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Arts & Life
The Clarion \ November 30, 2016
A fascinating
look at Rome
that never gels
By Jordon Morgan
staff writer
“Roman Empire: Reign of Blood” is a lav
ishly produced, detailed exploration of one of
Rome’s most infamous emperors, but one that
also doesn’t quite seem to mesh between the
two styles it presents.
Chronicling the reign of Commodus, who
was emperor of Rome from 180-192 AD,
“Reign of Blood” follows the last days of the
previous emperor, Marcus Aurelius, the subse
quent ascension by Commodus, and the major
turning points of his 12-year reign.
Although the pacing is a bit rushed with only
six episodes, the show overall does an excellent
job showing the transformation of Commodus
from a reluctant young man with no interest
in governing, to a narcissistic dictator bent on
earning the respect of the Roman people.
The show presents itself in a unique format, as
it goes back and forth between interviews with
professors and Roman historians, to dramatic
scenes depicting Commodus and the people
around him. All of this is interspersed with
narration by Sean Bean (Ned Stark of “Game
of Thrones”) who adds a significant feeling of
importance to whatever he is talking about with
his deep, commanding voice that accurately
makes it appear as though every step in the
emperor’s reign is one that could shake the
foundation of Rome itself.
Interviews by the various professors and
historians, such as authors Tom Holland and
Anthony Everitt, give great context to the cir
cumstances under which the dramatic scenes
play out. They also give the viewer insight into
the minds of the various players at the time,
such as Commodus himself, Marcus Aurelius,
Commodus’ sister Lucilla, and even Aurelius’
wife Faustina, which makes the proceeding
events easier to follow as well as give these
characters who otherwise may not have had
their important roles shown, a chance to be
shown why they were so significant.
The dramatic scenes are also fantastic, as
every actor (mostly ones who had never been
seen before by mainstream audiences) plays
their part perfectly, and the atmosphere of
Rome is captured effectively, with realistic
recreations of senate halls, imperial palaces,
and the Colosseum, with seemingly very little
computer images to enhance them other than
a few large-scale backgrounds.
And that is one of the best aspects about this
show, as it manages to tell a story about one of
the most important figures in the ancient world,
though one that might not be quite as known as
many others, without changing history to such
an erroneous degree that you often see in big
budget Hollywood movies.
History is already fascinating by its very na
ture and there is frankly no real justification for
essentially rewriting history just for narrative
convenience (i.e. what Ridley Scott’s “Gladi
ator” does with Commodus as it makes him an
evil tyrant out of the gate and paints him as the
murderer of his father, when he actually died
at the age of 53 of disease).
The only issue “Reign of Blood” really has is
that sometimes the shift between the professor/
historian interviews and the dramatic scenes
is a bit jarring. While you get sucked into the
drama, it shifts to the interviews almost at the
turn of a dime, going back and forth throughout
each episode.
If you’re interested in ancient history,
especially that of ancient Rome, then this
mini-series is an absolute must watch. Even if
ancient history isn’t your top choice, it’s still
worth your time. The respect it pays to being
accurate to the history of its subject combined
with the well-acted, elaborately and historically
accurate set designs, and insights from various
historical experts make “Roman Empire: Reign
of Blood” an excellent outing from Netflix,
and one that hopefully spawns more like it in
the future.
Senior Profile
Anita Maryskova
By Florian Peyssonneaux
staff Writer
Brevard College senior Anita Maryskova will
graduate in December with a Business major in
December. Maryskova has been very involved
during her career at BC, as she is part of the
women's soccer and tennis team. As a Czech
Republic native she is also the president of the
Internationals Club.
Anita Maryskova first came to the U.S to
accomplish her dream of playing soccer at
a collegiate level. She originally went to a
Division I college in California, but decided
to transfer from CSUB to Brevard for the rest
of her collegiate career.
Maryskova started playing soccer at a young
age, because when she was in Czech Republic
she had to find the motivation to keep playing
as she was practicing with most of the players
who are now in the current Men’s Czech Under
21s National Soccer team.
“It was very tough playing soccer with boys,
because I had to faee a lot of prejudice, swear
ing, and misjudgment from opposing teams and
parents. Those comments never stopped me
from playing the game I love” said Maryskova.
Concerning her athletics accomplishments,
Maryskova has won many titles and recogni
tions with BC. As soccer player, she became
team’s offensive player of the year and led the
team with most points, goals, and shots during
her junior year. Meanwhile “as a tennis player,
I became MVP of the team the same year” said
Maryskova.
Brevard College is a place where Maryskova
met “some very inspirational people,” whom
she considers mentors. “Cameron Austin, Ales-
sandra Tavoloni and Capri Savage are some
people who guided me throughout my career”
said Maryskova.
When Maryskova talks about the individuals
who inspired, guided, and motivated her she
immediately said, “all of these people have a
special place in my heart and have helped me
to become who I am today”.
After she graduates from Brevard College
Maryskova wants to pursue her ideal profes
sional life, and go to a preparatory school to
prepare a Masters degree in Business, while
playing soccer as she has one more year of
eligibility.
“I would like to become a professional soccer
player or start a company helping athletes to
come to the USA and play at a collegiate level.
Ultimately, I would like to stay permanently
in U.S, and settle down in California” said
Maryskova.