Artorius Castus, the Roman officer in "King Arthur" movie by Jerry Bruckheimer and Antoine Fuqua was of course also be played by a Briton. Clive Owen similar in size, the British dominance as early as 2000 in "Gladiator" : Although the actor Russell Crowe "only" in New Zealand born Australians (and therefore least subject of the Queen and part of a specifically British theatrical tradition), but all other actors, the old Roman virtues (such as republicanism) and vices (such as the commercial organization of deadly circus spectacles) embody, are British - of the philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris ) to the gladiator trainer Proximo (Oliver Reed ). Only a character like Marcus Aurelius son Commodus, who breaks with his quasi-anarchistic viciousness of the framework of the classical Roman world was, exceptionally, be played by an American like Joaquin Phoenix.

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in "Cleopatra"

keep American producers and directors would also seem the Brits simply better for the Romans. And although the Americans but actually in many ways the heirs of Rome - they got rid of a revolutionary act of kingship and a republican political system founded. Your state symbols in use in ancient Rome - just think of the architecture and the name of the Capitol or the designation "Senate" for one of the two chambers of its Parliament.

other hand, the Brits can rely on to be the blood heir to the Romans. The fact that at the beginning of civilization was the Roman settlement on the island is in the cultural consciousness of the English alive. This is not only books like "The Eagle of the Ninth Legion, or also a British film of recent Roman as" The Last Legion ", where Britain as it were the last outpost of an otherwise intact long since disintegrated empire is described (and in which the upper Romans was of course played by a Brit: Colin Firth ). Even Joseph Conrad suggests, for example at the beginning of his novel "Heart of Darkness" a line from the Roman inhabitants of the Thames riverbank to today's British. He can tell his Marlow: "I was thinking of very old times, when the Romans first came here, nineteen hundred years ago - the other day...." as it would in fact only a few days ago, Marlow invokes the spirits of these first explorers and colonizers in a totally uncivilized wilderness - full of Celts. And that the Englishman did not know, feels used. Hadrian's Wall, by the Romans against the barbarians established limit, is still the line along which the English distinguish emotionally by the descendants of the Celts.

But this "special relationship" between the British and Romans is hardly the real reason why Americans do not otherwise have imagined as a Roman with a British accent. Debt is of course Shakespeare. Has shaped the image of the Romans in the Anglo-Saxon world than any historian. In particular, the way Romans speak, is for a reasonably educated Americans by "Julius Caesar" or "Antony and Cleopatra" set. And that's why we took the earlier Romans films for best British Shakespeare expert performer - such as Peter Ustinov 1951 for the role of Nero in "Quo Vadis" or Richard Burton as Antony and Rex Harrison as Caesar 1963 Cleopatra ". Only the even Cleopatra was allowed because it was Egyptian, played by an American: Elizabeth Taylor.

Even Stanley Kubrick was able to give 1960 in "Spartacus" the title role, while the Americans Kirk Douglas - for Spartacus was not a Roman, but a Thracian slave. But almost all the important Roman roles are again occupied by the English - and what for what: Laurence Olivier plays the Marcus Crassus , Charles Laughton the Sempronius Gracchus Peter Ustinov and Lentulus the Batiatus. In "Ben Hur" (1959) is of course the most important Roman, Ben Hur's boyhood friend Messala, who later became commander of Jerusalem, played by the British Stephen Boyd . Boyd also appeared in "The Fall of the Roman Empire" on - on the side of the Englishman Alec Guinness as Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The series of classic Hollywood movies is completed by sandals "The Robe" . There could Richard Burton Marcellus Gallio in 1953 as its suitability for Hollywood Romans to the test. may

only in comedies for once Americans play the Romans: "Toll drove it to the Forum" in Richard Lester's 1966 had not only the star of Zero Mostel but also almost all cast with an American passport was the joke of the musical precisely the fact that it was the Romans from their marble pedestals and brought down with relish on the everyday level of contemporary cinema audiences fell - there was an accent that sounded more Brooklyn than to Shakespeare and the Roman Forum, of course, as an artistic style means very desirable.

Despite such exceptions, the Verengländerung the Hollywood Romans in the most seminal and later millions on television shown films of the fifties and sixties, in turn, has rendered today, less educated Americans, of Shakespeare may not have as much idea, my, Romans speak would have British English. to be a Roman in a big expensive production of a US-Boy play, that is an artistic and commercial venture. In the United States was "The Eagle of the Ninth Legion 'moderately successful, but not a flop: After a week he had, according to imdb $ 15,799,000 of its 25-million budget recorded. In Germany, in any case not in a Americans as Romans interfere.