Colosseum: A Gladiator's Story (DVD, 2004)

Excellent documentary on the life of a Gladiator in Ancient Imperial Rome. Based on eyewitness reports, the documentary follows one successful Glatiator from Prisoner of War to his championship bout where he wins his freedom. A good companion documentary to the Ridley Scott movie Gladiator.

The documetary on Pompei was fantastic and almost more interesting than Colosseum. The graphics were stunning and the recreations believable. Well done. What an amazing story.

Liked this historically-accurate look at gladiators. Enjoyed especially the liberal use of Latin without distracting subtitles. The action was all the translation I needed. Interesting choice on the director's part. A-

Second feature (Pompeii: the Last Day) is fine, except the acting is generally below par, and thus a bit distracting. The "story" of the eruption moves along briskly, but the inane dialogue of the characters bogs things down. C+

Super great historical movie: costumes, rituals, buildings, etc… the last day of Pompeii is a very sad story – at the same time very educational and breathtaking …

If I had known that this was a documentary and not an actual performance I would not have bought this presentation.

This DVD is extremely well done and seems to be historically correct. We are history buffs and enjoyed viewing this program. Have bought a second copy as a gift for a friend.