Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Member since:11.07.2000
Reviews:625
Members who trust:55
A true blockbuster film deserves a blockbuster treatment on dvd and gladiator has received such a treatment.
I won't go into details about the film as I'm sure the majority of the people reading this will be familiar with the story.
The dvd is a 2 dvd set that comes in a standard case with a hinged insert for the 2nd dvd. Theres also a 4 page inlay that deatils the chapter listing and has some production notes.
The first dvd contains the film. It's presented in 2.35:1 and is anamorphic. naturally for a new film the tranfer is spot on and very rich and colourful with only a few minor blemishes. Sound wise is where this really wins. You can watch the film in Dolby Digital 5.1 that is very active throughout or instead you can opt for the DTS soundtrack that simply blows the dolby mix out of the water. It has a lot more depth and I have to be honest watching the opening scene with the volume up and Zimmers score, it became very emotional.
The menus are nicely animated and are backed by score music from the film, The chapter selections are also animated with the relevant film segments.
The extra on this disc is an audio commentary with Ridley Scott, Director of Photogrpahy John Mathieson and Editor Pietro Scalia. This is a very interesting commentary and talls you a lot about maing the film. The trio are all in the same room speaking as well which gives a better feel. Also this commentary is subtilted as well which a lot of dvd's ignore.
The second dvd holds the bulk of the extras. Once again the menus are animated and scored.
The first thing is the making of feature that runs for 25 minutes. This is above average and features a lot of behind the scenes footage and examples of the effects shots as well as interviews with the principle cast and crew.
The other main featurette is a 50 minute documentary on Gladiators. It explores the history of roman gladiator games and is very good from a historical standpoint. There is a brief shot of the Hillsbourgh tragedy that is too be removed from future pressings.
Next are 12 deleted scenes that you can view with or without Scott's commentary. These are presented in non-anamorphic and are slightly rough in look. The menus here give you a brief description of what they are before you view them. A few scenes are just extended footage of what is already in the movie although there are some interesting scenes as the emperor executes those who may have had something to do with Maximus still being alive. There is also a monatge of deleted footage that is backed by score. Nothing of great interest but nice to have.
Another featurette runs for over 20 minutes and focuses on Hans Zimmers music. i found this a good look at how composers work on films and is something I would like to see on more dvd's.
The rest of the extras are more picture and text based but are still good.
There is a production journal from Spencer Treat Clark who played the young Lucius. This has writings on his intial casting right through to the end of shoot party. Along the way he tells of Crowe's cricket matches and also meeting a young lady on a plane by the name of Charlotte Church.
There is a good section of storyboards and artwork that envision some of the main set peices in the film. Play around with the arrow keys in the storyboard section and you'll find some CGI test footage of a rhino that was planned for the film but never made it.
A photo gallery is also here with various production photos, some you've seen and some you haven't.
Rounding out the dvd is the usual trailers and production notes, biogrpahies etc.
This is one of the best dvd's released so far on R2 and we don't get overcharged on it either. This is one of the reasons why you should get that home cinema set-up and get the best from dvd. I'm sure if the roman emperor was still aorund he would give this a thumbs up in the dvd arena !
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Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Very comprehensive analysis of what's on offer...it looks quite daunting listed on the DVD packaging, so it helps to have it broken down like this. No mention of the film as such, but that shouldn't be a problem, as its under DVD, and "Gladiator 2 DVD" in particular. I hope no-one rates it down because of that...there are enough reviews of the film itself elsewhere on the site :-)
Smartyarse 10.02.2001 14:46
An excellent opinion, I'm adding you to my circle of trust
Ridley Scott's glossy historical epic Gladiator revitalised the classic sword 'n' sandal ... more
genre, bringing both a modern pop-culture sensibility and state-of-the-art computer-generated special effects to what had seemed like a worn-out formula. Essential...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Ridley Scott's glossy historical epic Gladiator revitalised the classic sword 'n' sandal ... more
genre, bringing both a modern pop-culture sensibility and state-of-the-art computer-generated special effects to what had seemed like a worn-out formula. Essential...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
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an empire.Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, Gladiator is a dazzling combination of vivid action and extraordinary storytellin...
![Gladiator [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78502808.jpg "Gladiator [DVD] [2000]")
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