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ANCIENT PERIOD MOVIE REVIEWS
Robert wrote:

I mean, REALLY - how many differences can you spot between the reenactment image and the one with Cyrus presenting that cylinder?


er.......which one is the re-enactment image Robert? :wink:

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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Quote:R
er.......which one is the re-enactment image Robert? :wink: .
Ehm.. the one not with Cyrus presenting that cylinder? Oh no, I meant the other one! :evil:
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
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Quote:Or even these images -- still Hollywood, but compared to the new trilogy (299/300/301) they seem positively....

The warrioress in the third image doesn't look historical, but she looks good. :cheer:

What non-historical movie was she in, anyway? :whistle:
Alan J. Campbell

member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians

Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)

"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
             Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
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Quote:
Narukami post=339491 Wrote:Or even these images -- still Hollywood, but compared to the new trilogy (299/300/301) they seem positively....

The warrioress in the third image doesn't look historical, but she looks good. :cheer:

What non-historical movie was she in, anyway? :whistle:

The first two photos are from the 1962 film, The 300 Spartans.

The third photo is Eva Green and is from the new 300 sequel: 301 Rise of the Body Count.
She was also in Casino Royal (the one with Daniel Craig not Woody Allen) and in the Ridley Scott epic: Kingdom Of Heaven.

[Image: kingdomofheavenpubq.jpg]

:wink:

Narukami
David Reinke
Burbank CA
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She was also in failed TV Series Camelot.
Regards
Michael Kerr
Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
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Quote:She was also in failed TV Series Camelot.
Regards
Michael Kerr

The less said about that the better. I'll bet it's not even on her resume.
Pecunia non olet
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Not really Movies but here goes.......

Finally I obtained copies of two 1980's TV mini series that I have long sought. Sadly my initial enthusiasm was somewhat tempered by the fact that in both cases they are heavily edited versions and not as originally released.

The first is The Last Days of Pompeii starring Duncan Regehr and Ned Beatty. This is at least the third version of the Victorian classic tale by Edward Bulwer Lytton. and probably only a mini series could really do justice to that lengthy novel. Here it is given a typical 80's soap spin.

Sporus the Gladiator loves Lydon the Gladiator, who loves Nydia a blind flower seller, who loves Glaucus a wealthy Greek who loves Ione, a soon to be priestess of Isis dominated by Arbaces, a corrupt priest with dreams of becoming emperor. Still following?

Peter Connolly was the historical advisor and it shows. The sets are stunning and there are tantalising glimpses of accurate archaeological details everywhere. The amphitheatre walls are decorated with authentic patterns (it was filmed in the actual arena at Pompeii, although some scenes show that only about half of the arena was used) with vendors selling snacks. The costumes and hairstyles are for the most part well done. The local militia wear no armour, have red clothing and use a version of an attic helmet, while their centurion sports a transverse crest. The tavern and shop scenes all look visually attractive as does the harbour scene with a few large scale ships. Look out for the artist who appears to have painted every well known wall painting and slogan in Pompeii!

Peter Connolly however was unhappy with how things worked out and apparently walked off the set and it is easy to see reasons why. I remember at the time that his name was in the credits for the first episode but was not included in the final episode. Most of the costumes worn by the leading characters are dreadful. In particular some notable low points are those worn by Chole played by Lesley Anne Down, a prostitute with a heart of gold. Her wardrobe includes a body stocking and high heels when she dances the dance of the one veil. Virtually all the costumes worn by Ned Beatty, a wealthy oil ( fish oil that is) baron, are ghastly and completely over the top. The gladiator scenes are generally well done but the hero has to have a black leather outfit with his arm protector on the wrong side.

The DVD version I have was released in Germany with the dialogue dubbed into German but with English audio. It is an attractive 3 disc set with the third disc being a German documentary on Pompeii. However as I have said the series itself has been heavily edited. This is immediately apparent when several scenes break off in mid sentence or the music soundtrack suddenly stops. However this version is still longer than an American release. The original opening sequence with introduction by Anthony Quayle, who also appears in the series, has been replaced by a very amateurish one for no apparent reason. An interesting point however is that several of the deleted scenes appear in the Deleted Scenes section of the Extras!!! I guess someone with the technological know how could splice them back in!

Overall the series is a bit of a mixed bag. The actors are a mixture of British and American, young and old stars notably Lawrence Olivier in one of his last performances. Even with the edits it is best viewed over a couple of nights but passes the time. The special effects are not always up to modern standards but who can forget Brian Blessed playing a fire breathing Christian blacksmith, 'Christ's alive!!!' Sorry couldn't resist!

The second series is A.D. starring Anthony Andrews and Ian McShane. This is in effect a sequel to the famous TV series 'Jesus of Nazareth', made by the same production team and filmed at many of the same Tunisian locations.

Unfortunately it never made the same impact as the first series and has, as far as I know, never been seen again on British television since its original showing. I believe in America it suffered a similar fate. Perhaps it did not help that some of the leading roles in the original series were played by different actors and some of those actors who were in the original series, like Ian Mc Shane and James Mason played completely different roles.

It is also fair to say that it attempted to be two series in one with a mixture of New Testament events played alongside contemporary Roman ones. For the most part the New Testament events include many lengthy theological debates and dialogue which would have been off putting to many. Equally the Roman sequences, which one might expect might be the most interesting, unfortunately came soon after the classic BBC series 'I Claudius' which was probably still fresh in the memory for many. Almost on every level the acting performances fail to match those of the BBC series, with the possible exception of Anthony Andrew's as Nero, who did not really feature much in the other series. Andrews was a much more handsome and athletic choice for the role of Nero than perhaps what most people might expect but unfortunately this element of surprise is lost as he continually acts as if he is sucking a particularly sour lemon!

The DVD release I managed to purchase recently from Amazon was the first time I have ever seen it on their site, so I ordered it at once. Temporarily I seem to have got the only available copy. It is in Castillian with English Audio option. As it was a Three disc set I was confident this was the whole series but once again I was disappointed. No running time was given so I can be excused but it appears it was originally nearer 10 hours long while this set is only six hours long. For some that might be a blessing.

However it was still nice to see this time capsule of eighties acting talent. The scene I most remembered, Caligula's abortive invasion of Britain, was still included but practically all the other Roman Imperial scenes are missing. As I have said previously they did not really work but it does make the whole thing harder to follow as certain characters appear and then disappear without reason and every so often there is a different incumbent on the Imperial throne without any explanation as to why or who they are. Also as all the leading stars, as advertised on the DVD cover and who appear in the opening titles, seem to play Romans it means many are missing entirely. Therefore the likes of Ava Gardner, Susan Sarandon and Jennifer O'Neil, do not feature at all! While Ian Mc Shane and James Mason fall into the category of, now you see them now you don't!

The Caligula scene as I remembered, although visually impressive fails to stir the emotions. Perhaps I am unfairly comparing it to something like the speech of Marcus Aurelius in 'The Fall of the Roman Empire'. At the end of that the imperial troops rush forward to huge cheers of "HAIL CAESAR, HAIL CAESAR, HAIL CAESAR", which echo around the valley. Here Caligula rides past an impressive number of troops who however just mutter "hail caesar" as he passes. I guess that sort of sums things up with this series. I had the same negative feeling comparing the entrance of Commodus into Rome from FOTRE with the same scene in 'Gladiator'.

One aspect that was a big improvement on the 'Jesus of Nazareth' series was the Roman armour and equipment which for 1985 was very good. The legionaries wear a mixture of faded red orange tunics and off white ones with reddish cloaks. Some legionary soldiers wear coolus type helmets while the auxilia have helmets with the hair style decoration and mail shirts. The archers wear conical helmets and have long blue robes. The Praetorians wear undress uniform of deep red tunic and cloak with the attic brow band as seen in Russell Robinson. A few legionaries and Praetorians wear leather lorica segmentata which may not be to everyone's taste but the design is nevertheless based on the statuette of a legionary from the British Museum. It is also nice to encounter some of the peripheral characters who appear in the Bible whom we never normally see, such as Simon Magus or the Centurion at Caesarea who is the first Gentile convert to Christianity. However perhaps due to the editing their appearances are only fleeting.

It would be nice if one day both series could be released on DVD in their full versions but for the moment it was just pleasant to indulge in a bit of mid eighties nostalgia.

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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Finally watched the Elisabeth Taylor Cleopatra. I also watched Becket. The more classic movies I watch, the more I am convinced that great movie dialogue is a dying art.
Take what you want, and pay for it

-Spanish proverb
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Quote:Finally watched the Elisabeth Taylor Cleopatra. I also watched Becket. The more classic movies I watch, the more I am convinced that great movie dialogue is a dying art.
It has been replaced by loud noise sex scenes and explosions in direct proportion to the ever declining literacy level. Soon they will be down to 800 basic English words with some slang and a lot of meaningless profanity.
John Kaler MSG, USA Retired
Member Legio V (Tenn, USA)
Staff Member Ludus Militus https://www.facebook.com/groups/671041919589478/
Owner Vicus and Village: https://www.facebook.com/groups/361968853851510/
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Graham,
I, too, was impressed with the armor and helmets used in the miniseries, A.D. I saw it years ago when it was originally broadcast. I was particularly impressed with the Coolus helmets. Things have fallen a very far way since. For a very brief period, I was able to catch episodes on Youtube, but they were fairly quickly blocked,
Quinton Johansen
Marcus Quintius Clavus, Optio Secundae Pili Prioris Legionis III Cyrenaicae
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Hello Quinton

I think some of the equipment from 'A.D.' turned up again in the Polish version of 'Quo Vadis', 2000, which also boasts an excellent set of horse trappings based on the set in the British Museum, seen when Petronius confronts the mob after the fire of Rome. The Coolus helmets appear to have been reused as well as a few of the leather lorica that I mentioned previously.

One of the auxiliary helmets with hair style decoration from 'A.D'. was used by the leading gladiator in the BBC documentary 'Colosseum: A Gladiator's Story', 2003 with a convincing Titus and his daughter (?) Julia. His opponent in the final battle in the arena wears a helmet with an even older pedigree, as it is a survivor from 'The Fall of the Roman Empire', 1963!

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.
Reply
Excellent review Graham -- Thank you. Smile

As for the decline in screen writing, particularly dialog with wit, I could not agree more -- the decline has been steep and unremitting. However, on rare occasion, there are some notable exceptions. Generally films by the Coen Brothers are well written, and Lawrence Kasdan also writes smart dialog even in the service of 'popcorn' movies like Raiders Of The Lost Ark. (Compared to the sequels the original is still the best.)

That said, one need but look at some of the old classics to find good writing in abundance. TCM was running several Bogart films the other night, among them The Big Sleep and Casablanca. These are films full of great dialog and lines that have become iconic. "Here's looking at you kid."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_6K9A0ayqE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sNhPdJFZcQ


Nothing beats good writing well delivered.

:wink:

Narukami
David Reinke
Burbank CA
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I thought Eva Green was excellent in A kingdom of Heaven. Had to suffer Orlando Bloom in it, but a good film. Although I am getting a bit fed up of the Knights of St John being the goodies and the Knights Templars being the baddies!
Moi Watson

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
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Graham, the 6 hour version of AD was created for "christian" audiences and so heavily edited that it's pretty much unwatchable, I thought. They basically cut most of the "Roman" scenes out. If you're interested, there is a canadian website that offers the full 9 hour version, it's not cheap though. I don't know whether it's kosher to link to a commercial site here, but you can send me a PM and I send it to you.
Aka
Christoph
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Niedel,

In this case it is quite all right to post the link, and I think there will be several members of our Forum interested in this site and the full version of AD.

Thanks for the info. Smile

:wink:

Narukami
David Reinke
Burbank CA
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