Pertinax Posted May 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 I anticipate Vin Diesel will personally trample a couple of Legions, with his own special elephant , which will later die in a heart rending scene, (whilst he gives a speech about bio-diversity). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil25 Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 Is that the elephant who gives the speech, or Vin Diesel, Pertinax? I'm surprised, longbow, that you didn't like the costumes - I detected a lot of good research and work by designers. At least we didn't get legionaries wearing the lorica segmentata, as we might from Hollywood at one time!! Someone had accepted that Roman armies at that time were composed of different types of troops and we even had some wearing wolf skin headdresses. Frankly, I've seen worse. Come to think of it, Mel Gibson's anachronistic, woad-painted celts (an insult to any sensible Scot) in Braveheart, which you chose to watch, were far worse!! My only query was why, given the resources put into it, this was not three, rather than, a single episode that inevitably had to rush things. As to the stirrups, many Roman movies include them, and I suspect that training and using extras without stirrups is probably costly to have any numbers, and carries a higher health and safety risk. For a fairly short programme, I didn't think it was bad, with many of the failings of what loked like an international production. fabius' toga and senatorial boots looked acceptable, and Scipio had a form of triumphal dress when he returned from Spain. But why Hannibal had to have what appeared to be the same brownish rag (rather than a patch) covering his missing eye for several years, remains a mystery. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neos Dionysos Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 I just saw this... looked up what they are saying the "plot" of the movie is... because, let's be honest how many people when they hear "Hannibal" think the Carthagian General, or the Hollywood Serial Killer... So... this is what it says... "Vin Diesel stars as the Carthaginian general who led an elephant-riding battalion across the Alps to attack Rome in the 3rd Century B.C." God help us if they use this litterally and he has like a couple hundred men on Elephants riding around Rome... I fear another Gladiator... good movie, nice story... terrible history... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princeps Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 I love both Braveheart and Gladiator. True, neither is astonishingly accurate, but they're both still excellent. Both still manage to bring a tear to my eye in the end, if I'm in the right mood. That's saying a lot, considering my world weary, jaded outlook on life these days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longbow Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 (edited) Frankly, I've seen worse. Come to think of it, Mel Gibson's anachronistic, woad-painted celts (an insult to any sensible Scot) in Braveheart, which you chose to watch, were far worse!! Whoo there,i think your getting me mixed up m8, it was Princeps who chose to watch Braveheart not me(i watched Hannibal) .Dont get me started on Braveheart i could be here all day listing the faults with that crap!The most annoying thing about Bravehaert,apart from the battle scene at Stirling Bridge (without the bridge ) where Wallace 'invents' pike warfare is the fact they left Andrew Murray out completely!Murray's the true hero of the Scots not Wallace. As to the stirrups, many Roman movies include them, and I suspect that training and using extras without stirrups is probably costly to have any numbers, and carries a higher health and safety risk. I think its unacceptable to recreate the scenes using the wrong equipment,you can at least try and hide the stirrups/saddles like they did in the 'Alexander' movie.The HBO/BBC Rome series didnt use stirrups at all,i know they had a bigger budget and therefore could afford to employ better riders but they could of tried to be more accurate at least for the close up shots where the horses arent even moving,how hard can it be to sit on a horse and say a few lines? I'm surprised, longbow, that you didn't like the costumes Its not that i think the Roman costumes are unaccurate,i think they didnt look very good on the actors (dont think i saw one soldier who's helmet or cuirass actually fitted them correctly) and it all just looked a bit cheap and plasticy.But the Numidian cavalry didnt look anything like it should,and thats wrong IMHO. I did enjoy the production but the little details niggle at me,i cant help it Longbow Edited May 17, 2006 by longbow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pertinax Posted May 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 Its the cuirass that was niggling me as well-they looked like they were small stamped-on afterthoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 I think its unacceptable to recreate the scenes using the wrong equipment,you can at least try and hide the stirrups/saddles like they did in the 'Alexander' movie.The HBO/BBC Rome series didnt use stirrups at all,i know they had a bigger budget and therefore could afford to employ better riders but they could of tried to be more accurate at least for the close up shots where the horses arent even moving,how hard can it be to sit on a horse and say a few lines? Haven't seen it but I agree especially if there are using CG elswhere in the production... Just edit them out! Same for horeshoes! Or like you say, hire someone who can ride bareback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pertinax Posted May 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 When I meet the mounted Auxilliae at Ribchester I will ask them about the comparative stability of horned saddles versus stirrups, previous displays seem to indicate a firm seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plautus Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 This may be slightly off topic for Roman themes, but if you are craving ancient subject matter, the film version of Leonidas and the Three Hundred Spartans is in post production currently. It is due for release in 2007. It is based on the book 300 by Frank Miller, the author of Sin City. Friends of mine working on the digital post say it's looking pretty good, but knowing Miller it will probably be stylized. Check out the details here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416449/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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