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Rating: 
Summary: To Endure Being Burned, Bound, Beaten And Slain By The Sword
Review:
That was the notorious oath of the gladiator. Documentaries such as this offering always provide such a mind-opening window into a subject of acquired taste, they're severely valuable. As a matter of fact, programs like this, and also its like-minded brethren, continually air on the Discovery network of monopolized channels up to this late day, eliminating any reason to still buy this dvd and/or vhs.
Firstly, the unqualified and skewed perspective of the purported Amazon.com reviewer's editorial is plainly incorrect, and needs to be righted. The original roots of Gladiatorism actually stem from Etruscan origins, directly contrary to Amazon.com's self-righteous reviewer's, disrespectable and disappointing claim of it coming from "casual attractions in town squares". The Etruscans, whose name is derived from the ancient geographical region of Etruria, produced the same-named people who would be the forefathers, and then stewards of all things Roman, seeing as how at the start of their civilization, Romans stole excessive aspects of Etrurian life, after deposing of them by the catalyst for their revolution, which was the murder of Lucretia. But, with my additional, free-of-charge information, I've digressed. At the funeral of some important, societal figure in Etruscan life, the Etruscans would perversely stage sadistic "gladiatorial" games--consisting of only 2 participants at the gladiatorial concept's infancy--in their bloodthirsty distortion of values, which was common in the ancient world. This was done to allegedly "celebrate" the accomplishments of the deceased; i.e. that meant that the more blood that was shed at these games for that deceased person, the more honor was being done to his life.
There's a particularly telling part in this program, one that specifically uses the archaeological evidence of skeletons found in definitively curious positions to establish just one of the many rattling and arcane innuendos surrounding the gladiator. That being, that there apparently was the body of a harshly wealthy noblewoman found--thanks to the preservative pumice of Vesuvius--being shielded under the arm of a preserved gladiator, inside the gladiators' quarters, surrounded by as much as up to 18 gladiators, inside of the building in Pompeii that would serve as their training grounds/housing. Speculation is the one avenue left for one to determine her exact purpose in that suspiciously scandalous association. Reason being, for said scandal, is that in the Roman world, gladiators had a specially stigmatizing libel hung on to them, called infamy. This dictated that in society, they were spat on and outcast as the lowest of the lowest scourges, represented in how they didn't even have citizen status, wherein they couldn't even vote, one of their many disenfranchisements. However, this notoriety had excessive and really unequal perks, as an unfair side effect of how they were labeled as "forbidden". In layman's terms, they were homicidally embellished to "sex god" status, and their sweat was in fact errantly considered as an aphrodisiacal substance. This was the contention of the woman's presence, that the program makes, for her being exclusively interred in the quarters of 18 robust men.
Another disturbing facet of information is the decidedly bloodlusting rage that all Romans, from all walks of Roman life (which, realistically, included only 2 definite divisions: 5% rich, the crushing rest of the populus 95% ghoulishly impoverished) barbarically lusted for. This was the brutal relentlessness of the frequency with which that the fated Death Matches were put on, and also the genocidally beastly number of the casualties. Since in Ancient Rome every other day was a state-oppressed "holiday", this half of the time in the year was unscrupulously misused to stage the most sensationalistic, propaganda-based games, whose exclusive, planned function was to, cunningly, dupe the masses of Rome into feeling "alleviated" of their everyday worries. Worries that stemmed from living in a conclusively brutal ancient world where people's life expectancy was seriously low, and, adding insult to injury, where the majority were living in the poorest of squalor. This was the callous and unrighteous irony of what the morally twisted early civilizations misappropriated to feel better about themselves: to simply punish worse atrocities on others.
These are only some of the exorbitant, educational enlightenments that this hour-long window into this subject offers. These programs that are produced, from the Discovery monopoly of like channels all taken over by one managing group, are so vibrant and lush that they bring alive the theme being documented.
Rating: 
Summary: The grim reality behind the Hollywood spectacle
Review: I thought this video was an excellent documentary, which should be viewed alongside the recent Academy Award winning movie. This documentary helps one really understand the times portrayed in the movie. I thorougly recommend this video.
Rating:
Summary: The grim reality behind the Hollywood spectacle
Review: I thought this video was an excellent documentary, which should be viewed alongside the recent Academy Award winning movie. This documentary helps one really understand the times portrayed in the movie. I thorougly recommend this video.
Rating:
Summary: To Endure Being Burned, Bound, Beaten And Slain By The Sword
Review: That was the notorious oath of the gladiator. Documentaries such as this offering always provide such a mind-opening window into a subject of acquired taste, they're severely valuable. As a matter of fact, programs like this, and also its like-minded brethren, continually air on the Discovery network of monopolized channels up to this late day, eliminating any reason to still buy this dvd and/or vhs.Firstly, the unqualified and skewed perspective of the purported Amazon.com reviewer's editorial is plainly incorrect, and needs to be righted. The original roots of Gladiatorism actually stem from Etruscan origins, directly contrary to Amazon.com's self-righteous reviewer's, disrespectable and disappointing claim of it coming from "casual attractions in town squares". The Etruscans, whose name is derived from the ancient geographical region of Etruria, produced the same-named people who would be the forefathers, and then stewards of all things Roman, seeing as how at the start of their civilization, Romans stole excessive aspects of Etrurian life, after deposing of them by the catalyst for their revolution, which was the murder of Lucretia. But, with my additional, free-of-charge information, I've digressed. At the funeral of some important, societal figure in Etruscan life, the Etruscans would perversely stage sadistic "gladiatorial" games--consisting of only 2 participants at the gladiatorial concept's infancy--in their bloodthirsty distortion of values, which was common in the ancient world. This was done to allegedly "celebrate" the accomplishments of the deceased; i.e. that meant that the more blood that was shed at these games for that deceased person, the more honor was being done to his life. There's a particularly telling part in this program, one that specifically uses the archaeological evidence of skeletons found in definitively curious positions to establish just one of the many rattling and arcane innuendos surrounding the gladiator. That being, that there apparently was the body of a harshly wealthy noblewoman found--thanks to the preservative pumice of Vesuvius--being shielded under the arm of a preserved gladiator, inside the gladiators' quarters, surrounded by as much as up to 18 gladiators, inside of the building in Pompeii that would serve as their training grounds/housing. Speculation is the one avenue left for one to determine her exact purpose in that suspiciously scandalous association. Reason being, for said scandal, is that in the Roman world, gladiators had a specially stigmatizing libel hung on to them, called infamy. This dictated that in society, they were spat on and outcast as the lowest of the lowest scourges, represented in how they didn't even have citizen status, wherein they couldn't even vote, one of their many disenfranchisements. However, this notoriety had excessive and really unequal perks, as an unfair side effect of how they were labeled as "forbidden". In layman's terms, they were homicidally embellished to "sex god" status, and their sweat was in fact errantly considered as an aphrodisiacal substance. This was the contention of the woman's presence, that the program makes, for her being exclusively interred in the quarters of 18 robust men. Another disturbing facet of information is the decidedly bloodlusting rage that all Romans, from all walks of Roman life (which, realistically, included only 2 definite divisions: 5% rich, the crushing rest of the populus 95% ghoulishly impoverished) barbarically lusted for. This was the brutal relentlessness of the frequency with which that the fated Death Matches were put on, and also the genocidally beastly number of the casualties. Since in Ancient Rome every other day was a state-oppressed "holiday", this half of the time in the year was unscrupulously misused to stage the most sensationalistic, propaganda-based games, whose exclusive, planned function was to, cunningly, dupe the masses of Rome into feeling "alleviated" of their everyday worries. Worries that stemmed from living in a conclusively brutal ancient world where people's life expectancy was seriously low, and, adding insult to injury, where the majority were living in the poorest of squalor. This was the callous and unrighteous irony of what the morally twisted early civilizations misappropriated to feel better about themselves: to simply punish worse atrocities on others. These are only some of the exorbitant, educational enlightenments that this hour-long window into this subject offers. These programs that are produced, from the Discovery monopoly of like channels all taken over by one managing group, are so vibrant and lush that they bring alive the theme being documented.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Irritating Flickering Scenes
Review: This is the WORST DVD I ever bought technically! The movie excerpts are from clippings from old films and the clarity is beyond recognition. I find the excerpts very irritating. They were a lot of flickering (as if you are watching a movie or television show using an old television set or your set back to the 1950's when the frame of the TV screen keeps on flickering continuously until the screen stabilizes). The running time is actually more or less an hour and not 90 minutes as advertised. The special features are not really special anymore because they were just repeats of the main feature. You will realize that you will watching the same scenes a couple of times. Some scenes are shown more than five times just to stretch the time. Do not waste your money with this DVD. I wasted mine! This is not a DVD quality. The quality of the silent movies are much better!
Rating:
Summary: Very Irritating Flickering Scenes
Review: This is the WORST DVD I ever bought technically! The movie excerpts are from clippings from old films and the clarity is beyond recognition. I find the excerpts very irritating. They were a lot of flickering (as if you are watching a movie or television show using an old television set or your set back to the 1950's when the frame of the TV screen keeps on flickering continuously until the screen stabilizes). The running time is actually more or less an hour and not 90 minutes as advertised. The special features are not really special anymore because they were just repeats of the main feature. You will realize that you will watching the same scenes a couple of times. Some scenes are shown more than five times just to stretch the time. Do not waste your money with this DVD. I wasted mine! This is not a DVD quality. The quality of the silent movies are much better!
Rating:
Summary: Just the facts , please
Review: While I found this DVD to be very well produce as far as special effects are concerned, I aslo found several of the statements made by the narrator to be suspect at best. For instance the narrator states that corporations owned most of the chariots used in the Circus Maximus to race. I have read quite a lot about the Roman Empire and nowhere have I ever read any information which stated the existence of any corporations in ancient Rome. I also found the weapons which the actors used in the reenactments to be very cheesy indeed. The swords looked like they were cut out sheet metal to look like swords. They had no edge on the blades at all. The narrator (David Hemmings) was also very hard to understand at times due to the raspy quality of his voice. I think the choice of narrator was a mistake. On the postive side the documentary made good use of the facts about gladiators which has been uncovered by the archaelogical finds at Pompei and had several experts providing information through out the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Just the facts , please
Review: While I found this DVD to be very well produce as far as special effects are concerned, I aslo found several of the statements made by the narrator to be suspect at best. For instance the narrator states that corporations owned most of the chariots used in the Circus Maximus to race. I have read quite a lot about the Roman Empire and nowhere have I ever read any information which stated the existence of any corporations in ancient Rome. I also found the weapons which the actors used in the reenactments to be very cheesy indeed. The swords looked like they were cut out sheet metal to look like swords. They had no edge on the blades at all. The narrator (David Hemmings) was also very hard to understand at times due to the raspy quality of his voice. I think the choice of narrator was a mistake. On the postive side the documentary made good use of the facts about gladiators which has been uncovered by the archaelogical finds at Pompei and had several experts providing information through out the DVD.
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