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Hello everyone,
my name is Marco amd I'm kind of new here; I give you my greetings from Gallia Transpadana and more specificaly from Mediolanum where I live. My Nick ? He was the only Roman Emperor who was born in my city...although it should be mentioned that the way Marcus Didius Severus Julius actually made his way to the top wasn't particularly commendable and also his tenure lasted, prior to be killed, only a few months...
After this introduction: back to the topic ! I would like that once in our lives a FilmMaker was taking the challenge to use the Latin language for Ancient Rome related movies. Kind of thing like Mel Gibson did for his movie "The Passion" where he used aramaic and latin. I understand that experts might suggest that Latin (kind of a basic version spoken by the troops) was not necessarily spoken everywhere Legions lived and fought. However Latin (+ english and/or local languages subtitling), would still be a better proxy than listening, respectfully said, the British-English accent spoken in movies like Gladiator etc...I understand this is very complex and commercially not viable proposition for a wide distribution. However, it would be interesting to have, along with the english official version, a latin language version for a limited number of screens. You might recall Dance with Wolves original version: I truly enjoyed it.
What do you think ?
Cheers and keep up with the good work you are doing with this forum. Truly excellent.
Marcus
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Well, guessing from the number of 'commands' sets around in re-enactment, all with their own 'sources', I don't know if it is even possible to do something like this, especially as you refer to 'simple Latin used by the troops'. Of course it's good to do some qoutations or piece in the style of great orators.
Next, how about pronunciation? Getting the text correct (on paper) is a first thing, but getting it spoken is another. And then I'm not even thinking about which actor can do the job, just in general.
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Hello Marco
Welcome to RAT
I would like that once in our lives a FilmMaker was taking the challenge to use the Latin language for Ancient Rome related movies.
It has been done and a movie about Roman soldiers too, although perhaps not at the top of everyone's list, Derek Jarman's "Sebastiane".
Graham.
"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream" Edgar Allan Poe.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
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Wasn't Vin Diesel going to make an epic movie about Hannibal in Latin?
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Vin Diesel had lots of ideas for his film on Hannibal, but that project is stuck in Development Hell, and as Vin Diesel's star has lost some of its luster, so his chances of getting the project before the camera, while not dead, are now a more difficult proposition. Of course we can hope for the best.
As for language ... I'd be happy to see a film production get the costumes correct. Some have done better than others (a topic we have discussed here at length) but, even those films that do a pretty good job on the armor and helmets, shields and weapons, seem bound and determined to undercut themselves by putting bracers on all the Romans, officers and legionaries alike.
Now, the new film of Shakespeare's play Coriolanus, directed by Ralph Fiennes, avoids all the cost and criticism of period costumes by re-setting the film in modern times. Of coruse, the T-80's (or are they 90's) do look impressive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjRiylgwgIE
Perhaps Graham and his publishers should put together a set of Graham's books and send them as "gifts" to the production companies working on Roman era films. A gesture of Good Will as it were. Just a thought ...
:wink:
Narukami
David Reinke
Burbank CA
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The problem with the mel Gibson film is that the Romans in that film spoke Church Latin and not proper latin. They used chenturio in stead of Kenturio and other words which were pronounced wrong.
These videos: 1-9 show correct pronunciation for classical Latin.
http://www.youtube.com/user/LINGVALATINA...DjNV5j7wHg
M.VIB.M.
Bushido wa watashi no shuukyou de gozaru.
Katte Kabuto no O wo shimeyo!
H.J.Vrielink.
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Well, actually the comparison I've made with Dances with Wolves was referring to the Native American speaking their own language. Maybe, soldiers and/or battle's scenes might use Latin while more elaborated talks might be done in english. As far as actors is concerned yeah you're right and it's not easy. Why not dubbing the actors though ? 
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Well if you need Sarmatians look no further than a South Ossetian cast. Their language supposedly is close to what the Sarm spoke.........more or less.
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Quote:Hello Marco
Welcome to RAT
I would like that once in our lives a FilmMaker was taking the challenge to use the Latin language for Ancient Rome related movies.
It has been done and a movie about Roman soldiers too, although perhaps not at the top of everyone's list, Derek Jarman's "Sebastiane".
Graham.
Thank you. I will have a look into it.
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I found a website where a Latin teacher engaged in a funny and challenging task: to translate / adapt a few movies original languages dialogues into Latin..here's the link to how Gladiator would have sounded in the language of my ancestors...
http://www.krescendo.com/gladiatorlatin/index.html
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Mel Gibson seems to be the only director so far to make successful blockbuster using period languages such as the Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto and to some extent Braveheart (at least they had Scottish accents).
As for costume design I though Alexander was pretty accurate although all the Macedonians had variations of British accents and Jolie sounded like Dracula.
I wouldn't mind seeing an epic movie about the battle of Kadesh in ancient Egyptian and Hittite.
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Quote:I wouldn't mind seeing an epic movie about the battle of Kadesh in ancient Egyptian and Hittite.
Perhaps ancient Egyptian would be possible..but Hittite?
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Quote:I found a website where a Latin teacher engaged in a funny and challenging task: to translate / adapt a few movies original languages dialogues into Latin..here's the link to how Gladiator would have sounded in the language of my ancestors...
http://www.krescendo.com/gladiatorlatin/index.html
Nice, but I found it very disappointing to read that, when such an enormous amount of work was put in the translation of the English text into Latin, that we find the German adversaries are still speaking modern German (and not very fluent German at that):
BARBARUS GERMANICUS: Ihr seid verfluchte Hunde!
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Quote:Marcus post=294520 Wrote:I found a website where a Latin teacher engaged in a funny and challenging task: to translate / adapt a few movies original languages dialogues into Latin..here's the link to how Gladiator would have sounded in the language of my ancestors...
http://www.krescendo.com/gladiatorlatin/index.html
Nice, but I found it very disappointing to read that, when such an enormous amount of work was put in the translation of the English text into Latin, that we find the German adversaries are still speaking modern German (and not very fluent German at that):
BARBARUS GERMANICUS: Ihr seid verfluchte Hunde! Actually, what does the German barbar say ?
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