Any news about Gladiator dvd yet ?  

Coverage of the VSDA on thedigitalbits.com and DVDFILE.com mentions unofficial word gathered from Dreamworks reps at the VSDA that GLADIATOR will be released before the year end as a 2-disc DVD box. Thats the most recent information Im come across.

Im looking forward to this too.

Can't wait!!!The first five minutes of battle will be worth the price.

[This message has been edited by rudolpht (edited July 23, 2000).]

Also, dont forget about the extra scenes that are supposed to be edited back into the film!

Just went to see it at my local theater. What shocked me was not so much the miscellaneous blood-drenched amputations and other assorted delicacies - but the even more questionable jerkiness in the filming of action scenes. Was the theater's projector stalling as soon as the action got intense, or did the production's editing staff turn some pretty questionable cheap tricks making action scenes jerky by some kind of digital processing? It made those scenes much harder to watch than even spurting blood and scattered limbs did. (NO - I wasn't cringing) Maybe the master transfer used to add foreign subtitles was horrendously processed by blind technicians?

This has got me wondering where Hollywood is heading: despite an interesting plot and fine acting - pitting one man against the world concentrating on close ups of primitive carnage (the Patriot) and manipulating the audience with children as hostages. Add to that the technical issues that marr those mouth watering special effects of people cut in half down the middle (pick your preferred direction) and we've got some fairly legitimate reasons for not buying such a DVD upon release...


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Brett

Eric,

The historical rendering of the film was unquestionably well done. What is shown is the fact that in those days in a victory in battle you took your ennemy's life - or temporarily postponed his death, which was acquired to you. If prisoners were taken, they lived suspended sentences - thus the use made of them in hard labour or combat. This was not put into perspective regarding the fate of gladiators.

As far as the choice of glorifying single-handed butcheries and one-man commandos, you would have a hard time convincing me of the enjoyable utility of quasi "first person subjectivity" in filmy things you wouldn't wish on anyone. Those who have had the regretable fate of experience such dreaded events in real life would fail to see the value of vicariously revisiting the outer limits of human barbarity in its dismall depth. Maybe the American public is too comfortably isolated from the true difficulties of life to make this appealing?

As for the jerkiness of the so-called "action scenes", I am amazed that the resulting "smudgy" image quality could have been a deliberate choice on behalf on anyone involved in the artistic choices of the production.
Maybe it was accentuated as I was probably shaking my head in dismay...

At least viewing this film reveals the true meaning of my "thumbs down".

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Brett

Yes Eric, I'll lighten up. I don't by any stretch of the imagination hate it. And having spent my share of time dealing with the difficulties of life in the US, I'll even agree with you.

Also, you are dead right - there was a Metro directly under the theater - but the jerkiness was only there during the fast action scenes. I even thirstily enjoy the occasional gut-spilling and head-splitting scene, especially when remembering my former bosses. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

However, there are ways of portraying violence with a less explicit yet stronger artistic impact, such as in Alexander Nevsky. But then again not everyone is Eisenstein and bladders filled with paint can effectively cover up artistic shortcomings when portraying combat scenes.
As always, commercial success will remain the measure of all things, other than talent. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/cool.gif

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Brett

Damn the philosophy, though there is some embedded in this epic, this is going to be a GREAT DVD release. (I guess I'm on the "love it" side of the tally sheet).

Tim

In any system of analysis (gotta love the fact that the word anal appears here) the greatest benifit to reaching for understanding within it as fact and of becoming manipulable understanding, comes from dividing the situation as nearly in two (largest components)as is possible. (first fundamental divisor rule)

In the situation of people it comes down to one thing:

Animals Stare at the Ground.

Humans Stare at the Stars.

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This dvd should be released on november 14. I can't wait for this one.

My brother in-law and sister came back form a trip to Cuba.After chatting with them ,i was surprised to hear this. That "Gladiator" was showing in cuba,on normal over the air tv.. no dish,Cable...How can this be?...I havent seen the movie,but it looks like a must have up there with Braveheart in my list of dvd..Breaveheart will be out at the end of this month so said "Virgin Mega Store" in Miami Sunset Mall..(AT LAST)

Any idea how could they watch Gladiator on Tv? And its not just that movie they also had MATRIX showing ..He also told me there only 2 channel to watch in cuba....

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If you can't give'm food - it is safer to quench their thirst for blood. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Just add this there was a dish to get gladiator on the tv.....But still where in hell are they get the feed to get this/and how?

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Regarding the Gladiator on TV in Cuba: Do you think they are worried about pissing off US Studios? I don't.

It is to my understanding that the action scenes in question were intentionally filmed that way to give the viewer the view that the Gladitor had when his system was pumped full of adrenalin and when this happens, the mind sees in hyper-reality. One second seems like one minute. It was very interesting but very unnerving to watch.

Lee

Eric,

As a lover of the "Sword and Sandal" movies I would rejoice at another one. They like the western pit men against men without special effects to confuse the viewer. They also almost always have beautiful cinematography.
Westerns would be cheap to film but for some reason, they have fallen out of style...too bad.

Lee

Uncle Eric,

Your logic is flawless. (and I always thought Macchiavelli was Italian!)
The 100 year war did bring a few months of Peace so you must be right.

So Uncle Eric, if I wish to make peace with you I must first make war - and send you back a nephew in "Glad" bags? http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/biggrin.gif (pun intended)
Yet maybe I'm not that different from you? It is just that there are some things I prefer to do - others I chose to watch - and others still that bring no solace to either do or watch.

Why Maximus himself has probably had his fill of that lusty action of chest fending, head splitting and limb ripping during the filming and could very well be the first to walk out of its projection - not because it isn't realistic enough but because it is a fruitless undertaking (to he who was there). There are those that wage the battles and then again those that watch them. The essence of combat is to stand up for what is right and take what comes - not the morbid vicarious fascination with technical aspects of battleground amputations. But to each his own - I'm sure you're really a bloody nice chap to have on one's side in the home "theatre of war".
Ave! See ya in the Forum. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

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Brett

Eric,

You're quite right. I guess the beef was that I went to see it immediately upon reading your initial post. So I imagine that is why you took the steam. While I most likely (see, I can be moderate) won't be buying it at any time in the future I definitely shouldn't be griping here and spoiling other people's fun. I watched it without much taste or even without that much distaste, just the sort of disappointment you get when you set your sights too high (up onto a screen in this case). http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

The problem wasn't an HT one, but one based on the value I had placed on your wholehearted endorsement of this film: I brought a fairly sensitive person to the picture upon reading your enthusiastic posts and then spent the better part of the movie with her hiding her eyes and asking when it was okay to watch... She missed - as you well imagine - a fair proportion of the "action scenes".

This also spoiled "my fun" by forcing me to arbitrate throughout the movie whether aven mere stabbing was done in a watchable way or whether it degenerated into borderline sadistic twists. Yeah, I know, I should hang out with He-Men rather than them sissy dames (not reading this I hope R). So it is back to the good old HT where you can screen movies for their propensity to cast romantic moods and even slap in a second feature if your initial choice disappoints. So my beef is more against the "Real" Movie Theater experience versus the far more satisfying HT experience, the maximum of gore of Maximus only served as a catalyst to repudiate the former.

Buy you a drink at the Paris show? Cheers,


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Brett

Easy now folks.

Remember. You are applying facets of life, reality and blood to something that is a total outright fabrication. It exists principally for one reason, and that is to pull money out of your pockets. Any other morality within it or thrust upon it is wholly secondary and serves only one purpose. To pull money out of your pockets. I am willing to bet my bottom dollar, that there were many facets of this film, and just about all others, where people in the production and within the production and surrounding the production where literally screwed out of money they deserved and those who paid for services were screwed out of services they paid for. Filmmaking is a nasty money and ego oriented business right through. It sometimes makes the fashion business look tame.

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Not really JJ! I enjoy a good bout of bloodlust just as much as the next dude. I will buy the DVD COLD, and probably enjoy it immensely. I have not seen it yet, but am awaiting the DVD release. I would rather spend my money on the DVD instead of the theatre. My principal orientation is SOUND, and theatres make me grind my teeth to the point of spitting blood. They all sound terrible: I can only listen to my own creations.

As far as the blood lust goes, we must all loose it completely. There are some technologies coming down the pike soon that are so devastatingly powerful that we will all have no choice to be anything but absolutely clear. No exceptions. period. No allowances. period. Pandora's box is on the verge of being opened, yet again.

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[This message has been edited by KBK (edited August 12, 2000).]

I missed it at the theater, can't wait for it now...

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Mike Lang
TiVo Tips & Tricks Moderator

Thedigitaleyes.com, an excellent internet magazine on DVDs (produced by Bill Hunt, who also writes the same type of column for Widescreen Review), reports that it will be released in November, though the studio has not given this as the official release date yet.

Nick