“Rome” and GWTW BluRay Boxes

Holiday gift shopping is in full swing these last two weeks before Christmas, and there are many more BluRay choices available now than the past few years for the high-definition movie fan. Two of the most gift-worthy box sets just came out in the BluRay format last month, the popular and critically acclaimed HBO/BBC-TV series “Rome” and arguably the most famous Hollywood film of the 20th century, “Gone With the Wind.”
“Rome” was a short-lived historical soap opera/proto-mafia melodrama that aired from 2005-2007, set during the last years of the Roman Republic and the first years of the Roman Empire, the period of Julius Caesar and young Octavius, later Augustus Caesar. The 22 hour-long episodes of the two seasons come on 10 BluRay discs, containing a modest but interesting selection of bonus materials, including audio commentaries on 13 of the episodes, nine featurettes, and interactive on-screen background data. Many of the commentaries are by co-creator and frequent screenwriter Bruno Heller, often accompanied by co-producer and historical consultant Jonathan Stamp, and several others are by cast members or directors of various episodes.

The series itself has excellent production values and acting throughout, its cast led by Ciarán Hinds as Caesar, Kevin McKidd as Lucius Vorenus, Ray Stevenson as Titus Pullo, Polly Walker as Caesar’s niece Atia, and Lindsay Duncan as his mistress Servilia, mother of Brutus (Tobias Menzies). Noted British filmmaker Michael Apted directed the first three episodes and was a consulting producer on the first season. “Rome” is a much bigger-budget “prequel” of sorts to the landmark BBC-TV miniseries “I, Claudius,” and even more explicit in its depiction of the Romans’ earthy vulgarity, sexual hang-ups or lack thereof, nudity, and casual, self-serving violence.

The political machinations, high-level corruption, and conflicts of idealism with pragmatism are inextricably woven with the sex lives of the major movers, and the world of ancient Rome is seen to be not really too far removed from modern politics, if often a bit more frequently bloody. Likewise the variety of attitudes and philosophies held by individuals toward their country, their leaders, and their own lives.

Two soldier characters (Vorenus and Pullo), loosely inspired by two actual soldiers known from Caesar’s army, serve to root the events in the everyday world of common people, instead of focusing only on the privileged ruling classes the way many historical epics tend to do. Their stories are beautifully woven into the historical context, helping to mitigate a number of dramatically effective but historically questionable changes from surviving ancient records.

And although “Rome” had a high budget by TV standards, it had nowhere near the resources of the recent Hollywood blockbusters set in the ancient world. While there is one well-staged (and very graphic) gladiator fight in a small arena, and a brief but reasonably effective storm at sea, fans of movies like “Gladiator,” “King Arthur,” “Alexander,” “Troy,” and “300” may be disappointed that its battles and major action scenes are done on a very small scale or more often conveniently take place between episodes.

The overall historic accuracy may have flaws but is better than most movies and TV shows of its type, the liberties with actual events and characters excusable for dramatic effect in the limited time available to tell the story. Even at 22 hours, much is drastically condensed, altered, or eliminated, and there are also a number of scenes setting up events that were originally planned to develop over three more unproduced seasons.

The show is at its best in the vivid glimpse it provides into the social structure, customs, concerns, and day to day life of ancient Rome in the first century B.C., the meticulous art direction and textures of its scenery, fabric, and flesh made all the more tangible in the crisp, high-definition image on the BluRay edition. The picture is so sharp that occasional out-of-focus shots that might pass unnoticed on a standard definition TV set are now easy to pick out.

“Rome” the complete series is a worthwhile addition to any video library, especially in the beautiful BluRay release. Its $130 list price is typically discounted to between $80-$90, and has been as low as $60 from Amazon.

“Rome” on BluRay at a glance:
Movie:  A-  Video:  A   Audio:  A+  Extras:  B+
“Gone With the Wind,” a legendary film from the height of the Hollywood studio era, made its world premiere 70 years ago this month. Since that time, the epic saga adapted from a best-selling novel of a family just before, during, and after the American Civil War has become as much a part of our culture as the war itself. It’s basically another soap opera of characters’ personal problems against the historical backdrop. But it’s also a vivid recreation of a way of life “gone with the wind” as nostalgically imagined by the descendants of the generation that lived it, a collective oral history re-enacted on the screen through memorable characters that continue to touch an emotional core.

The movie, quite simply, is an American classic that is able to overcome a variety of flaws and appeal to later generations in a way nearly as timeless as such masterpieces as “The Wizard of Oz” or “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Scarlett and Rhett’s story resists the remake syndrome, and was regularly re-released theatrically through the 1990s. Warner Home Video, current owners of the film, have gone back to the original camera negatives to restore the picture and sound digitally in such a way that the BluRay actually looks better than many if not most of the 35mm film prints shown in theatres.

The 70-year-old sound quality may not be quite up to 21st-century recording standards, but sounds amazingly good, and is tastefully remastered for stereo surround, with the original mono track as an available option (not to mention numerous foreign-dubbed versions, and a very good audio commentary by historian Rudy Behlmer, full of information on the production, personnel, and historical background).

The picture quality is actually better than BluRay transfers of some films made today, both in clarity and in color. People who have never seen “Gone With the Wind” in a theatre, especially if they’re used to the image of old movies on numerous poor video copies, may have a hard time believing that it was actually filmed in 1939.

The deluxe limited-edition anniversary box set, designed for the hard-core GWTW fan, is lovingly packaged in a red velveteen cardboard box with hardcover book of color photos, a miniature reproduction of the original theatre program, a CD of the soundtrack, watercolor painting reproductions, and more. There’s also another BluRay disc that contains over eight hours worth of documentaries going behind-the-scenes, reflecting on its success, describing its restoration, chronicling the amazing list of memorable movies released in1939, along with a 1980 telefilm dramatizing the casting difficulties, an historical short film about “The Old South” and a trailer gallery. A separate DVD has a 6-hour documentary on the MGM studios (the same one included as a bonus with “The Wizard of Oz” BluRay edition). The only disappointment is that all bonus features are standard-definition.

The BluRay box set is a bit pricey at $85 list, but well worth it to die-hard fans of the film, and only about $46 through Amazon, the same or less than the standard DVD set is often selling for in stores. Those who want just the movie without the extras can find it exclusively at Target stores at present, for about $40, sometimes discounted to about $35.

“Gone With the Wind” on BluRay at a glance:
Movie:  A   Video:  A+  Audio:  A-  Extras:  A-

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