Guerre des Gaules et guerres civiles dans la série Rome (HBO, 2005-2007)

Abstract

War is a major component of the TV show Rome (HBO, 2005-2007). Real characters, quoted in Julius Caesar’s The Gallic War (V, 44), have inspired the showrunners Bruno Heller, John Milius et William J. MacDonald. The main narrative thread of the series is about two soldiers, Vorenus et Pullo: after coming back from Gallic campaigns, they had to face two civil wars, with Caesar fighting against Pompey the Great and Octavian against Mark-Antony. But the way war is portrayed on TV is somewhat different from what we see in sword and sandal movies of the golden or modern ages. Showing backstage manoeuvres, tactical preparations, soldiers’ daily lives or consequences of these wars upon every social class is more important than screening spectacular battles. Except for the battle of Philippi, the most famous of them all (Alesia, Pharsalus, Thapsus and Actium) are mostly mentioned through ellipsis and analepsis, sometimes with multiple viewpoints (winner/defeated, soldier/general, leader/people, man/woman).

Keywords

• Rome
• Civil War
• Gallic War
• Caesar
• Pompey
• Octavian