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I used to think that all the fancy extra bits that came with a DVD movie weren't worth watching, just a few odds and ends of cutting room floor scenes mixed in with a 'making of' documentary.
But my views have been completely changed by the edition of Gladiator on DVD.
The film itself is superb as most of us will agree, but the Extras! WOW!! After watching the film, the extra 'scenes from the cutting room floor' section really helped to fill in the odd gap in the movie that I had been wondering about.
Then there was the option of watching the whole film again, but this time with Ridley Scott (Director) and some of the other film-makers commentating all the way through it on how and why each scene was filmed the way it was, giving you great indepth knowledge about the practicalities of certain action sequences (like the way they filmed a horse galloping down a 45 degree slope, for example).
So I investigated the extras a bit further, and came across the journal of one of the actors who kept a running diary of his days on the film set, which was fascinating and included comments like: 'Don't feel like writing much today, Oliver Reed died last night'. Stirring stuff.
Then there were also 2 documentaries, the obligatory 'Making Of' one, which I'd already seen most of on Sky, and the more cerebral one about the life and times in the Roman Empire, which was both educational and gave a much broader understanding of the issues brought up in the film.
So my views on DVD extras have been completely turned around by the Gladiator package. Where before I was looking at my DVD as a way of viewing great films with great clarity and sound enhancements, I know look at it also as an enlightening tool enabling me to see 'inside' films and thereby get much more enjoyment out of them.
But my views have been completely changed by the edition of Gladiator on DVD.
The film itself is superb as most of us will agree, but the Extras! WOW!! After watching the film, the extra 'scenes from the cutting room floor' section really helped to fill in the odd gap in the movie that I had been wondering about.
Then there was the option of watching the whole film again, but this time with Ridley Scott (Director) and some of the other film-makers commentating all the way through it on how and why each scene was filmed the way it was, giving you great indepth knowledge about the practicalities of certain action sequences (like the way they filmed a horse galloping down a 45 degree slope, for example).
So I investigated the extras a bit further, and came across the journal of one of the actors who kept a running diary of his days on the film set, which was fascinating and included comments like: 'Don't feel like writing much today, Oliver Reed died last night'. Stirring stuff.
Then there were also 2 documentaries, the obligatory 'Making Of' one, which I'd already seen most of on Sky, and the more cerebral one about the life and times in the Roman Empire, which was both educational and gave a much broader understanding of the issues brought up in the film.
So my views on DVD extras have been completely turned around by the Gladiator package. Where before I was looking at my DVD as a way of viewing great films with great clarity and sound enhancements, I know look at it also as an enlightening tool enabling me to see 'inside' films and thereby get much more enjoyment out of them.
I used to think that all the fancy extra bits that came with a DVD movie weren't worth watching, just a few odds and ends of cutting room floor scenes mixed in with a 'making of' documentary.
But my views have been completely changed by the edition of Gladiator on DVD.
The film itself is superb as most of us will agree, but the Extras! WOW!! After watching the film, the extra 'scenes from the cutting room floor' section really helped to fill in the odd gap in the movie that I had been wondering about.
Then there was the option of watching the whole film again, but this time with Ridley Scott (Director) and some of the other film-makers commentating all the way through it on how and why each scene was filmed the way it was, giving you great indepth knowledge about the practicalities of certain action sequences (like the way they filmed a horse galloping down a 45 degree slope, for example).
So I investigated the extras a bit further, and came across the journal of one of the actors who kept a running diary of his days on the film set, which was fascinating and included comments like: 'Don't feel like writing much today, Oliver Reed died last night'. Stirring stuff.
Then there were also 2 documentaries, the obligatory 'Making Of' one, which I'd already seen most of on Sky, and the more cerebral one about the life and times in the Roman Empire, which was both educational and gave a much broader understanding of the issues brought up in the film.
So my views on DVD extras have been completely turned around by the Gladiator package. Where before I was looking at my DVD as a way of viewing great films with great clarity and sound enhancements, I know look at it also as an enlightening tool enabling me to see 'inside' films and thereby get much more enjoyment out of them.
But my views have been completely changed by the edition of Gladiator on DVD.
The film itself is superb as most of us will agree, but the Extras! WOW!! After watching the film, the extra 'scenes from the cutting room floor' section really helped to fill in the odd gap in the movie that I had been wondering about.
Then there was the option of watching the whole film again, but this time with Ridley Scott (Director) and some of the other film-makers commentating all the way through it on how and why each scene was filmed the way it was, giving you great indepth knowledge about the practicalities of certain action sequences (like the way they filmed a horse galloping down a 45 degree slope, for example).
So I investigated the extras a bit further, and came across the journal of one of the actors who kept a running diary of his days on the film set, which was fascinating and included comments like: 'Don't feel like writing much today, Oliver Reed died last night'. Stirring stuff.
Then there were also 2 documentaries, the obligatory 'Making Of' one, which I'd already seen most of on Sky, and the more cerebral one about the life and times in the Roman Empire, which was both educational and gave a much broader understanding of the issues brought up in the film.
So my views on DVD extras have been completely turned around by the Gladiator package. Where before I was looking at my DVD as a way of viewing great films with great clarity and sound enhancements, I know look at it also as an enlightening tool enabling me to see 'inside' films and thereby get much more enjoyment out of them.
I agree the extras are well worth the extra cost of a DVD. I especially like the deleted scenes too because I've seen DVD's like High Fidelity and American History X that have about half an hour of footage that was never in the cinema that you can understand why it was left out but still glad was on the DVD because they give greater depth into what the director originaly wanted us too see.
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