Richard Ringenbach
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2000
- Messages
- 98
Has there been any recent news about the "300 Spartans" DVD?
Thank you!
Richard Ringenbach
Thank you!
Richard Ringenbach
The last I heard (which was in a column by Barrie Maxwell at The Digital Bits), 300 Spartans was delayed due to that oft-used umbrella of a reason we've heard so often, "poor elements." A perfectly valid reason (the better these films can be made to look, the happier are we all, of course), but exactly how poor the elements have proven, what restoration is needed versus what restoration has been green-lighted by the studio, whether video restoration or film restoration (or both) are to be undertaken, or whether the studio is simply searching for better existing elements without any plans for restoration ... I have no idea, and in the absence of these details it's really anybody's guess just how long a delay this might be. But the release was reportedly "delayed," rather than canceled, so I continue to hope more news is forthcoming.
I just finished watching this DVD. Here are my impressions.
Fox must have found really good "elements" because the picture was really gorgeous, with nicely rendered colors & no evidence of dirt or scratches that I could see. The sound is 2.0 & it sounds just fine. The running time is about 5 minutes longer than is indicated on the back cover.
This is a good purchase for fans of this genre of film. Better IMHO than more modern efforts.
I don't think I've ever seen this movie. Would you compare it to the great sword and sandal epics like Spartacus and Ben-Hur? Or is it more in line with the Steve Reeves, Saturday afternoon type of fare?IMHO I'd say "The 300 Spartans" falls in the middle of those two examples.
You're welcome Oscar.