Product Description: Step back in time and visit the "vanished city" on its last day as the mighty volcano Vesuvius explodes in a 24-hour reign of terror. On August 24th AD79 Pompeii's citizens witness day turning into night as 4 billion tons of pumice rock and ash burst forth from Vesuvius. Pompeii: The Last Day uses archaeological evidence including the writings of one survivor to unravel the mystery of those final hours. Lavish special effects reconstruct each stage of Vesuvius's cataclysmic eruption and its impact on soldiers slaves families and lovers as they struggle with the unfolding tragedy. One of the greatest natural disasters - and most fateful days - comes to vivid life in this critically acclaimed dramatization.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. UPC: 794051218025
Amazon.com: Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a great movie, but Colosseum: A Gladiator's Story has the distinct advantage of purely historical accuracy. The Roman gladiator whose story is told here is Verus (played by charismatic British hunk Robert Shannon), one of two victors in the only gladiatorial battle that was ever described in detail (by the Roman poet Martial in 80 A.D.). Using this factual record as its basis, Colosseum follows Verus as he is recruited from slavery, trained in gladiator's school, rises to favor among wealthy Romans, and ultimately battles his best friend, Priscus (Derek Lea), to a crowd-pleasing draw in the inaugural games of glorious, brand-new Colosseum, the construction of which is shown in fascinating detail. Combining authoritative narration with diary-like voiceovers from Verus's perspective, this riveting 50-minute BBC production is simultaneously intimate and epic in scale, employing the latest in digital compositing techniques to achieve its unparalleled (for TV, at least) visual splendor. With well-cast actors speaking authentic Latin, this sumptuous production is both dramatically involving and exacting in every detail.
Just as convincing--and just as impressive in its use of cutting-edge CGI--is the 50-minute bonus program Pompeii: The Final Day, which chronicles the final 24 hours of Pompeii when it was decimated by the ultraviolent eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 A.D. Inspired by the written descriptions of Pliny the Younger (whose detailed observations were later vindicated by geological science), recovered artifacts, and the haunting remains of Pompeii citizens preserved under tons of pumice and ash, Pompeii is first-rate from start to finish, proving yet again that the BBC is now setting the standard in lavishly produced docudrama programming. --Jeff Shannon
Underwhelmed While it was nice to see the story of Pompeii and the accompanying gladiator documentary, it wasn't all that entertaining. Very much like the documentaries that can be seen on the History Channel. It was a nice touch to have the actors speak in Latin, but overall it was a fairly simplistic production.
Another great documentary by the BBC These two documentaries: Pompeii & Gladiator are based on facts and depict people who indeed lived and died in the events here described, the stories are based on documents from the period. Thru the years I have grown fond of the work produced by the BBC; I feel that they convey correctly the story and facts of the Roman Empire. I highly recommend you to buy this product.
History in action This is one of the best DVDs of its type I've ever seen. Tells the REAL story behind the tradegy at Pompeii. Extraordinarily interesting. The accompanying Gladiator story is also worth watching if only because of the true story behind it and facts about gladiators I never knew before.
Very interesting I bought this for a World Cultures class I teach in sixth grade. Instead of boring still pictures the dramatizations of the the last days of Pompeii kept the kids engaged and interested.
A Gladiator's Story a huge success A Gladiator's Story has several great things going for it, but the strongest is its factually-based story. The cinematography captures the scenes wonderfully, without becoming a cheesy over-produced extravaganza. By incorporating simple Latin phrases in the dialog, the introductory Latin student is hooked, and the Roman life details help the viewer to identify with aspects of humanity (funerals, religion). A quick pace and frequent references to help the viewer understand the significance of the scenes make the story clear and enjoyable. As a Latin teacher, I used this in a unit with my 7th and 8th grade students who enjoyed it immeasurably. A winner!
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