Editor in Chief Bill | 04 May 2019 3:36 p.m. PST |
Can you think of a movie that depicted an historical Roman battle well? |
Herkybird | 04 May 2019 4:04 p.m. PST |
Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus is the nearest I have seen…
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miniMo | 04 May 2019 4:56 p.m. PST |
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Virtualscratchbuilder | 04 May 2019 5:57 p.m. PST |
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cavcrazy | 04 May 2019 6:18 p.m. PST |
The opening battle from Gladiator |
Attalus I | 04 May 2019 6:28 p.m. PST |
I think the top 3 Roman land battle movies have been named. The best Roman naval battle was the 1925 version of Ben Hur starring Ramon Novarro. |
lloydthegamer | 04 May 2019 7:10 p.m. PST |
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Stosstruppen | 04 May 2019 8:19 p.m. PST |
Spartacus is the best I have seen |
Benvartok | 04 May 2019 9:28 p.m. PST |
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BillyNM | 04 May 2019 11:21 p.m. PST |
It's not a battle, but the combat when the Romans sortie out of their fort in the first part of the film The Eagle is one of the few occasions where Romans fight in close order making proper use of their shields. As I recall in Spartacus all the wonderful manoeuvring in chequerboard formation immediately degenerates into the standard Hollywood combat/crowd scene consisting of a multitude of individual struggles. |
Gunfreak | 05 May 2019 1:37 a.m. PST |
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kodiakblair | 05 May 2019 4:43 a.m. PST |
This scene from HBO's Rome pretty much nailed it IMO. YouTube link |
Major Mike | 05 May 2019 6:07 a.m. PST |
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Legion 4 | 05 May 2019 2:14 p.m. PST |
HBO's ROME and the beginning of Gladiator … |
Gunfreak | 05 May 2019 2:25 p.m. PST |
First battle in gladiator is just standard Hollywood stuff, crazed melee, fire balls and fire arrows. The scene from HBO Rome is nice, but is more a skirmish than a battle. So I'll stick to my first answer, none. |
Yellow Admiral | 05 May 2019 2:31 p.m. PST |
Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus is the reason I started playing with miniatures. Winner, hands down (and shields up, and pila at the ready…). |
wrgmr1 | 05 May 2019 3:44 p.m. PST |
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BobTYW | 05 May 2019 7:40 p.m. PST |
Gladiator (opening scenes) then Spartacus (final battle). Fall of the Roman Empire (a close third) |
kodiakblair | 06 May 2019 2:33 p.m. PST |
Memory is a poisoned chalice. Watched Kubrick's Spartacus this afternoon. Deployment looks good but once the fighting starts. Oh dear,it's nothing but typical Hollywood nonsense. |
miniMo | 06 May 2019 5:47 p.m. PST |
Also for the naval battle: Ben Hur (1959). Some years ago, got to see that with a 70mm print shown on the really big screen at the Wang Center (originally the Metropolittan Theatre, a grand movie palace). That was a stunning experience beyond belief, the chariot race too! Otherwise I find it to be a pretty crappy propaganda movie, but well worth seeing those scenes on the big big screen. |
NavyVet | 09 May 2019 5:05 a.m. PST |
The battle scene in HBO's ROME is not a skirmish it is one area of a battle line during a battle. It is accurate in that it shows how the Romans fought in close order or at least as any movie has shown it. |
Uesugi Kenshin | 09 May 2019 9:17 a.m. PST |
"Rome's" first battle scene is about the only one I can think of, though it's a tv show. |
Gunfreak | 09 May 2019 10:48 a.m. PST |
I only saw about a dozen Roman's and about the same gauls in the opening battle in Rome, that's a skirmish. I don't see a hint of a proper battle in that scene. |
Uesugi Kenshin | 09 May 2019 2:13 p.m. PST |
I just re-watched the Spartacus scene where the Legion is deploying for battle in front of the Slaves (see Herkybird above). That's a pretty damn good scene. I can't vote for Gladiator due to the flaming catapult rocks and the complete lack Pila being used (I know, knit picking). I don't get the picking on of "Rome". Just because it focuses on 1 Centuria in battle doesn't mean they weren't part of a much bigger battle. If you know anything about that series then you know the Producers have already explained that they had virtually no budget for battles or cgi in the first season. After the success of the first season they were able to increase cgi depicted battles and locations throughout the 2nd season. I think it's one of or the best depictions of squad and company tactics (down to the detail of the Centurions whistle) on film. But that's me. |
Old Contemptibles | 12 May 2019 10:26 p.m. PST |
Spartacus and despite its flaws, Gladiator. Wish it was a longer scene. The Rome scene is good but it is just not big enough. With 2000 more extras, it would have been spectacular. |
miniMo | 13 May 2019 7:38 p.m. PST |
Gladiator did get the quantity of catapults quite correct! |