Battles B.C.

[Africanvs]

Someone earlier said something about not learning from TV but to pick up a book. They couldn't be more right. It might be interesting to note that THC is owned by General Electric Corp. who also owns NBC and several other networks and stations. GE is a corporation interested in profts. As far as TV is concerned, the point is to keep you entertained, so you tune in, and they can make ratings which translate to big advertising dollars. 300 was a popular movie which made a lot of money. The execs at THC, or whoever had the idea, figured that if they make a series based on a popular movie, it will get good ratings, just lke the spartan special they aired during the release of 300 did. Their job is not to be accurate, their job is to make money. There is crap peddled for truth on TV every day on the network news, why should the history channel be any different. Use TV for what it is, entertainment. But again, we should all be happy that we are intelligent enough to know the difference.

[satalexton]

and woe to the sad fact that most of the world don't =[

[Aemilius Paulus]

and woe to the sad fact that most of the world don't =[

Well, now, lets not turn into those elitists now. The world may not know history like we do, but they know other things. Everyone has their own interest, be it computers, machinery, agriculture, philosophy, anatomy, law, etc, etc. They too have their own elitist groups where they sit in a circle, one leg crossed on top of the other, and bemoan how uneducated the rest of the world is and how enlightened they are. No one likes such groups. No reason why we should turn into such.

No one can learn everything. Instead, people prioritise. And as far as education goes, sorry to say this, but history is basically the most impractical and useless thing to learn. I am an avid history fan. History is my life. Yet I recognise this fact to be true. There is some use in history, but compared to other things, it is basically useless.

[Cyrus]

Yeah, that-s the great thing about history, it-s end is itself! By end i mean final objective. Still you are right up to a certain point AP many people like me don-t just stop at history, i went on with philosophy, languages, and the study of ethnicities( wich i have no idea how it-s called in English) so to really be enlightened one must embrace all paths of knowledge (i am shure i ve heard someone famous said that, but cant remember who sry)

[Africanvs]

Well, now, lets not turn into those elitists now. The world may not know history like we do, but they know other things. Everyone has their own interest, be it computers, machinery, agriculture, philosophy, anatomy, law, etc, etc. They too have their own elitist groups where they sit in a circle, one leg crossed on top of the other, and bemoan how uneducated the rest of the world is and how enlightened they are. No one likes such groups. No reason why we should turn into such.

No one can learn everyting. Instead, people prioritise. And as far as education goes, sorry to say this, but history is basically the msot impractical and useless thign to learn. I am an avid history fan. History is my life. Yet I recognise this fact to be true. There is some use in history, but compared to other things, it is basically useless.

I agree with you on the point of avoiding elitism, but I think he meant that it's too bad they don't know the truth in this situation.

As far as history being impractical and useless, I would have to agree to differ. I believe history to be one of the most important ingredients in a quality education. I suppose it boils down to every individual and how they measure things of importance, usefullness, and success in general.

[Pontius Pilate]

Well, now, lets not turn into those elitists now. The world may not know history like we do, but they know other things. Everyone has their own interest, be it computers, machinery, agriculture, philosophy, anatomy, law, etc, etc. They too have their own elitist groups where they sit in a circle, one leg crossed on top of the other, and bemoan how uneducated the rest of the world is and how enlightened they are. No one likes such groups. No reason why we should turn into such.

Finally, something positive out of this thread!

So really, any Americans here that have watched PBS?

I have actually watched a few of their programs.

but history is basically the msot impractical and useless thign to learn. There is some use in history, but compared to other things, it is basically useless.

perhaps, but isn't it this kind of thinking that causes people and societies to repeat history and the mistakes of the past?

anyway, I saw the entire Hannibal episode on TV. it wasn't very historical as many of you mentioned, but it was somewhat entertaining, to an extent. I mean, its not like I went into it expecting to get an education.

[Macilrille]

Well, HBO has made a series for entertainment and drama that is quite historically accurate. The more knowledge you have I think, the more you enjoy it despite its glitches.

It is interesting that a historical fiction series is apparently more accurate than one that claims to be documentary...

[Aemilius Paulus]

Well, HBO has made a series for entertainment and drama that is quite historically accurate.

Ugh. Do not even get me started. Now this thread is going to move on from History Channel bashing to HBO bashing...

Anyway, HBO is quite honest. No one takes them for an educational channel. I really fail to see why they so painstakingly attempted to make HBO Rome so accurate. There is really no point to it. Anyway, the show had ten million "average" people watching it and a couple of thousand of history nerds. Even if the show cut the historical accuracy, the nerd would still stay. Why? Because, remember all that sex?

Which brings me to the next point. That whole series felt more like a porn movie than anything else. Seriously, what did it not have?? It had all the possible fantasies and fetishes: small goateed fat men sex, incest sex, sadomasochistic sex, lesbian sex, gay sex, "normal" sex, sex/nudity centimetres away from child pornography, casual sex, intimate sex, sex with prostitutes, sex in clothing, sex without clothing, sex in armour, etc, etc, etc.... I loved the series, but I wished for a censored edition. If anything, the series was a testament to the benefits of censorship. I found out more about coitus from that series than I had ever known before and more that I ever wanted to find out. If I could only have been warned.

That, I bet, is why the show was so widely viewed. Is it normal for HBO to make such material? After watching the series, I supposed there was considerable outrage after its release, but I did not find anything especially notable.



Now, I wonder how legal was my post. I was only discussing a TV series that pertains to EB...

[desert]

Ugh. Do not even get me started. Now this thread is going to move on from History Channel bashing to HBO bashing...

Anyway, HBO is quite honest. No one takes them for an educational channel. I really fail to see why they so painstakingly attempted to make HBO Rome so accurate. There is really no point to it. Anyway, the show had ten million "average" people watching it and a couple of thousand of history nerds. Even if the show cut the historical accuracy, the nerd would still stay. Why? Because, remember all that sex?

Which brings me to the next point. That whole series felt more like a porn movie than anything else. Seriously, what did it not have?? It had all the possible fantasies and fetishes: small goateed fat men sex, incest sex, sadomasochistic sex, lesbian sex, gay sex, "normal" sex, sex/nudity centimetres away from child pornography, casual sex, intimate sex, sex with prostitutes, sex in clothing, sex without clothing, sex in armour, etc, etc, etc.... I loved the series, but I wished for a censored edition. If anything, the series was a testament to the benefits of censorship. I found out more about coitus from that series than I had ever known before and more that I ever wanted to find out. If I could only have been warned.

That, I bet, is why the show was so widely viewed. Is it normal for HBO to make such material? After watching the series, I supposed there was considerable outrage after its release, but I did not find anything especially notable.



Now, I wonder how legal was my post. I was only discussing a TV series that pertains to EB...

Lol, that reminds me of Caligula, which at $20 million in production costs was the most expensive porno in history.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Which brings me to the next point. That whole series felt more like a porn movie than anything else. Seriously, what did it not have?? It had all the possible fantasies and fetishes: small goateed fat men sex, incest sex, sadomasochistic sex, lesbian sex, gay sex, "normal" sex, sex/nudity centimetres away from child pornography, casual sex, intimate sex, sex with prostitutes, sex in clothing, sex without clothing, sex in armour, etc, etc, etc.... I loved the series, but I wished for a censored edition. If anything, the series was a testament to the benefits of censorship. I found out more about coitus from that series than I had ever known before and more that I ever wanted to find out. If I could only have been warned.

Well, I gotta say something on this...

1. My favourite scene was when Antonius "met" the sheperd woman at the wayside.
2. "Rome" was more accurate than "Battles B.C." will probably ever be
3. If they can make people watch historically more or less accurate programs by inserting lots of sex, it's just perfect. They will see the sex and learn something at the same time. No need for "300"-style combat any more.

[Pontius Pilate]

That, I bet, is why the show was so widely viewed. Is it normal for HBO to make such material? After watching the series, I supposed there was considerable outrage after its release, but I did not find anything especially notable.

yes, alot of HBO's shows do contain alot of adult material. they can put up almost anything they want because they aren't cable. also if you like HBO Rome, you should also check out the "Tudors" on Showtime, it is very similiar to Rome.

I hope this thread doesn't turn into bashing HBO's Rome, because it was pretty historically accurate and my favorite show of all time. also, weren't the Romans very "sexual active" back then as the show portrays?

[Fluvius Camillus]

Ugh. Do not even get me started. Now this thread is going to move on from History Channel bashing to HBO bashing...

Anyway, HBO is quite honest. No one takes them for an educational channel. I really fail to see why they so painstakingly attempted to make HBO Rome so accurate. There is really no point to it. Anyway, the show had ten million "average" people watching it and a couple of thousand of history nerds. Even if the show cut the historical accuracy, the nerd would still stay. Why? Because, remember all that sex?

Which brings me to the next point. That whole series felt more like a porn movie than anything else. Seriously, what did it not have?? It had all the possible fantasies and fetishes: small goateed fat men sex, incest sex, sadomasochistic sex, lesbian sex, gay sex, "normal" sex, sex/nudity centimetres away from child pornography, casual sex, intimate sex, sex with prostitutes, sex in clothing, sex without clothing, sex in armour, etc, etc, etc.... I loved the series, but I wished for a censored edition. If anything, the series was a testament to the benefits of censorship. I found out more about coitus from that series than I had ever known before and more that I ever wanted to find out. If I could only have been warned.

That, I bet, is why the show was so widely viewed. Is it normal for HBO to make such material? After watching the series, I supposed there was considerable outrage after its release, but I did not find anything especially notable.



Now, I wonder how legal was my post. I was only discussing a TV series that pertains to EB...

What? Rome was one of the most awesome (and with some effort towards realism) tv-series ever. Sure you can get furious by seeing a tv channel who has an educative function sell itself out for ratings. But come on, this serie was great, perfect characters, I could identify a lot of characters with people I know (no, the people I know are not murderers nor have sex every hour), I mean their personalities were awesome. The cunning of Atia, the extremely smart octavian, vulgair but also cunning Marc Anthony, and I can go on and on.

Perhaps this serie was not historical enough, but come on, once in your life have fun instead of pursuing realism, this show at least portrays a Rome a lot better than the now extremely commercialized History channel. No I am not the nerd you mention who watches it for the sex, I love the characters, the fights were between realistic and 300. Also the humour! Every great fan can never forget how erastes fulmen smashes a jar against his servant's head to show how far he can go, or the random remarks of mark anthony, or Pullo's excuse how Evander dissappeared.

Censor? Blasphemy! The thing I hate most, especially on television are those lame scrambles, vagueness, beeps or other American , that thank the heavens does not exist in Europe! (nothing against America, I just pity them that the government uses censor there).

Maybe people watched it because it was a porn movie for them, well I'm not one of those, I enjoyed ALL aspects of this excellent show! I bougth both dvd boxes right away when they came out!

Not trying to offend anyone!

Your's sincerely,

~Fluvius Camillus

P.S. If this is in any way against a rule, I will remove this as soon as I notice it.

ROME = awesome
300 = cool
Battles BC = crap

100% Agreed!