Gladiator is a classic

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Saving Private Ryan is awful after the first 15 minutes. Edited or not, it's not worth watching after the first 15 minutes.

Wow, is there anything you do like?

I enjoyed SPR immensely. Now, perhaps I'm no sophisticated film critic, but it seemed entertaining, moving and worth the watch.

If I were to put my critic hat on, I might critique for being too perfectly scripted and perhaps a little hard on the heart strings. But then again I'm no cold calculating art critic from NYC. Did you grow up in the Bronx or Queens?

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

Gladiator is no more violent than Lord of the Rings. It is nowhere near as graphic as SPR. You would not be bothered by an unedited version of Gladiator unless your purpose in not seeing it was to avoid all R rated movies.

For those who don't wish those sensibilities to invade their mind, I don't see what would persuade them otherwise. It doesn't bother me if it's well-done with a purpose. Gratuitious violence bothers me much more now than before. But SPR didn't contain anything gratuituos.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

Gladiator is no more violent than Lord of the Rings. It is nowhere near as graphic as SPR. You would not be bothered by an unedited version of Gladiator unless your purpose in not seeing it was to avoid all R rated movies.

I also do that, yes.

But in this case, not my primary motive for not seeing the movie.

Also, edited versions arent really safe for me, either. For example, I have seen the edited Braveheart. Wow, i cannot watch that stuff. The one scene where the guy rides in on the horse and basically crushes the other guy in the face? Yikes. Also, scenes of implied genital mutilation are not for my sensitivities, edited or no.

This basically explains why i rarely see movies....there is so much in them that annoys me, not the least of which is poor acting and writing.

Since you have seen Gladiator, would an edited viewing lose much of the story? That is my issue. is it worth seeing if it is edited? If not, then i will continue to never have seen it and probably be just fine in the morning.

[woot]

SPR gets way too "Speilbergian" toward the end, as all of his movies have to have either sappy, improbably cheerful, or ham-fisted and preachy endings. SPR falls into the latter category. I really don't think the main character living and being motivated by the guilt of the events on the bridge to lead a "good" life (whatever that means) is a great message.

The rest of it I enjoyed immensely.

[SteelBlue]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

I also do that, yes.

But in this case, not my primary motive for not seeing the movie.

C'mon TD, I'm guessing that's 99% of why you haven't seen the movie. There's certainly nothing wrong with that.

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

Since you have seen Gladiator, would an edited viewing lose much of the story? That is my issue. is it worth seeing if it is edited? If not, then i will continue to never have seen it and probably be just fine in the morning.

I don't think you'd lose much at all. I honestly don't think there's much to edit. Did you see and enjoy LOTR? If so, I don't think the violence in Gladiator would be bothersome for you. It doesn't even approach Braveheart as far as gore is concerned. There is no language and no sex so nothing to edit there. I'm guessing they might take out the more graphic portions of the arena scenes which really wouldn't change the movie for you at all. I think you'd love the TV version.

[woot]

Gladiator is pretty gory at times; I'd say much more so than LotR. However, I think one could get the gist of it without the violence. The problem is that such editing often messes with the flow of the movie, and when edited for TV, a lot more than just the gore is likely to be removed, and whole scenes could end up missing. Commercials also tend to take one out of the moment. Even so, it's probably worth catching next time it's on TNT.

[SeattleUte]

Originally Posted by woot

SPR gets way too "Speilbergian" toward the end, as all of his movies have to have either sappy, improbably cheerful, or ham-fisted and preachy endings. SPR falls into the latter category. I really don't think the main character living and being motivated by the guilt of the events on the bridge to lead a "good" life (whatever that means) is a great message.

The rest of it I enjoyed immensely.

I don't agree that message isn't great. The closing scenes of SPR comprise an allegory for how we all should feel. In fact, that feeling and motivation to live a good life because of soldiers' sacrifices is the deal you make with them when they go out and lay it all on the line for your freedom and security while you stay at home and live the good life. That has been the message of all such dramatic and literary works since the Iliad. I would go so far as to say that one of the things that is deeply wrong with our country is people feel they have no need to feel that kind of metaphysical debt to anyone. People are cluelsess about how hard won were our liberties, prosperity and security, and how fragile they are. We're fucked.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

C'mon TD, I'm guessing that's 99% of why you haven't seen the movie. There's certainly nothing wrong with that.



I don't think you'd lose much at all. I honestly don't think there's much to edit. Did you see and enjoy LOTR? If so, I don't think the violence in Gladiator would be bothersome for you. It doesn't even approach Braveheart as far as gore is concerned. There is no language and no sex so nothing to edit there. I'm guessing they might take out the more graphic portions of the arena scenes which really wouldn't change the movie for you at all. I think you'd love the TV version.

I wasnt always a member of the Church. In my pre- days, I did not enjoy violence in movies, either. It isnt a moral issue for me, truthfully. It is just stuff that I cannot get out of my head, so i wish to avoid it.

But I do avoid all rated R movies today, too. I have no problem saying that. I also have no problem with those that watch rated R movies. And I will watch an edited rated R movie as long as there isnt too much violence.

Truthfully, if I had to make a list of my Top 10 favorites of all time, several are rated R, including the top--Godfather and Godfather 2. Also on the list...The Color Purple (I think that was R) and Schindler's List (which I watched once and will never watch again). On a lighter side, West Side Story makes my list.

Just missing the cut: Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo.

[woot]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

I don't agree that message isn't great. The closing scenes of SPR comprise an allegory for how we all should feel. In fact, that feeling and motivation to live a good life because of soldiers' sacrifices is the deal you make with them when they go out and lay it all on the line for your freedom and security while you stay at home and live the good life. That has been the message of all such dramatic and literary works since the Iliad. I would go so far as to say that one of the things that is deeply wrong with our country is people feel they have no need to feel that kind of metaphysical debt to anyone. People are cluelsess about how hard won were our liberties, prosperity and security, and how fragile they are. We're fucked.

I agree that we owe much to those who fought in WW2, but think that remembering and feeling grateful to them is about all we can do. I'm trying to do my part to give back to society, but not because of them. What they did is not repayable, so I'm not trying. There is much that goes into it, and the motivation to live a good life is already ingrained in most of us, without the need of feeling overly indebted to WW2 soldiers. In my opinion, guilt is very rarely a good thing, so a movie encouraging it in such a large number of people doesn't really sit well with me.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by woot

I agree that we owe much to those who fought in WW2, but think that remembering and feeling grateful to them is about all we can do. I'm trying to do my part to give back to society, but not because of them. What they did is not repayable, so I'm not trying. There is much that goes into it, and the motivation to live a good life is already ingrained in most of us, without the need of feeling overly indebted to WW2 soldiers. In my opinion, guilt is very rarely a good thing, so a movie encouraging it in such a large number of people doesn't really sit well with me.

The words of the Gettysburg address seem to echo this sentiment.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

I'm not focusing upon the cause identified by Lincoln, but whatever cause our soldiers die for, if it be just.

I might add, reading that speech at Gettysburgh after viewing the field is quite powerful.