That's the goal of the dying emperor's wife, Livia, and the son of her first marriage, Tiberius. The emperor, Augustus Caesar (Roland Culver), wants Germanicus, but his loving yet scheming wife plots otherwise. This is not the infamous Livia of "I Claudius" fame. She does scheme to have murder committed for the sake of the continuation of the empire, but it is not by her own hands.
Sonia Dresdel, as Livia, reminds me ironically of Judith Anderson who played a similarly scheming queen, Herodias, who had a similar history, namely divorcing her husband so she could marry a king. André Morell is Tiberius, not quite a prince, and far from the conflicted man that George Baker would play 7 years later. It takes a while to get into this because of the cheap black and white look, but there are many very interesting elements about it to be discovered.
Sejanus and future emperor Claudius are other major characters are present, and it's obvious that their future histories are being developed. The assassination that takes place at the end is as chilling as anything in Shakespeare, as well as the more regarded 1975 BBC classic.
Sonia Dresdel, as Livia, reminds me ironically of Judith Anderson who played a similarly scheming queen, Herodias, who had a similar history, namely divorcing her husband so she could marry a king. André Morell is Tiberius, not quite a prince, and far from the conflicted man that George Baker would play 7 years later. It takes a while to get into this because of the cheap black and white look, but there are many very interesting elements about it to be discovered.
Sejanus and future emperor Claudius are other major characters are present, and it's obvious that their future histories are being developed. The assassination that takes place at the end is as chilling as anything in Shakespeare, as well as the more regarded 1975 BBC classic.