Gladiator (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital / Steelbook)

GLADIATOR [2000 / 2012] [Deluxe Limited Edition DigiBook] [Blu-ray] A Colossus of Rousing Action! Dazzling Spectacular!Forced into slavery by the corrupt, incestuous heir to the throne, Roman general Maximus [Russell Crowe] becomes a gladiator. His prowess in the arena will eventually lead him to Rome, the Colosseum and a vengeful showdown with the new emperor. An Academy Award® winning masterpiece, ‘GLADIATOR’ is an epic film story-telling brought thrillingly into the 21st century by master director Ridley Scott [‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Alien’].FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 2000 73rd Academy Awards®: Win: Best Picture. Win: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Russell Crowe. Win: Best Visual Effects. Win: Best Costume Design. Win: Best Sound Mixing for Bob Beemer, Scott Millan and Ken Weston. Nominated: Best Original Screenplay. Nominated: Best Supporting Actor for Joaquin Phoenix. Nominated: Best Director for Ridley Scott. 2000 BAFTA® Awards: Nominated: Best Cinematography. Nominated: Best Editing. Nominated: Best Film. Nominated: Best Production Design. 2000 58th Golden Globe® Awards: Nominated: Best Motion Picture in a Drama. Nominated: Best Original Score for Motion Picture.FILM FACT No.2: The film was shot in three main locations between January and May 1999. The opening battle scenes in the forests of Germania were shot in three weeks in the Bourne Woods, near Farnham, Surrey in England. When Ridley Scott learned that the Forestry Commission planned to remove the forest, he convinced them to allow the battle scene to be shot there and burn it down. Ridley Scott and cinematographer John Mathieson used multiple cameras filming at various frame rates and a 45-degree shutter, creating stop motion effects in the action sequences. Subsequently, the scenes of slavery, desert travel, and gladiatorial training school were shot in Ouarzazate, is a City in Morocco just south of the Atlas Mountains over a further three weeks. To construct the arena where Maximus has his first fights, the crew used basic materials and local building techniques to manufacture the 30,000-seat mud brick arena. The scenes of Ancient Rome were shot over a period of nineteen weeks in Fort Ricasoli, Malta. Finally, the rest of the Colosseum was created in computer-generated imagery using set-design blueprints and textures referenced from live action, and rendered in three layers to provide lighting flexibility for compositing in Flame and Inferno software. The wounds on Russell Crowe’s face after the opening battle scene are real, caused when his horse startled and backed him into tree branches. In the Colosseum scenes, only the bottom two decks are actually filled with people. The other thousands of people are computer-animated.Cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, Tomas Arana, Ralf Moeller, Spencer Treat Clark, David Hemmings, Tommy Flanagan, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Omid Djalili, Nicholas McGaughey, Chris Kell, Tony Curran, Mark Lewis, John Quinn, Alun Raglan, David Bailie, Chick Allan, David Nicholls, Al Ashton, Billy Dowd, Ray Calleja, Giannina Facio-Scott, Giorgio Cantarini, Allan Corduner, Michael Mellinger, Said Amel, Adam Levy, Gilly Gilchrist, Michael Dickins (uncredited), Malcolm Ellul (uncredited), James Fiddy (uncredited), Ruth Frendo (uncredited), Kjeld Gogosha-Clark (uncredited), Mehdi Kashani (uncredited), Tom Kay (uncredited), Phil Lowes (uncredited), Nic Main (uncredited), Ray Mangion (uncredited), Antonio Meitin (uncredited), João Costa Menezes (uncredited), Mike Mitchell (uncredited), Norman Campbell Rees (uncredited), Neil Roche (uncredited), Paul Sacks (uncredited), Steve Saunders (uncredited), Christian Simpson (uncredited), Brian Smyj (uncredited), Tony Tomlinson (uncredited) and Michael Yale (uncredited)Director: Ridley ScottProducers: Branko Lustig, David Franzoni, Douglas Wick, Laurie MacDonald, Ridley Scott (uncredited), Terry Needham and Walter F. ParkesScreenplay: David Franzoni, John Logan and William NicholsonComposer: Hans Zimmer and Lisa GerrardCinematography: John MathiesonVideo Resolution: 1080pAspect Ratio: 2.35:1Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo, French: 5.1 DTS-HD, German: 5.1 DTS-HD, Italian: 5.1 DTS-HD, Portuguese [Brazilian]: 5.1 DTS-HD, Spanish [Castilian]: DTS-HD and Spanish [Latin American]: 5.1 DTS-HDSubtitles: English, English SDH, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Spanish [Latin American], Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish and Chinese Mandarin [Traditional]Running Time: 171 minutes and 155 minutesRegion: Region B/2Number of discs: 2Studio: Universal Pictures / DreamWorks PicturesAndrew’s Blu-ray Review: Universal Pictures and DreamWorks studio and producer-director Ridley Scott took a big risk sinking more than $100 million into ‘GLADIATOR’ [2000], the kind of film that had long since fallen out of favour in Hollywood. What has become known as the "sword-and-sandal" epic had its heyday in the 1950s with a number of big budgets with American and international productions, not to mention many cheap knockoffs. Set in Greek, Roman, and biblical times. Decades after the genre's popularity had waned, this drama of revenge set in the 2nd century scored big, grossing nearly four times its cost and garnering generally good reviews, not to mention numerous awards, which garnered these awards because the film had cool battle scenes, hand-to-hand combat, togas that we have waited a long time for a sword and sandals epic.The plot of ‘GLADIATOR’ centres on the most trusted and valiant of Emperor Marcus Aurelius' commanders, the fictional Maximus Decimus Meridias, for whom the end of a successful 12-year campaign against the barbarian tribes of Germania should have meant a return to his beloved family and farm. Upon the emperor's death, however, power is transferred to his son, Commodus, a real historical figure pictured here with a consuming jealousy over the esteem his father held for the young general. Maximus narrowly escapes being killed by Commodus' guard, but his wife and son are murdered. Falling into the hands of a slave trader, he trains as a gladiator, becoming one of the most popular and successful, all the while plotting his revenge on the evil Commodus.In addition to elaborate action scenes on the battlefield and gladiatorial arenas and special effects that helped simulate the power and majesty of ancient Rome, Ridley Scott's venture was also greatly aided by the casting of Russell Crowe as Maximus. The role was reportedly first offered to and rejected by Mel Gibson; fellow Australian Russell Crowe was cast after considerable acclaim for his work in ‘L.A. Confidential’ [1997] and ‘The Insider’ [1999]. Russell Crowe earned an Academy Award® for his performance here and rose to major stardom. Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott teamed up again for another period action tale with some factual basis, ‘Robin Hood’ [2010], which was a complete shambles and total embarrassment, because Russell Crowe kept changing his accent and Ridley Scott said he wanted the ‘Robin Hood’ film to incorporates true historical figures and events much as ‘GLADIATOR’ does, well obviously not, as it was a total box office flop and I am not surprised, as the film was a total laughing stock and to have an Australian as the character as Robin Hood, is the most ludicrous and embarrassing thing Ridley Scott has ever contemplated and should of chosen and English actor to play the part and I am glad I did not waste my money going to see that film.Joaquin Phoenix, who gained weight to play Commodus and a role Jude Law tested for, also saw his career stakes rise considerably after ‘GLADIATOR,’ which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar® nomination. The film garnered Academy Awards® for Best Picture, Sound, Visual Effects, and Costume Design, as well as six other nominations, including Best Director for Ridley Scott. The blockbuster brought in around four dozen additional awards worldwide and numerous nominations for every aspect of the production.‘GLADIATOR’ was the last film role for veteran British actor and legendary hell raiser Oliver Reed, who died of an off-set heart attack before completing his part as gladiator trainer Proximo. In the original screenplay the character survives an assault by Commodus' Praetorian Guards, but upon Reed's death, the story was rewritten to have him die in the attack. The character's final moments on screen were created with body doubles and some very deft CGI using Reed's own face.When DreamWorks executives first pitched the project to Ridley Scott, they didn't even show him a script, so the potential director was understandably wary of taking on a genre that had become a joke. Then they showed him the famous 1872 Gérôme painting "Pollice Verso" (translated as "Thumbs Down") depicting a gladiator receiving the sign to kill his opponent. "They really had me," Scott told Entertainment Weekly at the time of the film's May 2000 release. "I hadn't even read the script and I was sitting there begging." Russell Crowe later said, “the same painting was one of the things that reversed his initial reluctance to accept the lead.”David Franzoni's early script, inspired by Daniel Mannix's history of the Roman games, focused primarily on how sports heroes are slavishly worshipped by fans, and he developed an idea about commercialized gladiators making endorsements on frescoes, chariots, even jars of olive oil. Russell Crowe found this to be a rather cynical take on life in ancient times and thought the hero was not sufficiently fleshed out and Russell Crowe was eager to play the part. One obstacle, however, needed to be surmounted; Russell Crowe had packed on 38 pounds to play the anti-Tobacco whistle-blower in ‘The Insider,’ so he began working out to get into fighting shape, a process that took much longer than he anticipated. He also trained with a sword master in Australia for nearly six months. Luckily Crowe, who owns a 560-acre ranch hours from Sydney, was already an expert horseman.All his training notwithstanding, the actor took considerable lumps on the set. He cracked a bone in his foot, fractured a hip, had to get stitches in his cheek, seriously wrenched two bicep tendons, and cut one of his fingers so badly that by the time of the film's premier, he had still not regained the feeling in his fingertip. The physical strains were matched by those provided by the lack of a completed screenplay when production began. At some point, it was decided another act was needed, necessitating new writers being brought on board and a move to locations in Morocco, in addition to the original locations in England and Malta.Besides using a still-intact 17th century fort in Malta, a replica of the Colosseum was built there, costing more than a million dollars and taking two and a half months to build. The final set was a reportedly breath-taking 40 percent of the full scale of the original, two tiers high as opposed to the real Colosseum's four. The rest was added digitally. Richard Harris, who plays the aged Emperor Marcus Aurelius, had been cast many years earlier as Commodus in one of the last of the great "sword-and-sandal" epics of the time, ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire’ [1964], but quit after artistic differences with director Anthony Mann.Like many of the great Hollywood historical epics, ‘GLADIATOR’ is the story of the triumph of a heroic figure over seemingly-insurmountable odds. In this case, he is a slave taking on the most powerful man in the world – the Emperor of Rome. The ending may be an unlikely, although, from Commodus' point-of-view, it could be a shrewd move if handled properly, but it is as exhilarating and satisfying as the final. As spectacles go, ‘GLADIATOR’ has a great deal to recommend it. The film never fails to be involving and entertaining, and there are plenty of moments designed to stir the adrenaline. Additionally, the screenplay manages to avoid the trap of predictability. The villains are at least as smart as the heroes, and far more ruthless.Blu-ray Video Quality – Universal Pictures / DreamWorks Pictures UK Release Blu-ray is faithfully presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a competent, technically proficient 1080p encoded image transfer and is a really good stable 1080p encoded image transfer and a serious step up all round. The image itself is spotless, the picture rock solid in frame, the sharpness and picture detail crisp and the colour largely naturalistic. The contrast is punchy throughout and when the lighting is favourable this results in a really pleasing image, but in darker scenes this can result in some of the detail being sucked in to get those solid black levels, though no more so than on the previous inferior DVD. On the whole, this is a very fine job all round. Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.Blu-ray Audio Quality – Universal Pictures / DreamWorks Pictures UK Blu-ray Release in a very impressive and dramatic 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound mix features outstanding and surprisingly gripping bass levels heard almost from the beginning and notable throughout. Dialogue has been spread across the front soundstage rather than being done directionally, but it’s always clear and precise, but sometimes the actors speak very softly and I sometimes had a job to hear what they said, especially ii there was music in the background. And the rear surround channel carries some interesting sound effects sound effects are clear and those dramatic moments in the score come through with suitable vigour and without distortion. Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard’s music score gets woven impressively throughout the entire two channel sound mix experience. This is a solid presentation of the spectacular audio elements.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:DISC 1:Special Feature: Extended Version MMV A.D. with introduction by Ridley Scott: Here we get a short introduction from the director Ridley Scott, where he informs us, “I’m Ridley Scott and what you are about to see if you press play for the Extended Version MMV A.D. of ‘GLADIATOR,’ this is not the Director’s Cut, the director’s cut is the length of what went out to the theatres [cinemas], which is the one you have probably already seen and this Extended Version MMV A.D. has a lot of scenes in it that was removed at the editing process for the Theatrical Version MM A.D. and might be worth seeing.”Audio Commentary: Commentary by director Ridley Scott and actor Russell Crowe: Director Ridley Scott and actor Russell Crowe settle in for an analysis of the Extended Version MMV A.D. of the film ‘GLADIATOR,’ and it's all very compelling, substantive discussion that hits the ground running. Both men articulate their thoughts in an intelligent, enthusiastic manner, and although they sprinkle in plenty of lively anecdotes, their discussion remains focused and serious throughout. The two touch upon almost every topic imaginable that relates to the film, including the rigors of the shooting schedule, various locations, character motivations, individual performances, and creative differences. You name it, it's here. Best of all, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe enjoy a relaxed, symbiotic rapport that makes this lengthy track an easy listen.Audio Commentary: Commentary by Director Ridley Scott, Editor Pietro Scalia and Cinematographer John Mathieson: Director Ridley Scott, along with Editor Pietro Scalia and Cinematographer John Mathieson features with this particular commentary with an analysis of the Theatrical Version MM A.D. of the film ‘GLADIATOR.’ This is a far more technical presentation and a little harder to slog through. The subdued tone isn't as engaging, though the information conveyed is always interesting. Topics include the challenges of recreating ancient history, untraditional filming and narrative methods, CGI effects, the film's operatic tone, and the production's intense collaborative spirit, to name but a few.DISC 2:Special Feature: Visions from Elysium: Topic Portal [2005] [480i] Here you get to view almost 300 individual titled categories that is spread over Eleven pages that are available to choose covering every imaginable aspect of the production of behind-the-scenes of the film ‘GLADIATOR.’ To view each individual titled category content you just click on each title to know more information about the film ‘GLADIATOR.’ To be honest, this special feature extra is a complete waste of time, because what you view is repeated in the other special features on this Disc 2. If like me you find this tedious, too time consuming and utterly boring, but you have not experienced and do not fancy trying it out, then you are not missing anything and as far as I am concerned this should never have been included on Disc 2. What makes me so very angry is all the Blu-ray Reviews I have read on the internet, give this item high praise; well to me these people are total nerds and total idiots!Special Feature: Strength and Honour: Creating the World of ‘GLADIATOR’ [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [196 minutes] Here you get to view a special feature length documentary that has Eight different categories, which consist of TALE OF THE SCRIBES: Story Development; THE TOOLS OF WAR: Weapons; ATTIRE OF THE REALM: Costume Design; THE HEAT OF THE BATTLE: Production Journals; SHADOWS AND DUST: Resurrecting Proximo; THE GLORY OF ROME: Visual Effects; ECHOES IN ETERNITY: Release and Impact and CREDITS. Contributors to this special feature length documentary includes Tomas Arana (archive footage), Simon Atherton (archive footage), Rosemary Burrows (archive footage), Kathleen Coleman, Russell Crowe (archive footage), Nancy DeConciliis, John Eagle (archive footage), Paul Engelen, David Franzoni, Richard Harris (archive footage), David Hemmings (archive footage), Djimon Hounsou (archive footage), Branko Lustig (archive footage), Arthur Max, Ralf Moeller (archive footage), John Nelson, William Nicholson, Connie Nielsen, Walter F. Parkes, Nikki Penny, Joaquin Phoenix (archive footage), Nicholas Powell (archive footage), Oliver Reed (archive footage), Paul 'Sled' Reynolds (archive footage), Pietro Scalia, Ridley Scott, Adam Somner, Steven Spielberg, Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, Douglas Wick and Janty Yates. As usual, you can either watch each individual item separately or Play All. This is a DreamWorks Home Entertainment / Universal Home Video Presentation.Special Feature: Enhanced Viewing Mode [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [196 minutes] The Enhanced Viewing Mode allows you to view the Strength and Honour: Creating the World of ‘GLADIATOR’ documentary with links to the related footage for the film ‘GLADIATOR,’ which has been created exclusively for this Blu-ray disc release.Special Feature: Topic Index [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [118 minutes] The Topic Index provides direct access to the new video content, which is like the previous special feature length documentary. Here you get to view is another special feature length documentary that has 64 different titled categories relating to behind-the-scenes information on the making of the film ‘GLADIATOR,’ which consist of the following: 01. ‘GLADIATOR’ Compared to Modern Sport. 02. Story: Creative Licence with History. 03. Story: Reviving the Roman Empire. 04. Pre-Production: Ridley Scott Takes the Helm. 05. Pre-Production: Visual Inspiration. 06. Pre-Production: Improving on Epic Past. 07. Character: The Fictional Origins of Maximus. 08. Character: The Real Origins of Commodus. 09. Character: Commodus and Marcus. 10. Character: Lucilla and Marcus. 11. Character: Lucilla and maximus. 12. Music: Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard. 13. Costumes: Armour Management and Maintenance. 14. Costumes: Barbarian Quality Control. 15. Production: Finding Germania in England. 16. Production: Deforestation By Fire. 17. Production: Improvising War. 18. Music: Early Discussions and Scoring. 19. Germania: Weapons and Warriors. 20. Germania: Quick and Dirty Wounds. 21. Germania: Barbarian Hair Styling. 22. Germania: Transporting Romans and Barbarians. 23. Germania: Richard Harris on the Film’s Huge Scale. 24. Germania: Fight Choreography. 25. Germania: The Wolf of Rome. 26. Germania: Russell Crowe and Weight Training. 27. Germania: The General Who Became a Weather Man. 28. Character: Oliver Reed on Proximo. 29. Character: Djimon Hounsou on Juba. 30. Zucchabar: Discovering Morocco. 31. Zucchabar: Building a provincial Arena. 32. Zucchabar: Casting Exotic Animals. 33. Zucchabar: Challenges in Morocca. 34. Zucchabar: Fight Training. 35. Zucchabar: Shooting the Chain Fight. 36. Zucchabar: Fight Choreography. 37. Rome: Finding the Foundation in Malta. 38. Rome: Building the Colosseum and Roman Streets. 39. Rome: Casting Shadows in the Colosseum. 40. Rome: The Challenges of Chariots. 41. Rome: Setting Up the Carnage of Carthage. 42. Rome: “We Who Are About To Die . . .” 43. Rome: Working with Big Cats. 44. Rome: The Looser the Leash, the Smaller the Arena. 45. Rome: Difficulties with Tigers. 46. Rome: Under the Colosseum. 47. Rome: A Close Call with Crowe. 48. Rome: Fear in the Face of Tigers. 49. Rome: The Returning Champion. 50. Rome: Digitally-Manipulated Tigers. 51. Germania Pan: Combining Background Plates. 52: Germania Pan: Adding Weapons and Warfare. 53. Entering Rome: Matte Painting and 3D Animation. 54. Colosseum: 3D Modelling and Lighting. 55. Colosseum: Crows Cloning. 56. Colosseum: 360° Pan with Gladiators. 57. Colosseum Blimp Shot: Ariel Views. 58. Colosseum Blimp Shot: Artificial Citizens. 59. Music: Hans Zimmer Deconstructs the Themes. 60. Academy Awards: Spago Pre-Oscar Party. 61. Music: Hans Zimmer’s Assessment. 62. Appreciation: Cast on Ridley Scott. 63. Academy Awards: Post-Show Interviews Uncut. 64. Credits.Special Feature: Image and Design [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] Here you get to view Five different subject titles that are as follows:Production Design: Production Design Primer: Arthur Max [9:32] This analyses the film's logistical challenges, the influence classic paintings had on the film's look, and the recreation of the Coliseum, while two subsequent galleries provide illustrations of various concepts and set designs. Production Design Gallery No.1 [2:07]. Production Design Gallery No.2 [00:53].Storyboarding: Storyboarding Demonstration: Sylvain Despretz [13:36] With this particular item, includes a fascinating demonstration of the process by Sylvain Despretz. Multi-Angle Comparisons: Here you get to view three multi-angle comparisons, featuring both the original storyboards and the storyboard/final shot comparisons, along with optional commentary by Sylvain Despretz, that includes: Germania Battlefront [5:57 / 5:57]; Chain Fight [2:05 / 2:05] and The Battle of Carthage [6:49 / 6:49].Costume Design Gallery [3:19] Here you get to view Five separate title categories, which consist of the following: Maximus; Commodus; Lucilla; Proximo; Gladiators; Marcus Aurelius; Senators and Citizens. To view all the images in this gallery, you have to press the Right and Left arrows keys on your remote control.Photo Galleries: Here you get to view stills from various locations and particular scenes, as well as a portfolio of promotional portraits. They are as follows:Photo Gallery No.1 [3:29] Here you get to view Seven separate title categories, which consist of the following: Germania [England]; Zucchabar [Morocco]; Rome [Malta]; Proximo’s Gladiatorial Compound; Rome Streets and Surroundings; Deleted Scene: Execution; Imperial Palace and Surroundings. To view all the images in this gallery, you have to press the Right and Left arrows keys on your remote control.Photo Gallery No.2 [2:52] Here you get to view Five separate title categories, which consist of the following: Colosseum; The battle of Carthage; Tiger Fight; Underground and Final Battle and Special Shoot: promotional Portraits. To view all the images in this gallery, you have to press the Right and Left arrows keys on your remote control.Weapons Primer: Simon Atherton [5:20] [480i] Here we get an intimate portrait documentary of Simon Atherton offers up a colourfully presented rundown of the various instruments of torture used in the film, both authentic and "made up," for the film ‘GLADIATOR.’Special Feature: Abandoned Sequences and Deleted Scenes [2005] [480i] With this special feature we have Five different title categories to view which consist of the following: Alternate Title Design: Nick Livesey [9:16]; Blood Vision [2:12]; Rhino Fight [4:12]; Choose Your Weapon [00:48] and Treasure Chest [7:10]. This last item is a montage of "unused, leftover footage."Special Feature: The Aurelian Archives [2000] Here you have a selection of Nine different title categories to view, which consist of the following:The Making of ‘GLADIATOR’ [2000] [480i] [1.37:1] [25:00] This is a massive behind-the-scenes feature documentary of the film ‘GLADIATOR.’Gladiator Games: The Roman Bloodsport [2000] [480i] [1.37:1] [50:00] Here we get to examine the brutal form of entertainment that captivated the Romans, and compares it to today's spectator sports.Hans Zimmer: Scoring ‘GLADIATOR’ [2000] [480i] [1.37:1] [20:41] Here composer Hans Zimmer has the opportunity to express his love for the movie, as well as discuss the creative process, and how Hans Zimmer develops themes, and how music is a simpler, more powerful language than words.An Evening with Russell Crowe [2000] [480i] [1.78:1] [27:14] Here we find Russell Crowe fielding and replying to stupid women audience questions on a wide variety of topics.Maximus Uncut: Between Takes with Russell Crowe [2000] [480i] [1.78:1] [7:58] This is a typical goof reel filled with all sorts of clowning from Russell Crowe, as well as interacting with other actors.My 'GLADIATOR' Journal by Spencer Treat Clark [2000] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:58] This is a diary (with photos) of the film's shoot by the young actor who portrayed Connie Nielsen's son.VFX Explorations: Germania and Rome [2000] [480i] [1.66:1] [7:58] Here we get to examine computer generated effects in many scenes from the film ‘GLADIATOR,’ which is a combination that were included in previous special features, but all put together as one item.Trailers [2000] [1080p] [2.35:1] [2:36] here you get to view two Theatrical trailers of the film ‘GLADIATOR.’ You can either watch them separately or Play All.TV Spots [2000] [480i] [1.37:1] [8:53] Here you get to view 20 separate title categories relating to the film ‘GLADIATOR,’ for an extensive American television promotional campaign and they are as follows: The General; Heart & Soul; Woman Torn; Heart & Soul Cutdown; Journey Revised; Ruled by Force revised; Battle Revised; Battle Cutdown Revised; Everything; Forbidden; Daughter of an Emperor; Glorious Review; Glorious Short Review; Forbidden Love; Majestic Review; Revised #1 Review and Revised #1 Majestic Review. Once again you can either view each title separately or Play All.BONUS: The Deluxe Limited Edition DigiBook includes a 40-page stunning booklet about the film ‘GLADIATOR.’ It also has extensive detail information that includes: “HOW IT ALL STARTED. INSPIRATION. CREATING WORLDS. THE PRODUCTION. ROMAN INFLUENCE. THE CHALLENGE. THE GAMES. THE CAST. LET THE GAMES BEGIN. SOLDIERS, SOVEREIGNS AND SENATORS and SWORDPLAY. Plus wonderful stunning rare colour photographs with extensive scenes from the film.Finally, ‘GLADIATOR’ is the epic film that brought back the historical epic genre and to this day, it still stands as one of the very best. The movie truly captures the lives of the gladiators, who were forced to overcome wave after wave of endless battalions in hopes of receiving their freedom. This is the best aspect of the movie, gladiators in Roman times, truly were glorified by the public, the more violent the show they put on, the more the crowd enjoyed it. ‘GLADIATOR’ also gives us one of the most badass heroes of recent memory, Maximus, played by Russell Crowe who ended up winning an Oscar for Best Actor. In the brief scene where we see him as a general, he is everything you could want in a hero, compassionate, smart, and courageous in the face of an enemy. He immediately wins over the audience as the remorseful general who wishes for nothing more than peace. But once the tale of Maximus takes a turn for the worse, the film flourishes with ideas and becomes an amazing spectacle, just like real life gladiatorial fights. If history is something that interests you, especially Roman history, Gladiator certainly is a must see film. It also happens to be one of the more “action-heavy” Best Picture winners of all time. Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miler – Your Ultimate No.1 Film FanLe Cinema ParadisoWARE, United Kingdom

Gladiator is a great film, but it is not a masterpiece. It is a film that manages to be better than the sum of its parts. For a start it plays fast and loose with history; while I have no problem with the idea of importing real Romans into an almost entirely fictional story, I don’t approve of having those people do things they didn’t do, and the suggestion that Rome became a republic after the demise of Commodus is utter fantasy. But the poetic licence is just about tolerable and not on the same level as the historical hogwash that is Braveheart. The behind-the-scenes documentaries on this Blu Ray detail the shambolic writing process with the script constantly being rewritten, often the day before a scene was shot, and I think this shows. While there is some great dialogue, there are also some lines which fall very flat. I also find some of the editing choices quite peculiar: the scene with Marcus and Lucilla in the tent in Germania just seems to end abruptly, and I’m also baffled why the scene in which Commodus threatens revenge on the army for lying to him about Maximus was left in while the subsequent scene showing him exact that revenge was cut out. Both the chain fight and Carthage battle also seem to end rather suddenly without a satisfying final denouement.Yet despite these flaws Gladiator still manages to be an epic, exhilarating and enthralling movie, driven by Russell Crowe’s powerful and compelling central performance as the former general out for revenge. The supporting cast is top notch with stellar performances from Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius, Joaquin Phoenix as the demented Commodus, Connie Nielsen as the Emperor’s treacherous sister and Djimon Hounsou as fellow slave Juba. The film also boasts a wonderful performance from Oliver Reed who manages to turn a fundamentally immoral and dislikeable individual into someone you care about and root for. Sadly this was Reed’s final role; he passed away before filming was completed which required some inspired last-minute editorial and CGI trickery.The opening battle scene and subsequent gladiatorial sequences are brilliantly choreographed and executed, and Hans Zimmer delivers one of his best scores, aided by some other-worldly vocalisations from Lisa Gerrard. CGI was of course used extensively to recreate ancient room and on the whole it’s a massive success – the 360 degree shot of the gladiators entering the arena is spectacular – though the overhead shot of Rome appearing through the clouds looks rather fake.Picture quality on the remastered blu ray is superb and the movie also sounds great. As far as I’m aware all the bonus features from previous DVD releases are carried over on to the Blu Ray, with a few extras added for good measure. I’m not sure what it all adds up to in terms of running time, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it exceeds 10 hours. Most if it is excellent, though it does get a bit repetitious at times, especially when you get to the stuff in the ‘Aurelian Archives’ which includes material already seen in other documentaries.Disc 1 includes both the Theatrical and Extended cuts with commentaries. Also here are deleted scenes (which all appear in the Extended cut, so if you’ve already watched that then don’t bother with them) and the interactive ‘U Control’ feature which allows you to read a text commentary track and watch various clips exploring the historical content of the movie while it plays. While the clips cover similar ground as the documentaries on Disc 2, and include similar interviews, there is material here not found anywhere else so if you’re a completest you will want to watch it. I’ve not been able to find an option to play these clips in one go, so you’ll have to fast forward through the movie to find them all. Also on U Control is an option to ‘save’ various production-related clips which you can then view when you insert Disc 2; however as far as I can tell all these clips can be found in amongst the other documentaries so unless this kind of interactive stuff turns you on, I’d recommend you skip this feature.Disc 2 starts with the option to view the behind-the-scenes clips you saved while watching the movie, or you can simply select the whole lot and watch them en masse; either way you’ll just end up watching the same stuff twice. Next is ‘Strength and Honour’, a fantastic 3 hour plus documentary about the making of the movie. It’s broken down into segments looking at writing, design, casting, etc, and also provides a detailed explanation about how Oliver Reed was ingeniously ‘resurrected’. Also here are numerous ‘Production Pods’ which are exclusive to the blu ray; these are extra interviews and behind-the-scenes clips not included in the main Strength and Honour documentary and add up to nearly 2 hours. Next is ‘Image and Design’ which consists of some short featurettes looking at production design, storyboards and costume design accompanied by an insanely exhaustive collection of stills (1000+!). ‘Abandoned Sequences’ includes some concepts that were dropped for various reasons (including an alternative title sequence and a rhino fight) and one further deleted scene.Finally there is the ‘Aurelian Archive’ which includes the bonus features found on the original theatrical edition DVD release. Here there is a somewhat superficial and superfluous ‘Making Of’, an interesting if somewhat long-winded documentary exploring the real history of gladiatorial games, an excellent interview with Hans Zimmer about how he composed the score, an amusing ‘Evening with Russell Crowe’, some silly behind the scenes footage, a pointless text-and-photo journal written by Spencer Treat Clark (Lucius), and another look at how the movie’s VFX were created which largely repeats material found in ‘Strength and Honour’. Phew.Despite its flaws, Gladiator is a great movie, and it looks excellent in high definition. The blu ray includes one of the most exhaustive collections of bonus features I’ve come across (though they do get rather tiresome towards the end). Another minor gripe is that while the extended edition DVD was packaged in a nice fold out digipak, here we just get a bog standard Amaray case – a movie of this quality deserves better. For this and the other minor flaws previously mentioned it only gets four stars, but is still a worthy addition to any blu ray library.

Brilliant film and looks classic with a 4K transfer. Ridley Scott’s best work.

One of his best filmes

This is a very good watch for a an old film.