|
|
Review
Archives
1
| 2 | 3
|
|
Today's
Date is:
|
|
Gladiator
|
|
Reviewed
by: |
Rachel
Hughes |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Video: |
2.35:1
Anamorphic Wiedscreen |
| Audio: |
DTS
6.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 |
| Language: |
English |
| Subtitle: |
English |
| Length: |
2hrs
35mins |
| Rating: |
R |
| Release
Date: |
11-21-00 |
| Studio: |
Dreamworks |
| Commentary:
|
Director
Ridley Scott |
| Documentaries:
|
Gladiator
Games: Roman Blood Sport |
| Featurettes:
|
Yes,
Making-Of |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
Yes |
|
Interviews: |
Yes,
with composer Hans Zimmer |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Teaser
and Theatrical trailer, and 4 TV spots |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
11
deleted scenes, and "treasure chest" montage |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
"My
Gladiator Diary" written by Spencer Treat Clark and Original
storyboards, behind-the-scenes and concept art gallery |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Russel Crowe,
Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi,
Dijmon Hounsou and Richard Harris |
| Screenplay
by: |
Story by
David Franzoni, screenplay by David Franzoni, John Logan and
William Nicholson |
| Produced
by: |
NA |
| Directed
By: |
Ridley Scott |
| Music: |
Hans Zimmer and Lisa
Gerrard |
| The
Review: |
In a sparse
year for movies, Gladiator was truly a bright spot in 2000.
The first gladiator movie in 40 years, director Ridley Scott
has combined and old-fashion Hollywood story, with cutting edge
technology to make an enjoyable film for all ages. Gladiator
is the story of a great Roman General, who is caught up in a
political web of intrigue he doesn't want anything to do with.
He becomes a slave, than a gladiator in order to buy his freedom,
and exact revenge upon the man who destroyed his life and family.
Russel Crowe is incredible in this movie, and has generated
much Oscar buzz for his performance. He perfectly portrays a
gruff, hardened man who kills for sport, but is ultimately a
man of principle and honor. In addition to Crowe, the movie
is complimented by a stellar supporting cast including Connie
Neilsen, Oliver Reed (who sadly passed away during the filming
of the movie), Djimon Hounsou, Richard Harris and Joaquin Phoenix
whose name has also been bandied about as a possible Oscar nominee.
Not only does the movie have a top-notch cast, but the scenery
is spectacular. The movie moves from the muddy war front in
Germania, to Spain, then Morocco, and finally to Rome. When
you first see the great Coliseum it takes your breath away.
This movie transports you into the past and you witness the
glory that was Rome. |
| Image
and Sound |
This is
a beautiful movie on many different levels. The transfer of
the movie is nearly flawless. It looks as good as it did in
the theatre. The extensive computer generated shots are almost
indistinguishable from the actual location. There is a wide
variation of color used. The beginning of the movie is quite
dark and shadowy. Then it moves on to Rome, which seems to be
lit from every possible angle. Even through the various lighting
changes, no one is too dark, or washed out. The colors are all
crisp and life like. The sound on this movie is incredible.
It is available in both 5.1 and DTS. While there isn't much
differentiating the two, it is nice to have the option. Sound
from the movie radiates from every speaker, and envelops the
viewer totally. Dialogue can clearly be heard, and the fight
scenes are thunderous, but not uncomfortably loud. The soundtrack
to this movie is one of the best ever. It flows effortlessly
together, and pulls the viewer even further into the film. |
| The
Extras |
This is
a packed two-disc extravaganza from Dreamworks. They have been
assembling some of the best special edition versions of their
top films (i.e. Chicken Run). This is no different. The first
disc contains the movie itself, and the director's commentary,
which I will go into more detail later. The second disc contains
all of the extras. · One of the best treats are the deleted
scenes. They are listed in from the cutting room floor. It contains
11 deleted scenes that are available with or without commentary.
The commentary is quite interesting because Scott tells us why
he filmed the scene, and often tells us why it was cut. Also
under this category is the treasure chest. This runs for about
seven minutes and is comprised of various images and scenes
that never made it into the movie but weren't long enough to
be included in the deleted scenes. This is set to the incredible
Zimmer score, and plays much like a music video. Truly a treat.
· Next is the standard making of documentary. It features all
the principle cast and crew talking about the movie, why they
were drawn to it, and what it was like to work with everyone.
There is also talk about the length they went to make everything
accurate. · One of the most interesting extras is Gladiator
Games: Roman Blood Sport, this contains many scenes from the
movie, as well as other recreations. It was originally run on
television, and without the commercials runs for about 50 minutes.
This is a historical look at the rise of the gladiatorial games
from funeral rites, to political weapons. It features a number
of noted professors who have various opinions on the games,
and they don't always agree with each other. While this is more
glitzy than your standard A&E presentation, it is not as informative.
However, it is a great addition to the DVD. · Next is Hans Zimmer
Scoring Gladiator. This runs for about 20 minutes and provides
an interesting glimpse into how a film is scored. While it doesn't
go to in depth, the information is worth listening to. · My
Gladiator Journal is a diary written by Spencer Treat Clark,
who played Lucius in the movie. This is a unique extra to be
sure. It covers almost every day Clark was present, along with
pictures of various people. Clark is articulate, and presents
his information well. The only drawback is that the writing
is quite small, and you have to move pretty close to the television
to avoid a headache. · To round out the extras there are the
standard items. There is an impressive storyboard gallery. There
are storyboards for seven key sequences, and four deleted sequences.
Also under the storyboards there is a conceptual art gallery
and a still gallery. They are all easy to navigate, and enjoyable.
There is a teaser trailer and the original theatrical trailer
and four television spots. The most interesting thing is the
difference between the teaser and the theatrical trailer. The
first doesn't have the completed score and the second does.
It really shows you how much the score impacts the mood of the
movie. There are the Cast and Crew biographies. They list their
main accomplishments as well as their list of films. Finally
there are the production notes. These are also a bit too small,
but enjoyable. |
| Commentary |
The DVD
features a commentary by director Ridley Scott. He does this
alone, and is engaging through the entire movie. He spends a
lot of time explaining why he did what he did. He tells us why
he chose particular locations, costumes, settings and so forth.
He also goes into detail explaining what he drew from history,
and what he inferred. This commentary adds another level to
enjoying the movie. Anyone interesting in the kind of work necessary
for creating a movie of this scale should definitely listen
to this commentary. |
| Final
Words: |
This is
one of the best movies of the year. The box office totals, and
the DVD sales proves that most everyone else concurs. Even if
the DVD was just the movie, the movie is worth buying on this
format. You don't have to worry about wearing out your copy.
However, Dreamworks has assembled an incredible extra package
that makes this an impossible to miss DVD. The commentary is
entertaining and insightful, and deleted scenes are truly a
find. The only complaint is that the DVD does not have an isolated
score. This being such an incredible soundtrack, it is disappointing
not to have all the music available. |
|
|
|
