"De reditu": a new roman movie (Italy)

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

<br>
Saluete,<br>
<br>
Well, I have been surprised when I saw the poster of the movie: three late roman horsemen! So I can't wait for the release.<br>
It's an italian movie and seems of good level. The story is after the 410 AD sack of Roma. The ex Praefectus Urbis, C. Rutilius Namazianus leaves Roma to come back to his Galliae and gather a new army to fight the Ravenna government. He is pagan and considers the Christians as the main guilty of the roman fall. The trip is through the dangerous territories of the late V century.<br>
The reviews say about a pretty accuracy about the cultural backgorund and reconstruction: let's see...<br>
<br>
I'll refer to you about it as soon I'll see the movie.<br>
<br>
Here is the poster:<br>
<br>
<img src="http://users.libero.it/sabsab/De reditu.jpg" style="border:0;"/><br>
<br>
Valete,<br>
Titus Sabatinus Aquilius<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Robert Vermaat]

Oh, brilliant! It was time for someone to do such a scenario! Can't wait either - promise us you will report as soon as you've seen it, will you?<br>
<br>
Valete,<br>
Valerius/Robert <p></p><i></i>

[aitor iriarte]

Well, I shan't say that I'm not pleased!<br>
The cataphracts look more or less correct but they are too far away as to see details. Maybe they'd look a little 'frightening' in a close view.<br>
In any case, they've attempted it, wich is not a small achievement for a movie!<br>
<br>
Aitor <p></p><i></i>

[Uwe Bahr]

For our late Romans,<br>
<br>
here another photo showing the cataphracts / clibanarii from the front. At least the left horse seems to be in a complete horse armour. The further equipment of the equites is not to be recognized unfortunately:<br>
<br>
<img src="http://people.freenet.de/u-bahr/dereditu05.jpg" style="border:0;"/><br>
<br>
Further photos on following links:<br>
[url=http://www.micheldesign.com/cimba/" target="top]www.micheldesign.com/cimba/[/url]<br>
<a href="http://www.kataweb.it/cinema/scheda_film.jsp?idContent=265369" target="top">www.kataweb.it/cinema/scheda_film.jsp?idContent=265369<br>
(click under FotoGallery)<br>
<br>
Uwe <p></p><i></i>

[Robert Vermaat]

Could someone translate [url=http://www.filmup.com/dereditu.htm" target="top]this review[/url] into English, please? My knowledge of the Italian language is zero.<br>
Luckily, I found an English review [url=http://tamtam.cinecitta.com/dossier.asp?ID=370&lang=eng" target="top]here[/url].<br>
<br>
"The film is about the small odyssey of Rutilio Namaziano, a pagan nobleman who lived in 415 AD, 5 years after the sack of Rome by the Goths. The journey takes him to his native land, Gallia, crossing the ruins of the Roman Empire."<br>
<br>
Ruins? Already? This Rutilio Namaziano is of course Rutilius Claudius Namatianus.<br>
<br>
Quotes:<br>
"Alongside him [Rutilio] is Rodolfo Corsato (Un altro giorno ancora), the only Roman, who wears trousers introduced by the barbarians in the 5th century, who plays Minervio, A faithful soldier who protects Rutilio during the voyage".<br>
"There are many languages spoken on the set: "There’s a strange Nordic dialect spoken by the captain, the Eritrean of the slave Nimis, the Albanian of the priest. A mixture which is a testimony to the reality of an empire which has been built on invading other populations" explains Bondì."<br>
<br>
Valete,<br>
Valerius/Robert <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=vortigernstudies>Vortigern Studies</A> at: 1/20/04 12:49 pm<br></i>

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

<br>
Well, I try in short, adding some other things found in other reviews:<br>
<br>
The movie is based upon the Namatianus' diary ( www.thelatinlibrary.com/rutilius.html ), five years after the sack of Roma, a former "Twin Towers shock" for the director Bondì, Namatianus go to Galliae, officially to see how much is standing yet of his properties there, secretly to get an army to defeat the emperor in Ravenna, and try to limit the christians action against the surviving of the Empire and its renaissance, seen the Christians got the power at all. The Namatianus' trip is by sea on a cymba, due to the danger of using the Aurelia to go to the Galliae. It's a desperate and romantic journey, well knowing that all is lost: the real spirit of the roman Empire and any hope coming back to it. It's not only the crisis of the old State, but of the single citizens' conscience. That's what Namatianus understands from the indifference (if not from the treason) of those to whom he asks for a help (moral too). The director tells us that a pretty literary and cultured way, even if through a free interpretation of the Namatianus' diary and succeeds to give us the right atmospheres of those dark years in a already desolated Italy full of barbarians and brigands. A quote from the movie:<br>
"Just one god for the reason, many gods for the imagination".<br>
<br>
Anyway, in my opinion (and if when I'll see it, so it's confirmed) this low budget (2,5 millions euro) movie is a courageus attempt to show something of unconfortable, seen the present situation of the movie bussiness. Not a blockbuster, surely.<br>
<br>
Really I don't understand why the directors don't ask roman re-enactors for stuff and men... Eh, Dan, Aitor and Valerius?<br>
<br>
As soon as it will be released in Roma (just Genova and Torino so far), I'll tell you about it.<br>
<br>
Valete,<br>
Titus Sabatinus Aquilius<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[aitor iriarte]

Ah, that's the kind of movie I've always dreamed of filming!<br>
The more I see those riders the more I believe that they will be only good to see at a certain distance. In any case that is much more than can be said from most 'Roman' films!<br>
We can have serious doubts about if 'De Reditu' will be released in countries other than Italy, because it doesn't look 'commercial'<br>
We count on you, Titus to provide us with DVD copies (better in Italian than noting!) in a pair of years!<br>
<br>
Aitor <p></p><i></i>

[aitor iriarte]

At risk of being boring, I'll continue...<br>
<br>
That's Namatianus' kind of feeling what attracts me most from all Roman story. The final crisis and the ominous presence of a near end while the world around you seems to be falling into pieces! (too romantic!)<br>
<br>
What also attracts me from Late epoch are the brightly coloured hyperdecorated garments and the gilded, shiny armour. All of this seems to be absent from the film, a pity!<br>
<br>
Aitor <p></p><i></i>

[Daniel S Peterson]

Titus,<br>
It certainly doesn't look that promising from the still. We say the same three guys in all the pictures (besides the dinky ships). Too bad you didn't no abut this film earlier, l would have been happy to loan them some of the late Roman gear I took to Rome for the Vitoriono Museum exhibition. At least they would have had some correct armor then.<br>
<br>
We cannot pass judgement after seeing so little, but I would wager it will be bad from an authentic equipment standpoint, which is a shame, for it wouldn't have taken much cost or effort to have equipped a dozen or so guys completely authentic, and then multiply them with CGI effects as we have done on some of our little projects like the discovery channel Spartans.<br>
<br>
Dan <p></p><i></i>

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

<br>
Dan, yes, even (or especially) with a 2,5 million euro budget, a calling for re-enactors could be the best solution. Anyway the roman re-enactment matter (above all about the late Empire side) is less or more unknown yet to the big mass of people (and seeing "Gladiator", "Passion" and now "De reditu" we can confirm that). In Italy, we are trying to do something I think, but it's just a beginning, even along a right way in my opinion. The events (if of good quality) are working for that, and for that are so important. Here, after the events and exhibition many people knew a "new world", and a new way to see the Romans and their history. And maybe a new way to film their stories... <br>
<br>
Aitor, DVD? Of course, as soon as released...<br>
<br>
Quote:</em></strong><hr>That's Namatianus' kind of feeling what attracts me most from all Roman story. The final crisis and the ominous presence of a near end while the world around you seems to be falling into pieces! (too romantic!)<hr><br>
<br>
It's the same for me, I love the "wrong" side feelings at the end of an era, because the ends in general and the changing of the world by violence, deceit or trason clearly separates the honour and truth from opportunism, betrayal and lies. But the romantics are not the fashion anymore today, though even if hidden they are alive! The fall of the roman Empire was probably the highest moment of the usual few irreducible men and the lowest moment of the usual many opportunist ones... The morally aristocratic vision of the world was the only food that kept alive some concepts till us. The very Nature seems to be made for the opportunists (men and animals) and it could be the reason we are so fascinated by a not merely "functional" vision of life. If we are "dinosaurs", up with the dinosaurs <br>
<br>
Anyway making a movie about "the end" how we dream could be possible, Aitor. The present digital cameras, digital doctoring of the images, the existence of the re-enactors and Internet, make the making of a such movie easier than twenty years ago.<br>
<br>
What is needed is "just" : money (not so much), a great story, a good script, re-enactors and a lot of creativity to solve the low budget problems. The leaving of the legions from Britannia could be a good starting subject, for example.<br>
<br>
After all the movie festivals are so full of crap. We could start with a 5 minuts not documentary "short" with a good story...<br>
<br>
Valete,<br>
Titus Sabatinus Aquilius<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[aitor iriarte]

Really tempting, Titus!<br>
I had another story in mind, with only few actors involved (like 'De reditu') about a Roman patrol which is performing a 'cleaning' action (you know, killing women and children, burning farms...) outside the Rhin limes and, when they are returning to their base, they find out tht Barbarians have crossed over the frozen Rhin and have destroyed it. They must struggle to cross to their own lines while their whole world seems to be collapsing and Romans are suffering the same fate than they been aplying formerly to barbarians....<br>
Lots of snow and ice (blood and fire look great over the snow)<br>
<br>
Aitor <p></p><i></i>

[Daniel S Peterson]

Titus, Aitor,<br>
I too have dreamed of doing a Roman movie, it would have to be small, but it could have the distinction of being the most authentic ever made. Yes, now with digital dubbing and such on a standard pc. it is finally possible to make a 'home movie' as professional as the real thing.<br>
There are lots of great sites here in Germany to do this, several reconstructed Limes watchtowers, numerous reconstructed buildings, both Roman and Germanic, and the Archaeon in Holland, Archaoedrome in France. We ought to come up with a good story and try something.<br>
<br>
For starters we could do a more authentic cruxifiction than Mel did in Passion! The first one in fact, with real 1st century AD auxilliaries, as they no bout were.<br>
<br>
Dan <p></p><i></i>

[Flavius]

Saluete omnes!<br>
A "Passion/crucifixion" story by the point of view of a legionary/auxiliary (not a centurion) would be a very original subject and, involving a good group of reenactors, very cheap to produce too...<br>
Just to begin, it could be enough to shot a short documentary to show the everyday life of a roman soldier and to explain the differences between the movies and the reality.<br>
<br>
Another dream could be the story of a contubernium along the Rhine limes after the Clades Variana: among them there is a legionary, the son of the centurio Marcus Celius (the famous one of the gravestone), looking for the father and for the eagles captured...OK, OK, I'm dreaming<br>
<br>
Titus, do you think we can really do anything about?<br>
Valete.<br>
Flavius <p>---------<br>
Fecisti patriam diversis gentibus unam;<br>
profuit iniustis te dominante capi;<br>
dumque offers victis proprii consortia iuris,<br>
Urbem fecisti, quod prius orbis erat.<br>
(Rutilius Namatianus - De Reditu Suo, I, 63-66) </p><i></i>

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

<br>
<br>
Well, I'm glad I'm not alone about such feelings!<br>
<br>
<br>
The stories you told are interesting good to transform in a short movie.<br>
I see the Aitor's one really tempting, because it could be the best to be realized with a very, very, very, low budget and at the same time so working that can keep a lot of people's eyes stuck to the screen by the emotions.<br>
It is open to different lanes of narration and is perfect to entertain teaching the right atmosphere of those years along the Limes. It's also perfect to describe the feelings of each soldier of the patrol, and why not of their families (just little flashes). We could show the correct (and colorful, decorated) equipment and its correct use, the portable ballistae for example, with the, never seen by the public, darts quiver on the helmets in a sort of "guerrilla" tactics and ambushes...<br>
<br>
In my opinion it could not be a bare documentary short, we have already a lot of them, it could be rather a fictional short movie based on the finally right historic background and equipment, but focused on the psycological aspects, like pride, fear or depression of those men, always expecting the inexorable enemy, in a such changing moment of the world, and why those men, as many others in the History, continued to do their practically hopeless duty anyway...<br>
<br>
All that among snow, fire, technically right combat, blood and magnificent equipment...<br>
<br>
Yes, it could be done in my opinion, or better WE could be do that (and many other stories). Let's talk about it...<br>
<br>
Valete,<br>
<br>
Titus Sabatinus Aquilius<br>
<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Robert Vermaat]

All quite nice scenarios, but why not go for the big public and the big budget and do the sack of Rome, 410 AD?<br>
<br>
Valete,<br>
Valerius/Robert<br>
<br>
PS: am I the only one who has problems with EZboard? Times fonts, selection problems, weird lay-outs... <p></p><i></i>