Director Ridley Scott has added 17 minutes of footage to his Oscar-winning GLADIATOR, which was released in an extended edition DVD set on Aug. 23, 2005 (DreamWorks Home Ent. $39.99). Most of the new footage was previously available on DVD as deleted footage, but can now be enjoyed in the context of the narrative, fleshing out character motivation as well as the political conspiracy. Both versions are available on this three-disc set. New bonus features include a new 200-minute doc produced by Charles de Lauzirika (THE ALIEN QUADRILOGY) that details their CG Rome, separate vfx featurettes on shots of Germania and Rome, a complete archive of Scotts storyboards (Ridleygrams) and new commentary by Scott and star Russell Crowe. VFX were done by Mill Film Ltd, under the supervision of Tim Burke and Rob Harvey.
Disc Two: Documentry:* "Strength and Honor: Creating the World of Gladiator Extended-length doc features never-before-seen footage
Disc Three: Behind the Scenes* Production Design Featurette and Gallery* Storyboard Demonstrations, Comparisons and Gallery* Ridleygrams: Scott's Own Sketches of "Maximus' Journey"* Costume Design Gallery* Visual Effects Explorations: Germania & Rome* Abandoned Sequences
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
