Gladiator Extended Edition dvd

[Mike Leong]

I am going to have to find some way to scratch some money together to buy this! haha

http://www.dvdtown.com/discdetails/g...edition/16131/


anyone know how they fit both the theatrical cut and extended edition on one disc? some ridiculously serious amount of compression?

[Yi Fong Yu]

they're using the branching capabilities of DVD-spec. it's like how they fit T2 theatrical and the extended editon on the same disc. what they do is store the entire film and its extended footage all on one disc. if you choose the option of watching just the theatrical cut, the DVD skips over the parts and scenes of the extended footage. but if you chose the extended footage it just plays the whole thing.

my problem with this edition is that it has no DTS-ES6.1 Discrete like the original 2disc SE release. otherwise i'd get it. =(.

[Justin Morgan]

I didn't (and still don't) understand why everyone loved Gladiator so much.

The opening battle scene is awesome - but nothing that comes after ever comes close to matching it. The final scenes with Joaquin Phoenix
were ever so cheesy/lame. The films starts with a roar but ends with a whimper.

Surely, I'm not alone in this view...

[Yi Fong Yu]

"Strength & Honor."

[Philip Boyer]

Actually, I thought the opening sucked, not from a visual standpoint but from a story standpoint. A marauding general of a vastly superior army burns and massacres a courageous band of men desparately defending their homeland and families. And I'm supposed to care about this guy for the rest of the movie just because he wants to get home to his beautiful wife, mansion, and orchards? The wrong done to Maximus by Commodus was nothing compared to what Maximus did to the people of Germania.

[Yi Fong Yu]

lol, yeah. some of my friends said that roman legions often held superior technological advantages because they were well funded.

[Keith Loh]

When Hannibal invaded Italy, the Roman armies were more or less mobs of volunteers. Hannibal's success against Rome shocked the Romans at the time who then decided to adopt a more professional army. At the time of Maximus, they were indeed professional and were funded through the state and mixed in with troops from all of the longtime Roman conquests.

The whole Roman attitude toward war from the Republic to the height of the Empire was that any conflict with any other peoples was a war to the death. The prevailing notion of war in the Mediterranean region previous to that (think Greek city states) was that war was to achieve a political resolution. To Romans, war was for the survival of Rome and the only result would be total unconditional surrender of the enemy or death. This doesn't mean they never sued for peace but that it was their stated aim at the start of any conflict. Obviously, this was meant to be known throughout so that no one dared challenge Rome.

The various wars with the German tribes was more of a policing action. At various times German tribes jostled for space and fought among themselves. Some tribes lived under Roman protection; others were on allied to Rome; others had an uneasy peace with Rome. Often the local Roman governor would become pulled into an internal conflict by the inter-tribal conflict. Roman legions or smaller detachments would often wade in as a punitive measure in response to a raid but often at the behest of a local ally.

But it should be noted that the German tribes themselves were recent conquerors to the country we know as Germany. Often the 'raids' or tribal incursions were because other more powerful peoples (the Huns and Goths for example) pushed the frontier tribes over the border into Roman protectorates. The tribe portrayed in "Gladiator" are the Marcomanni who had a brief kingdom or confederation. The reason why Marcus Aurelius himself was on the frontier was because the Marcomanni had already defeated two of his generals. They themselves were being pushed by the Goths and so wanted the greater space inside of the Danube.

It's unclear what battle this is meant to portray. Whether this is the final battle between the Marcomanni and the Romans or a mopping up is unclear. I have a problem with portraying the German tribes as wooly barbarians armed crudely. It's not like the Germans couldn't trade for or lacked the knowledge to make their own armour. What they didn't have is standardization, command structure or training. In a confederation, each contributor to the army would bring their own feudal warriors, each of whom would have armed themselves. While there would always be rabble taking up the line, there would also be their versions of nobility, some mounted and armoured and well armed. Indeed, after the battle, Roman soldiers would have their share of the booty. From "Gladiator" it looks like they would only receive shares in flea bitten cloaks and axes.

[Yi Fong Yu]

coming off of keith's post, i also wanted to add that maximus is simply a guy doing his job. so i still root for the guy cause he just wants to get the "job" done and doesn't want all th politics involved in being an emperor. it wasn't like maximus is out to kill just for the sake of killing. if anything, it's what war can do to a man's soul, another of gladiator's themes.

[John Hudson]

To this day I still love Gladiator and Crowe is perfectly cast.

Am I having trouble caring about him? He's a Roman General not a Nazi. I am not sure I am going to get too worked up over what happended to the people of Germania B.C. (Before Cinema) times

This is moviemaking on a grandscale and they rarely make them like this as it is. Wonderful acting, first rate action, a score to remember, set-design and costume to FX work that serves to accentuate (not tell) the story. I really enjoyed this film and own it to this day. This film rocked. Not in some lame Summer Fantastic 4 kind of way but in a serious adult film kind of way.

Phillip? Did you know...

The first clash between the Germanic people and Rome was between the Cimbri and Teutons when they invaded Gaul (They were defeated). If you think the Germanias were the innocents you need to do your homework. The Romans were not Saints whatsoever but the Germanians were widely considered Barbarians!

[Keith Loh]

I think it's interesting in movies how there is a tension whenever portraying the Romans in film.

On the one hand, at the time they were the symbol of civilization, technology, culture, economy and stability. (Note: I say "symbol").

On the other hand, they are also portrayed akin to Nazis, conquering people and ruthlessly oppressing rebels (think Biblical movies).

When you think of Roman emperors you think of the best: Julius Caesar, Marcus Aurelius; and the worst: Nero and from "Gladiator", Commodus. But like all leaders, they were probably a lot like our leaders today. Flawed.

On the one hand, they are portrayed as all conquering soldiers. But then they are also portrayed as corrupt, effete and hedonistic. Think "Spartacus". The character of Crassus played by Olivier is a commander of a legion, but compared to the noble Spartacus, he is psychologically unsound, corrupt, possibly a homosexual.

There are many impressions of Rome that we owe to Biblical movies, in particular. Some of them wrong. One impression is that because the Romans were cosmopolitan, that they were irreligious. In fact, the Romans had religion all over - it was just that they had many deities to choose from and many they adopted from other cultures including Christianity. It didn't make them less religious. But obviously this went against Christianity (idol worship, monotheism). Even accusing the Romans of promoting homosexuality is off the mark as homosexuality was frowned upon and at various times was a crime.

Most of the movies concentrate on Rome at its height or decline. Mostly concentrating on Rome as an Empire giving the impression that Rome was better somehow when it was a Republic before it created dictators. This is because our bias is to lean toward democracies like our own.

I've yet to see any film about Rome that dealt with its rise when Rome was really little more than one of the tribes that it fought centuries later. The Romans considered and called themselves a tribe when they were confined to the area of Rome itself. They raided, looted and pillaged like any other tribe. In fact, what set out Rome from its rivals early on was how ferocious Romans were on the field and in its stated aim to destroy its rivals utterly. This is what I touched on earlier. Rome in its infancy shared the same world as the Hellenic city states and jostled with Greek colonies such as Syracuse. Warfare in the Hellenic world wasn't a pretty thing either but the Romans were considered savages both on the field and in state relations. Victory or death is a bit of a cliche but to the Romans it was their way of life. The Romans didn't observe Greek customs of the battlefield, sometimes didn't know when to take prisoners or stop fighting and were single-minded in their diplomacy. Moreso, they usually finished their wars through dogged determination, not stopping until they had subjugated their foes even if defeated early on. In that they shared a bit with Genghis Khan.

Our fascination with Rome is with their power and enduring legacy for good and bad. But our desire for heroes and clear cut conflicts sometimes doesn't work as well on the screen.

[John Hudson]

What a nice take. Thanks for that bit of insight and education Keith! (Damn it. Now I'm surfing the web on all things Roman)

[Yi Fong Yu]

hey keith, sheck this out:

from http://www.hbo.com/rome/about/index.html

The year is 52 B.C. Four hundred years after the founding of the Republic, Rome is the wealthiest city in the world, a cosmopolitan metropolis of one million people, epicenter of a sprawling empire. The Republic was founded on principles of shared power and fierce personal competition, never allowing one man to seize absolute control. But now, those foundations are crumbling, eaten away by corruption and excess. The ruling class has become extravagantly wealthy, with a precipitous decline in the old values of Spartan discipline and social unity. There is now a great chasm between the classes. Legal and political systems have weakened, and power has increasingly shifted to the military.

After eight years of war, Gaius Julius Caesar has completed his masterful conquest of Gaul, and is returning to Rome. He brings with him legions of battle-hardened, loyal men, unimaginable riches in slaves, gold and plunder, and a populist agenda for radical social change. The aristocracy is terrified, and threatens to prosecute him for war crimes if he enters Rome. The delicate balance of power lies in the Senate with Caesar's old friend, partner and mentor, Pompey Magnus.

Such is the situation when two soldiers of Caesar's 13th Legion, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, are ordered into the wilds of Gaul to retrieve their legion's stolen standard, the unifying symbol of Caesar's legion, setting off a chain of circumstances that will entwine them in pivotal events of ancient Rome. An intimate drama of love and betrayal, masters and slaves, and husbands and wives, ROME chronicles epic times that saw the fall of a Republic and the creation of an empire when it debuts SUNDAY, AUG. 28 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

A co-production between HBO and the BBC, ROME is one of the largest co-production deals ever by the BBC for an American series, and marks the first series co-production of the two networks. HBO and the BBC previously partnered on the 2001 miniseries "Band of Brothers," which won six Emmy® Awards, including Outstanding Miniseries.

"You rarely see onscreen the complexity and color that was ancient Rome," says co-creator, executive producer and writer Bruno Heller. "It has more in common with places like Mexico City and Calcutta than quiet white marble. Rome was brightly colored, a place of vibrant cruelty, full of energy, dynamism and chaotic filth. It was a merciless existence, dog-eat-dog, with a very small elite, and masses of poverty. We see the same problems today - crime, unemployment, disease, and pressure to preserve your place in a precarious society. There's the potential for social mobility, if you're smart.

"Human nature never changes," continues Heller, "and the great thing about the Romans, from a dramatic perspective, is that they're a people with the fetters taken completely off. They had no prosaic God telling them right from wrong and how to behave. It was a strictly personal morality, and whether or not an action is wrong would depend on whether people more powerful than you would approve. You were allowed to murder your neighbor or covet his wife if it didn't piss off the wrong person. Mercy was a weakness, cruelty a virtue, and all that mattered was personal honor, loyalty to yourself and your family."

ROME was shot throughout Italy, with Michael Apted ("Coal Miner's Daughter," "The World Is Not Enough") directing the first three episodes. Additional directors include Allen Coulter (HBO's "The Sopranos"), Julian Farino (HBO's "Entourage"), Jeremy Podeswa (HBO's "Carnivale"), Alan Poul (HBO's "Six Feet Under"), Mikael Salomon (HBO's "Band of Brothers"), Steve Shill (HBO's "The Wire"), Alan Taylor (HBO's "Deadwood") and Timothy Van Patten (HBO's "Sex and the City").

Among the actors starring in the first season are Kevin McKidd ("Kingdom of Heaven") as Lucius Vorenus, Ray Stevenson ("King Arthur") as Titus Pullo, Ciaran Hinds ("Road to Perdition") as Gaius Julius Caesar, Kenneth Cranham ("Gangster No. 1") as Pompey Magnus, Polly Walker ("Patriot Games") as Atia of the Julii, James Purefoy ("Vanity Fair") as Mark Antony, Tobias Menzies ("Foyle's War") as Marcus Junius Brutus, Lindsay Duncan ("Under the Tuscan Sun") as Servilia of the Junii, Indira Varma ("Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love") as Niobe, Max Pirkis ("Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World") as Gaius Octavian and Kerry Condon ("Angela's Ashes") as Octavia of the Julii.

Rome was Created by John Milius and William Macdonald and Bruno Heller. Written by Bruno Heller, John Milius, David Frankel, William Macdonald, Alexandra Cunningham and Adrian Hodges.

[Keith Loh]

Yea, I've had my eye on that project for awhile. Thanks for the update. I think what Bruno Heller said about Roman morality was selling it a bit much.

On another note, as anyone watched "Empire"? I haven't. I heard it was mediocre.