Here come the historical epics....
11-30-02, 12:44 PM
#1
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Here come the historical epics....
There's a cool front page article on the friday edition of USA Today about the return of historical film epics. click this link for a condensed version: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/...-28-epic_x.htm
also, the article had an interesting bit of info regarding "Gods & Generals", the follow-up that Ronald F. Maxwell is making to his "Gettysburg":
"Gods & Generals will become a different movie when it is transferred to disc. The 3 1/2-hour film will become a six-hour opus and will include, among other extras, the battle of Antietam. "The sound, the visuals, it's going to be great on DVD," says generals director Ron Maxwell."
Sweet. It just keeps getting better and better for DVD.
also, the article had an interesting bit of info regarding "Gods & Generals", the follow-up that Ronald F. Maxwell is making to his "Gettysburg":
"Gods & Generals will become a different movie when it is transferred to disc. The 3 1/2-hour film will become a six-hour opus and will include, among other extras, the battle of Antietam. "The sound, the visuals, it's going to be great on DVD," says generals director Ron Maxwell."
Sweet. It just keeps getting better and better for DVD.
11-30-02, 02:32 PM
#3
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thanks Doctor Gonzo for posting the link!
As a fan of those old historical epics, I look forward to Hollywood producing a new batch of films to keep company (I hope) with the likes of:
Spartacus
Ben-Hur
55 Days at Peking
The Sand Pebbles
Cleopatra
El Cid
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Khartoum
The Agony and the Ecstasy
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Longest Day
How the West Was Won
etc.................
I'm curious to see if modern-day computer special-effects will be as effective in re-creating the feel of those past epics. I know they do wonders with computers but sometimes the feel of a computer-generated crowd can come off as sterile (I don't know if that's the best description) when compared to the old days when they actually used real people (at least I think they used real people).
As a fan of those old historical epics, I look forward to Hollywood producing a new batch of films to keep company (I hope) with the likes of:
Spartacus
Ben-Hur
55 Days at Peking
The Sand Pebbles
Cleopatra
El Cid
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Khartoum
The Agony and the Ecstasy
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Longest Day
How the West Was Won
etc.................
I'm curious to see if modern-day computer special-effects will be as effective in re-creating the feel of those past epics. I know they do wonders with computers but sometimes the feel of a computer-generated crowd can come off as sterile (I don't know if that's the best description) when compared to the old days when they actually used real people (at least I think they used real people).
11-30-02, 04:02 PM
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To Hollywood's credit, Fuller says, the movies are getting history's look right, if not all the facts. "The movies can take us places that art and books simply can't," he says. "The brutality of wars then, the squalor people lived in. Movies are getting more and more accurate in those areas. Now if they could just drop all the love stories. Real history is dramatic enough. It doesn't need embellishment."
12-01-02, 01:18 AM
#5
DVD Talk Legend
There was a similar article in Entertainment Weekly. As a fan of such movies, it a good thing, from movies about Alexander the Great, Hannibal, and the battle of Troy among others, Hopefully things turn out well for these projects.
12-01-02, 05:45 PM
#6
DVD Talk Legend
If even one of these movies flops, look for the studios to pull the plug on future endeavors.
The one problem I see with these epics is that they take longer than the average movie to make (it will be at least 2004 before we see most of the aforementioned titles). By the time they are released, audience tastes may have changed.
The one problem I see with these epics is that they take longer than the average movie to make (it will be at least 2004 before we see most of the aforementioned titles). By the time they are released, audience tastes may have changed.
