Gladiator

Cast View all

	Russell Crowe	Maximus
	Joaquin Phoenix	Commodus
	Connie Nielsen	Lucilla
	Oliver Reed	Proximo
	Richard Harris	Marcus Aurelius
	Derek Jacobi	Gracchus
	Djimon Hounsou	Juba
	David Schofield	Falco
	John Shrapnel	Gaius
	Tomas Arana	Quintus
	Ralf Moeller	Hagen
	Spencer Treat Clark	Lucius
	David Hemmings	Cassius
	Tommy Flanagan	Cicero
	Sven-Ole Thorsen	Tigris
	Omid Djalili	Slave Trader
	Nicholas McGaughey	Praetorian Officer
	Chris Kell	Scribe
	Tony Curran	Assassin #1
	Mark Lewis	Assassin #2
	John Quinn	Valerius
	Alun Raglan	Praetorian Guard #1
	David Bailie	Engineer
	Chick Allan	German Leader
	David J. Nicholls	Giant Man

Crew View all

Director	Ridley Scott
Writer	David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson
Producer	David Franzoni, Branko Lustig, Laurie MacDonald, Terry Needham, Walter F. Parkes, Ridley Scott, Douglas Wick
Musician	Lisa Gerrard, Hans Zimmer
Photography	John Mathieson

Personal

Notes

Story Synopsis:
Aging Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Harris) knows that his life is drawing to a close, and makes the decision to name his powerful and trusted general Maximus (Crowe) as his successor to rule the empire-passing over his bitter and devious son Commodus (Phoenix). Angered (really angered) when he gets wind of the slight, Commodus murders his father, seizes the throne, and attempts to assissinate Maximus who flees the country and is ultimately forced into slavery and is trained as a “Gladiator.” In this venue, he also rises to the top of the field and his hope is that he can use his new popularity to unseat the tyrannical Roman leader and fulfill Marcus’ dying wishes. Bloody and violent, this is not a film for everyone. (Laurie Sevano)

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 DVD exhibits stunning quality, with scenes shot with different stylized qualities. Some scenes are cold with monochromatic, harshly contrasted gradients of blues to pure blacks. Other scenes utilize rich golds for a warmer appearance. Contrast and shadow dilineation are nicely rendered, with excellent visula information in the darker scenes. Throughout the color scheme, hues are nicely balanced. Images are sharp, with fine facial, costume and background details. Other scenes are somewhat “harsh” with minor edge enhancement, but pixelization is rarely a factor. Occasionally, fine details shimmer in the armor of the gladiators, but rarely to the point of distraction. There are occasional instances in which aliasing problems occur. Overall, the picture exhibts exemplary solidity and clarity. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
“Gladiator” is presented on this DVD with a Dolby Digital Surround EX-encoded 5.1-channel soundtrack as well as a DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 soundtrack. There is also a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround mix--not reviewed. The DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 track is backward compatible and thus can be decoded with any existing DTS 5.1-channel decoder, as well as Surround EX or Surround EX “compatible” 5.1-channel DTS decoders. “Gladiator” is the second feature film to be released on DVD with a DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 soundtrack (The Haunting was the first--reviewed in Issue 41), and the result is an exciting and aggressive soundtrack that takes full advantage of the new 6.1 format. All three surround channels (incuding the surround back) are used aggressively throughout the film to create a spatially defined soundfield with directionalized effects as well as surround envelopment that effectively immerses the viewer in the battles of ancient Rome. The combatants and their actions are captured as are the crowds that cheer and jeer with the action. The LFE has weight and depth but is well balanced and integrated within the soundtrack adding tight and textured punctuation to the low end of this outstanding soundtrack. Dynamics are simply astounding and detail is equally tremendous. there are some terrific instances in which sound effects image from the front channels to the surround back channel, effectively tracking sonic images over the viewer’s head. This is especially evident with the catapulted fireballs in the opening battle sequence. Also, in Chapter 11, as the gladiators are awaiting their first battle, there is a terrific sound effect of the gladiators’ enemy swinging a ball and chain. On the discrete 6.1 track, this effect is astonishingly convincing as the sound swirls overhead, dramatically heightening the suspence during this tense scene. The surround back channel is more clearly defined on the DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 track, and the surround channels image noticeably wider than the matrixed playback--these are the advantages of the DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 format that are readily apparent with “Gladiator.” Although inferior to the Discrete 6.1 presentation, matrixed playback of the DTS track offers some improvement in the surround back channel’s palpability within the soundfield compared to the Dolby Digital track. This is likely due to what I perceiveed to be superior detail and resolution from the DTS track. The DTS soundtrack is a substantial improvement over the Dolby Digital, revealing sonic details that are simply lost in the Dolby Digital rendition. The only disadvantage with the DTS track is that the additional detail may be enough to send some people looking for the Re-EQ button during battle sequences as swords and helmets and armor collide to make harsh metallic sound effects that are rendered with great clarity. These aren’t meant to be pretty sounds and the DTS track gives you the full measure of these violent sound effects. The DTS soundtrack was much less confined to the speaker positions offering superior imaging in between speaker positions, especially along the sidewalls. This made for a much more convincing holosonic experience in the softer passages of the soundtrack (such as Chapters 5 and 6) as well as the raucous ones that take place in the coliseum. Hans Zimmer’s score for the film is powerful and poignant, as moving as the subject matter dictates. Zimmer’s work is very well recorded and the DTS track captures this effort, which features some amazing vocal work by Lisa Gerrard, to a more faithful and natural degree than the Dolby Digital track. The vocals and strings, in particular, sounded much more natural, involving, and musical. The soundstage depth was also increased, as was the image focus and specificity. The Surround EX-encoded Dolby Digital track simply sounded two-dimensional and a bit flat compared to the awesome DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 track, and this was perhaps most apparent listening to the film’s score. “Gladiator” is an outstanding achievement in movie sound and the DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 soundtrack presented here is of reference quality. (Shane Buettner)



This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
Collector Edition
Reference Quality
Superb Cinematography
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality

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