This film was almost released in DVD last year but was then yanked. No new date for release can be found. Anyone have any news on a possible date for this and the DVD's of the other two great Bronson epics, 55 Days At Peking and El Cid.
shareI kept hearing that it might be released and then nothing would happen. It would be great to get some interviews with the last few remaining stars before they, too, have passed on. What stories would Sophia Loren, Christopher Plummer and Omar Sharif have on this one? The other ones you mentioned should be on DVD, too.
shareSo we're quite lucky in France 'cause we have a DVD edition of these three masterpieces (including, of course, an OAVSF). They've not been remastered but the picture is still pretty good. So you can try to purchase them (Zone 2 Europe).
shareKen.....just posted message in reference to "Fall" one of the best and most underrated (like you said same for King OF Kings) epics. The Forum set alone was worth the movie.....poor Sam Bronston !!! Anyway glad to read your comments, they're very astute. I have dvd from Asia, but it's better than not having it !!!! After reading my message if you want copy of article mentioned I'll be glad to send it on. Best, Mike M.
shareI see in xploitedcinema.com there's a box set containing all these epics: Fall of Roman Empire, 55 days at Peking, and El Cid. R3 NTSC, widescreen, but no information about extras or duration, so there's no idea whether they are uncut or not. No ideas about the picture and sound quality either. Maybe you can get it in koreandvds.com as well.
shareRegion 2 looks great and sounds great, but has zilch in the way of extras..unless you count the trail for Gladiator....:( yuk!
shareI have this on DVD. I purchased it from e-bay. It is in a white snapper case. There isn't a UPC code on it! Haven't a clue who produced it. Would like more info on this one. It hasn't a region code just the DVD Logo.
shareHi Becap2000. I've got this one as well and it's a Taiwan version with the pretitle and intermission music included. Mine is a 2 sided disc meaning it's not a DVD but a VCD (video compact disc) which is very popular in Asia because it's much cheaper but of course much less quality as well. It is definitely not enhanced and the resolution is not that great. It is a disc from the "Best Movie Collection" which is apparently widely available throughout Asia
releasing hitherto unreleased films. Even though the copver slip has dvd printed on it it is definitely not a dvd just a vcd copy of a dvd.
p63642003.
My daughter and her husbnd live in Brunei an I visit every year. I've managed to pick up EL CID, 55 Days At Peking, and THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, all on DVD and all in 2.35:1 widescreen (55 Days even sports Dimitri Tiomkins Overture, Entr'acte, and Exit Music)No extras though. EL Cid also seems to be from the restored version as you can just glimpse Miramax and Martin Scorsese' names before the main title kicks in. I also managed to get King Vidors' War and Peace but thats not in widescreen and the colors are muted and hell even the titles are missing, but out there you pays your money and you takes your luck.
shareIn Spain all the Bronston productions (55 days in Peking, King og Kings, El Cid...) have been released FREE in DVD attached to a magazine ("Tiempo"): magazine plus DVD for just ยก3,00 euros! (more or less... 2,25 dollars)... of course, are editions without any kind of bonus material.
shareIf you have an All-Region DVD player or can play Region 2 DVD's, I recommend the French release DVD titled "La Chute de l'Empire Romain." I've seen this version recommended elsewhere. That's why I bought it.
It's listed at Amazon France and you can also find it on eBay.
http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004VYH2/171-2114850-7550630
It's got the original 2:35 to 1 aspect ratio, though apparently the sound is mono, not stereo. The sound was fine to me, though. Anyway, the picture quality is great.
My only complaint was I couldn't figure out how to turn off the French subtitles. Maybe I missed something, though. Usually there's a way to turn off subtitles.
I made a wmv video clip of the chariot race from this DVD. Of course, the original DVD is much better quality than this 300k clip, because this is just a wmv clip.
http://www.christopher-plummer.com/video/movieclips/falloftheromanempire_2_300.wmv
I have three very good official Region 2 DVDs from France of El Cid, The Fall of the Roman Empire, and 55 Days at Peking. They're all anamorphic 2.35:1 and the picture quality on them is utterly stunning. Not sure if El Cid is the restored version but it sure looks like it! There are forced French subtitles on them but they should be able to be switched off using your DVD player's settings.
shareFall of the Roman Empire should be in 2.75:1 otherwise it's being cropped by 17 % on the sides. Also, it should be presented in at least 4.0 audio (Left, Centre, Right, Surround).
shareIn 1997 a laserdisc edition had 5.1 audio!
share These have all just been reissued in Japan with anamorphic picture , 4.0 sound, uncut and a reduced price ! I've ordered them all and am considering getting 'Crcus World' with John Wayne though I've never seen it before.
They're available from cdjapan.co.jp
~M~
Sounds good. Perhaps when you get it, you can confirm if it has any extras and if it is English-friendly?
share