What the film lacks in intellect, historical fact, or common sense, it more than makes up for in action, spectacle, and grandeur.
Video:
Like most of Ridley Scott's work, "Gladiator" is not only figuratively dark in tone but quite literally dark as well. Its colors are almost entirely of a bluish-grey tint, most scenes set either at night or during overcast days. This doesn't give the DVD transfer much to play with, and the result is rather dreary on the eyes. I'm sure the 2.13:1 ratio video reproduction is every bit as good as the original film print, but that isn't saying much. It's reminiscent in a way of "Titus," but at least it doesn't mix the styles of ancient Rome with pseudo twentieth-century fascism in some silly attempt at symbolism. The picture quality for "Gladiator" is a straightforward, gritty dull all the way through.
Audio:
The audio, though, is outstanding, coming via Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS ES, or plain, old Dolby 2.0 stereo. In DD 5.1, the audience can hear catapult launchings, arrows flaming, swords clanging, and heads rolling from all directions, truly a dynamic "surround" sound.
Extras:
Disc one of the set contains the film itself, plus an audio commentary with director Ridley Scott, director of photography John Mathieson, and editor Pietro Scalia. English is the only spoken language, English is offered for subtitles, and there are twenty-eight scene selections.
Disc two contains the preponderance of bonus items, starting with my favorite segment: eleven deleted scenes, followed by a seven-minute montage of leftover shots assembled especially for the DVD. The deleted scenes may be viewed with or without commentary. Next, there's a twenty-five-minute documentary, "The Making of Gladiator," which does pretty much what most documentaries do, hypes the film. A more interesting documentary is one titled "Gladiator Games: Roman Blood Sport," about fifty minutes, detailing the facts behind the old Roman spectator sports. Another documentary, "Hans Zimmer: Scoring Gladiator," at twenty-one minutes seems overly long for a commentary on the film's music. Young actor Spencer Treat Clark, who plays Lucilla's son and Rome's heir apparent, wrote a diary during production, represented here as "My Gladiator Journal." It holds some minor interest for viewers wanting inside information on the job of movie acting. Then, there are original storyboards for eight sequences in the film and four that were never used; conceptual art; a still gallery that goes on forever; cast and crew biographies and film highlights; a few lines of production notes; and twenty-eight scene selections. To round things off, there are several TV spots, one brief teaser, and a full-blown theatrical trailer.
Parting Thoughts:
To conclude, I would advise the viewer to have fun and enjoy "Gladiator" but not to rely too heavily on Hollywood for real-life history. It is a film, after all. According to the "Encyclopedia Britannica," Commodus was made co-ruler and successor to his father, emperor Marcus Aurelius, in 177 A.D. Commodus then joined in the campaign against invading German tribes, but after the death of his father in 180, he quickly came to terms with them. "In 182 Commodus' sister Lucilla conspired with a group of senators to assassinate him. The plot failed, and Commodus retaliated by executing a number of leading senators. Thereafter, his rule became increasingly arbitrary and vicious. In 186 he had his chief minister executed in order to appease the army; three years later he allowed the minister's successor to be killed by a rioting crowd. Political influence then passed to the emperor's mistress and two advisers. Meanwhile, Commodus was lapsing into insanity. He gave Rome a new name, Colonia Commodiana (Colony of Commodus), and imagined that he was the god Hercules, entering the arena to fight as a gladiator or to kill lions with bow and arrow. Finally, when Commodus announced that he would assume the consulship on Jan. 1, 193, dressed as a gladiator, the public became incensed. On Dec. 31, 192, his advisers had him strangled by a champion wrestler."
"Go, and die with honor."
Like most of Ridley Scott's work, "Gladiator" is not only figuratively dark in tone but quite literally dark as well. Its colors are almost entirely of a bluish-grey tint, most scenes set either at night or during overcast days. This doesn't give the DVD transfer much to play with, and the result is rather dreary on the eyes. I'm sure the 2.13:1 ratio video reproduction is every bit as good as the original film print, but that isn't saying much. It's reminiscent in a way of "Titus," but at least it doesn't mix the styles of ancient Rome with pseudo twentieth-century fascism in some silly attempt at symbolism. The picture quality for "Gladiator" is a straightforward, gritty dull all the way through.
Audio:
The audio, though, is outstanding, coming via Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS ES, or plain, old Dolby 2.0 stereo. In DD 5.1, the audience can hear catapult launchings, arrows flaming, swords clanging, and heads rolling from all directions, truly a dynamic "surround" sound.
Extras:
Disc one of the set contains the film itself, plus an audio commentary with director Ridley Scott, director of photography John Mathieson, and editor Pietro Scalia. English is the only spoken language, English is offered for subtitles, and there are twenty-eight scene selections.
Disc two contains the preponderance of bonus items, starting with my favorite segment: eleven deleted scenes, followed by a seven-minute montage of leftover shots assembled especially for the DVD. The deleted scenes may be viewed with or without commentary. Next, there's a twenty-five-minute documentary, "The Making of Gladiator," which does pretty much what most documentaries do, hypes the film. A more interesting documentary is one titled "Gladiator Games: Roman Blood Sport," about fifty minutes, detailing the facts behind the old Roman spectator sports. Another documentary, "Hans Zimmer: Scoring Gladiator," at twenty-one minutes seems overly long for a commentary on the film's music. Young actor Spencer Treat Clark, who plays Lucilla's son and Rome's heir apparent, wrote a diary during production, represented here as "My Gladiator Journal." It holds some minor interest for viewers wanting inside information on the job of movie acting. Then, there are original storyboards for eight sequences in the film and four that were never used; conceptual art; a still gallery that goes on forever; cast and crew biographies and film highlights; a few lines of production notes; and twenty-eight scene selections. To round things off, there are several TV spots, one brief teaser, and a full-blown theatrical trailer.
Parting Thoughts:
To conclude, I would advise the viewer to have fun and enjoy "Gladiator" but not to rely too heavily on Hollywood for real-life history. It is a film, after all. According to the "Encyclopedia Britannica," Commodus was made co-ruler and successor to his father, emperor Marcus Aurelius, in 177 A.D. Commodus then joined in the campaign against invading German tribes, but after the death of his father in 180, he quickly came to terms with them. "In 182 Commodus' sister Lucilla conspired with a group of senators to assassinate him. The plot failed, and Commodus retaliated by executing a number of leading senators. Thereafter, his rule became increasingly arbitrary and vicious. In 186 he had his chief minister executed in order to appease the army; three years later he allowed the minister's successor to be killed by a rioting crowd. Political influence then passed to the emperor's mistress and two advisers. Meanwhile, Commodus was lapsing into insanity. He gave Rome a new name, Colonia Commodiana (Colony of Commodus), and imagined that he was the god Hercules, entering the arena to fight as a gladiator or to kill lions with bow and arrow. Finally, when Commodus announced that he would assume the consulship on Jan. 1, 193, dressed as a gladiator, the public became incensed. On Dec. 31, 192, his advisers had him strangled by a champion wrestler."
"Go, and die with honor."
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]5737[/release]