New Version of Spartacus

[derek forrest]

Time: 20:00 to 21:30 (1 hour and 30 minutes long).<br>
When: Sunday 13th March on Sky Movies 2<br>
<br>
Part 1.<br>
First part of this swords and sandals mini-series. In 72 BC, Thracian slave Spartacus labours deep in the Egyptian desert. But he gets his chance to escape when he is sold into a gladiatorial school.<br>
Director: Robert Dornhelm<br>
Starring: Goran Visnjic, Alan Bates, Angus Macfadyen, Rhona Mitra, Ian McNeice, James Frain<br>
(Widescreen, 2004, 15, 3 Star)<br>
<br>
Spartacus (Film)<br>
Starting: 20:00 on Sunday 13th March. Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes<br>
Showing on Sky Movies 2 Analogue.<br>
[find out more on this programme from the DigiGuide Library]<br>
<br>
<br>
Spartacus (Film)<br>
Starting: 20:00 on Monday 14th March. Duration: 1 hour and 40 minutes<br>
Showing on Sky Movies 2.<br>
[find out more on this programme from the DigiGuide Library]<br>
<br>
<br>
Spartacus (Film)<br>
Starting: 20:00 on Monday 14th March. Duration: 1 hour and 40 minutes<br>
Showing on Sky Movies 2 Analogue.<br>
<br>
Spartacus (Film)<br>
Starting: 21:00 on Wednesday 16th March. Duration: 1 hour and 35 minutes<br>
Showing on Sky Movies 4.<br>
<br>
a website with some pics<br>
gallery.rosskempfans.com/album19<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Theodosius the Great]

That played here in the US last year (or the year before ?). IMO, it ranks. The worst Roman film I could think of (truly) . No talented actors, reused costumes from "Caesar", politcally correct script. Absolutely no redeming qualities. <p></p><i></i>

[Tarbicus]

There is one pretty awesome bit, where a horseman charges a testudo, and knocks it flat by having the horse jump on top of it Classy <p></p><i></i>

[Lucius Cornelius Traianus]

As with most modern versions of old epic classics, I prefer the former with Kirt Douglas. As I also prefer the "Fall of The Roman Empire" with Stephen Boyd & Sophia Loren compared to the Modern version of the Gladiators even with all its´special effects.

The Kirt Douglas "Spartacus" has one sceen, With the triumpful march of the slaves with the archway in the background and modded streets that was filmed in the city, where I presently Complutum (Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain) which is better know as THE GATE OF MADRID o Puerta de Madrid. Another sceen was taken in the town where my wife was born, just a few miles from Guadalajara, Spain. This the sceen where Spartacus & Antonius are captives and being dragged through a town in chains prior to their arrival to Rome with Crassus.

Also, many sceeens of the FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE were filled in the Mountains to the North of Madrid. Sush as the famous dual on the quadrigas between Commodus & Livius.

As we all know, the uniforms worn in these movies to not represent the military dress related with the period that the movie relates to.

[Theodosius the Great]

Also, there are the lost battle scenes from "Cleopatra" (Rex Harrison & Liz Taylor) of the battle of Pharsalia which were shot in Spain :wink: . But at the last minute, the director was told to cut the scenes in order to make one 4-hour film instead of two 3-hour ones as originally planned . In the final cut, all we see is the aftermath from that battle in the openning scene.

As for Fall of the Roman Empire, I think it beats all Roman films in terms of scenery and sets. However, I thought Gladiator was better in terms of acting quality, music, and story.

[Lucius Cornelius Traianus]

Theodosius,

I still think, that the original "Spartacus" with the famous last battle sceen where Crassus Legions are marching in cohort or manipul formation is the most accurate battle scene fought in Hollywood Roman pictures.

Gladiator may be the best for music, acting and maybe quality but the story is to far fetch.

For example when Maximus overtakes his Praetorian captors he races to save his family already being wounded. His trip from Austria to Merida some 1,700 kms. which a city near the frontier of present Portugal, would have taken considerable days or even weeks to cover. In the movie he seems to reach it in less than 2 days.

The "fall of the roman empire" was great until the battle scene where Livius vs the Parthos & Persians. The troops were completely different in the vestment then those that fought Barlomar on the Austrian Front.
Also, to top it off there was wild confusion in the troop formation.

Stephen McMahon

[Neuraleanus]

:?: In the battle scene amongst the woods in "Fall of the roman empire", the advancing legionaires have holes in their scuta.

[Theodosius the Great]

Hi Stephen,

I think few, if any, would disagree about Spartacus having the best battle scene .

Of course you're right about the Gladiator scene where Maximus rides to Spain in such a short time. Although, if you notice Maximus' beard while he's in Spain that it's longer and fuller. Based on that alone I'd say it took him maybe one or two weeks to reach the town and not two days (although it does seem like that if you ignore the beard growth :wink: )

[Lucius Cornelius Traianus]

I think those soldiers were not legionaires in the battle scene in the forest that you are commenting on Neutaleanus, but were the gladiators that Commodus brought from rome with him, that is if are talking about the first battle scene after Livius first meets up with Commodus and then latter both argue on whose troops will be led into the forest as bait for the first encounter.

S.J. McMahon "alias"

[Graham Sumner]

It is clear that the makers of 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' made extensive use of the reference material that was available to them at that time (1962). The Roman uniforms are clearly based on the works of the costume historians Racinet and Hottenroth and the books on Roman soldiers by Forestier and Couissin.

Exact copies of archaeological specimens are also visible. The Gladiator soldiers actually wear Samnite triple disc body Armour and the imperial guards wear either the Heddernheim cavalry type H or cavalry sports type G the latter fitted with an inaccurate but impressive black crest. The type H however is copied so faithfully from the original archaeological find it lacks the brow band it should have had. Nevertheless not only are these helmets fairly decent copies but they are also from the right period for the film.

Many of the soldiers wear leather armour but in the scene were the soldiers are being decimated it is possible to see that they are also wearing mail underneath! This was entirely in keeping with the research at that time and even Russell Robinson discusses this point in his book. The officers also wear decent arming doublets beneath their Armour.

In the battle against the Persians there are in fact five armies involved each dressed in regional uniforms. The western Roman army of Livius does appear dressed as before but is quite different in appearance from the eastern Roman army. Again this followed the thinking of the day and we still discuss today whether the eastern troops wore lorica segmentata like those in the west.

Compare this with the film 'Gladiator'. In the book on how that film was made the armourer claims he could not find any reference to the Armour and equipment of the period!

Without the benefit of CGI the set designers on Fall also produced a far more accurate and impressive reconstruction of the Roman Forum than in 'Gladiator'. It is even possible to pick out all the correct temples and buildings behind the triumphal parade of Commodus. Some years ago I met an American tourist who said that the set was still there outside Madrid but was not looked after. I wonder does anyone know what state it is in nowadays?

[DECIMvS MERCATIvS VARIANvS]

Compare this with the film 'Gladiator'. In the book on how that film was made the armourer claims he could not find any reference to the Armour and equipment of the period!

Then he should be banished from ever working on movies again... perhaps we could hunt him down and use the new RAT anti-idiot strike force and give him a nice canin' o' the feet ;-Þ
Best, DMV

[Graham Sumner]

The actual quote from the book 'Gladiator the making of the Ridley Scott Epic' states that " Many of the armaments were original concepts resulting from a combination of research and innovation. Atherton (Simon Atherton, the armourer) explains, " there was not much reference for weaponry and armour from this period. So taking ideas from what we know about subsequent periods and trying to imagine the evolution of certain weapons- with the understanding that they did mostly close-quarter fighting- we were able to come up with some designs that would have been feasible at that time."

Incidentally some of the helmets from 'Fall of the Roman Empire' are still in use. They were used in the recent B.B.C. documentary on the life of a Gladiator.

Graham.

[DECIMvS MERCATIvS VARIANvS]

The actual quote from the book 'Gladiator the making of the Ridley Scott Epic' states that " Many of the armaments were original concepts resulting from a combination of research and innovation. Atherton (Simon Atherton, the armourer) explains, " there was not much reference for weaponry and armour from this period. So taking ideas from what we know about subsequent periods and trying to imagine the evolution of certain weapons- with the understanding that they did mostly close-quarter fighting- we were able to come up with some designs that would have been feasible at that time."

Graham.

[size=150:118qjfbu]W[/size]hat snake puckey! He needs to be visited by the caning squad! Imagine him opening his door one night to find a largish group in Roman garb, all wearing Kalkiese masks... oh, he needs some caning.
DMV

[Praefectusclassis]

Imagine him opening his door one night to find a largish group in Roman garb, all wearing Kalkiese masks

:lol: :lol:

[Muzzaguchi]

Perhaps (a la) Amadeus we could give him a strange requiem like request for armour which he could not refuse slowly driving him insane!