Gladiateurs

This drama documentary was included as a DVD extra on Pompeii: The Last Day (2003) TV. I started watching it with little expectations and actually ended up liking it better than the main movie on the DVD.

One of the main reasons I enjoyed Coloseum: A Gladiator's Story is that the spoken dialog was in Latin. I studied Latin in High School, but have never heard it spoken on screen before. I think the movie would be understandable to someone who did not study Latin, as the narration is in English.

I liked the references to Martial (who I have not read) and Seutoneus (who I am just starting to read).

This story was not just about Gladiators, but about the political climate of the time and the reasons for building the Flavian Amphitheatre (known today as the Colosseum).

There is too little documentary value in this docu-drama, and frankly speaking I do not exactly know what the BBC invested so much in it. it may have been for rating reasons at the time of the release of the 'Gladiator' big studios movie, I am just speculating. The film focuses on the history of a gladiator by the time the Colosseum was built we learn a few new facts about the daily life and training methods of the gladiators and the organization of the fights, but the documentary value is too diluted and the fiction part not really too interesting. I found confusing the mix of first person story telling and historical comment in the off-screen commentary. Overall a below-average docu-drama.

Odd mix of original language, voice-over (multiple narrators with not distinctive enough voices), filmed drama, attempt at a documentary. I found it enjoyable, because I enjoy nearly everything about the classical world, and enjoy accuracy if the entertainment factor isn't there.

It was nice to see some myths defused, such as gladiators were always killed in the matches. But information regarding the building itself was glossed over. It's an architectural marvel, and deserves as much attention as the bloody spectacles that went on inside.

So if you're a history buff, this isn't boring. If you're not, you may be bored and possibly confused. And it seems that something with this big a budget could have been better. The voice over narrative consists of quotes, the narrator, the subject of the story (Verus the slave), so it gets a bit crowded.

The big cat facts and portrayal were probably the most interesting parts of the video

Colosseum: A Gladiator's Story is a surprisingly good documentary. It seems to be the only movie about gladiators that isn't dramatically romanticized. This doesn't mean the story is 100% true but it is at least based on the only real documented fight in the arena. Seeing this movie gives the opportunity to have a look in the live of a gladiator.

The special effects and the background pictures in the movie aren't really great, which is disappointing. One has to admit this hasn't really an effect on the tensity of the movie. The movie reflects on the customs and the values of the Roman society. Besides that it gives information about the (motives behind the) construction of the Colosseum and the fate of gladiators and other slaves.

Just prior to watching this, I read the other reviews of this. While there were only two that were particularly negative(and I won't claim that they're in the wrong... in fact, they bring up good points), I found my expectations lowering... and not being much of a fan of documentaries, and having little interest in history, they weren't high to start with. I tried to keep an open mind, and it worked; I liked what I saw. Instead of being purely a documentary, the narrator introduces us to Verus, our lead, within the first few minutes... after which, he joins in the narrating. From that point on, the narration is somewhat mixed... Verus tells us what he sees and experiences, and whenever he isn't in the scene(and occasionally while he is), the "present day" narrator explains about the gladiators and the time in which this took place... and slays several wide-spread myths about both, in the process. The drama and the documentary elements aren't separated... while it could have chosen to be either a full-on drama(no doubt evoking more emotions from the audience) or a genuine documentary(most likely being able to include even more information about the time), it chose an interesting path, involving both. The plot is as factual as it can be(as are all the tidbits of information), and it's well-told. The direction is impressively effective, being dramatic when it should be. The pace is very good. I was never bored for a second. The dialog is all in Latin, which is definitely commendable. The narration explains the important things said, though subtitles would have been nice. The fights, while they are fairly frequent, could have been just slightly better. Being a big fan of martial arts, they were a big part of why I watched this at all... and I would be lying if I claimed that I was not impressed with them. But the filming should have covered them better and the editing should have been tighter. Far too often, the momentum, the intensity was lost, if only for a second or two. Worse still, there were times when it was difficult to tell what was going on. If this were done on purpose, if the direction taken when making this was to show how chaotic these fights were, then it would have been a good creative call. But this was supposed to be a factual, detailed depiction of gladiatorial combat, and inducing head-scratching(as well as possibly causing some viewers to rewind in order to try to pick up on what *did* happen) is not good. The acting varies. All in all, I would say that anyone interested in the history will almost certainly like this. Anyone wanting an authentic drama set in this period will be satisfied. I would advise anyone simply in it for the fighting to not spend too much money on it, as you may find it unimpressive(compared to Hollywood and recent TV show fighting scenes). I recommend this to anyone in the aforementioned groups, and there is a bonus to anyone who speaks Latin(as every single line of dialog spoken is in this language). A very well done piece of film and documentary. 7/10