02-02-2005 00:16									#121
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quote: Originally posted by Ned Also, how would one classify Gladiator?

As a poor remake of Spartacus?

Seriously, No one mentioned any Civil War genre movies?

I would add;

Gettysburg (Killer Angels)

and

Glory

to the lists.

	02-02-2005 01:21									#122
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quote: Originally posted by Ted Striker The Patriot is pretty bad, though entertaining I think the cheeziest part is when Mel Gibson charges a horse during a full frontal assualt using the American flag as a spear.

The Patriot is a great movie!

	02-02-2005 03:08									#123
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quote: Originally posted by Ned Favorite war films: Also, how would one classify Gladiator?

Cheesey, but with some fun bits.

	02-02-2005 04:12									#124
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I saw a Japanese movie from the 50's or 60's concerning a Japanese unit in Burma during WWII. I saw it on TV, but not from the beginning of the film. I don't even know the name of the film. But what I do recall is that the film was very, very good.

If anyone here knows of the film, I would rent it in a heartbeat to see it again.

	02-02-2005 16:03									#125
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Not sure if this was mentioned here before:

Has anyone seen that new French movie "Un long dimanche de fiançailles/ A very long engagement"? IIUC it is part love movie/part WWI epic? Opinions about it?

It just started here in Germany and I haven't watched it yet....

	02-02-2005 16:20									#126
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quote: Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe As a poor remake of Spartacus?

As a poor successor to 'Spartacus' and the superior 'Fall of the Roman Empire'. Alec Guinness is a much better Marcus Aurelius than Richard Harris, and the mustering of Rome's allies and forces at the beginning displays a keen eye for spectacle.

What irks most about 'Gladiator' for me is the entirely unnecessary schlock Hollywood ending. Utterly irritating, and weaker by far than either the ending of 'Spartacus' (which I still find convincing and moving) or the cynicism of the end of 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' where the position of Emperor is up for grabs to the highest bidder.

I did like the arena scenes, and I did like the dream sequences/prophetic visions in 'Gladiator' but the cityscpae of Rome just liked like some multi-storey grey 20th Century brutalist landscape. The Romans knew how to dye and colour concrete, fer crissakes, and painted and gilded statuary. They didn't live in some bleak cheap Mies van der Rohe knock-off....

	02-02-2005 22:50									#127
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quote: Originally posted by BeBro Not sure if this was mentioned here before: Has anyone seen that new French movie "Un long dimanche de fiançailles/ A very long engagement"? IIUC it is part love movie/part WWI epic? Opinions about it? It just started here in Germany and I haven't watched it yet....

I would say this film is part propaganda and part romance. The propaganda film is all about how the French officer corps is corrupt and wantonly cruel to the enlisted soldiers. The romance is uneven. I especially liked the story involving Jodie Foster's character however.

	02-02-2005 22:58									#128
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quote: Originally posted by molly bloom As a poor successor to 'Spartacus' and the superior 'Fall of the Roman Empire'. Alec Guinness is a much better Marcus Aurelius than Richard Harris, and the mustering of Rome's allies and forces at the beginning displays a keen eye for spectacle. What irks most about 'Gladiator' for me is the entirely unnecessary schlock Hollywood ending. Utterly irritating, and weaker by far than either the ending of 'Spartacus' (which I still find convincing and moving) or the cynicism of the end of 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' where the position of Emperor is up for grabs to the highest bidder. I did like the arena scenes, and I did like the dream sequences/prophetic visions in 'Gladiator' but the cityscpae of Rome just liked like some multi-storey grey 20th Century brutalist landscape. The Romans knew how to dye and colour concrete, fer crissakes, and painted and gilded statuary. They didn't live in some bleak cheap Mies van der Rohe knock-off....

Perhaps the vision of ancient Rome was wrong, but it was extremely impressive regardless. The recreation of the Colliseum was impressive. Also the scene where Commodus rides his chariot past the assembled cohorts to the steps of his palace was very impressive. (I did a rough count of the number of troops shown in the scene. I figured it to be 30,000.) When I saw it, I had flashes of the Nazi assembly at Nuremberg where Hitler marches down between the assembled German Army. Either the movie was inspired by Nuremberg or Hitler (Speer) was inspired by Rome. Regardless, such displays of military might are very effective.