Unless your heart's set on owning that big box of paper swag, you can get the disc-only version from Amazon.co.uk for about $26 shipped. As has been mentioned, it's a region-free release, the UK discs play back fine in the U.S. and all the same disc-based content is included.Paul_Scott said:
In this instance at least, the swag is not an annoyance and worth some (though not a huge) premium to me. Both books sound like pleasant extras, though If it's anything like the book in the GWTW or Planet Of The Apes sets, the big picture book going to be mostly a dump of various stills and art competently but perfunctorily arranged. More interesting to me is the reproduction of the Heston journal/planner. That sounds like quite a thoughtful and nifty extra. For a definitive presentation of a classic widescreen epic, under $45 for a nice set (and no hassles should I need to exchange a copy for whatever reason) isn't a big deal. Warner did a fine job on the entire presentation here, so I'm almost happy to kick in a little extra.SD_Brian said:
Just popped this in briefly the other night and had the same exact reaction you did. This is a monster upgrade from the previous DVD releases, and the imagery on display is glorious. In whatever form of packaging, this title should be on the shelf of any/everyone who considers themselves a movie fan.dpippel said:
From what I understand, these are both 'movie only' versions as Best Buys extra disc is simply a dvd or digital copy version of the film- not the special feature content. If it had been all three main discs from the big box set, I may have been more tempted to go with it (rather than order from the UK). As it is now, I'm happy I went with the box set. B&N had my package to me in about 3 days, very well padded, even though I didn't have a membership at the time (tho I did just get it again for the Criterion sale). Taking into account how spectacular the actual film looks on these discs, the rest of the package ( the two books) fell right into line with my expectations. The hardback is cute, but slight- more like a spiffy deluxe movie program, than any kind of substantive book- but the reproduced journal is a very cool artifact to me. Very well done. Neither of these are essential to the experience of watching the film- but they help underscore what a treat it is to own the film in this kind of fashion.rsmithjr said:
Johnny Angell said:
Check out Amazon.co.uk instead. The UK release plays fine in U.S. players. I purchased the full version without the box set extras for just under $21, including shipping.Johnny Angell said:
Good to know. However, it appears the UK version of Fall of the Roman Empire lacks the overture, intermission, and exit music retained in other European releasesEd Lachmann said:
In some cases, like Ben-Hur and Gone With The Wind, the studio will only release a "Box 'o Stuff" version in the U.S. while releasing a disc-only release overseas. That is why I bought both these titles from Amazon.uk, as I do not want any of the peripheral collectibles and refuse to pay a premium price for those items. In other cases, there doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to the price difference. I purchased The Bourne Trilogy for about $30 from Amazon.uk when it was selling for over $70 here.Johnny Angell said:
Johnny Angell said:
I don't and thank you for pointing that out. [soup nazi voice]No El Cid for me![/end soup nazi voice]Mark-P said:
I havn't checked it out myself but I am told that the UK El Cid is a slightly different transfer from the German one and better. Anyone checked it out?JoHud said:
