Customer Reviews:
What were they thinking?!.......2006-08-07
Gladiator Eroticus is one of the worst films I've ever seen. In fact, if it wasn't for great chemistry between JP Fedele and Misty Mundae (they play siblings), this would be the WORST film in history! I don't know how this film was awarded Best Softcore but it doesn't deserve it. Granted it does have it's moments of humor, it still sucks. Anyway, before I continue with my complaints allow me to provide a brief overview.
Darian Caine (Seduction Cinema's poster girl) plays General Eroticus. A great leader and warrior who is held "captive" and "forced" to participate in the Lesbian Games. After training with Orgasmus (Jade Duboir), she becomes the best and begins to win the hearts of the audience and Emperor Dickus Minimus' sister's heart as well.
Now, back to the many shortcomings of this horrible film. The lesbian encouters are boring and uninteresting. Hell, the females themselves just don't seem to be feeling one another with exception of the hot scene between Jade and Darian and the sexy encounter between Misty and Ruby LaRocca.
Overall, Gladiator Eroticus should never have been made or at least should have been more thought out. I know John Bacchus can do much better than this. I tossed my copy in the trash after giving it 2 chances. DON'T waste your time with this film. It's not even worth renting!
Gladiator Eroticus.......2006-03-16
Not sure what to say. . . kids toy outfits on adults. tried to be funny but just did not make it.
looks like old videotape.......2005-10-08
The video on this dvd looks like it came from and old video tape. One of the things that I am growing to hate about Seduction Cinema's productions is the sound. Sense I am sensitive to how a movie sounds I can tell that the entire movie was recorded and then the words were done in voice over. This is movie has very little story, the props are plastic toys, and there is no conclusion. In short, it stinks.
I have seen several movies from Seduction Cinema (Lord Of The G-Strings, Gladiator Eroticvs, and Dr. Jekyll & Mistress Hyde), and by far I prefer Dr. Jekyll & Mistress Hyde because it is a lesbien movie with an unexected ending. If you want to watch a lesbien movie I recommend Dr. Jekyll & Mistress Hyde.
Funny.......2004-11-21
This movie was funny. It was not an award winning movie. It is worth the price because it will make you laugh. I could of done without the Vomitorium scene but that was easily fast forwarded through. Some of the wardrobing choices will make you go Hmmm what were they thinking.
Better than Crowe's "Gladiator"..........2004-09-16
Very interesting historical movie with high emotional performing. I recommend this film for history class about Roman empire and barbarians.
Average customer rating:
- a voice teacher and early music fan
- Best Poppea I've seen on DVD or VHS video
- Not Up to the Harnoncourt Production, but Good.
|
Monteverdi - L'incoronazione di Poppea / Haymon · Balleys · Liang · Chance · van der Kamp · Grant Murphy · Fouchécourt · Visse · McFadden · Vink · Piau · Berg · Les Talens Lyriques · Rousset · Audi (Amsterdam Opera 1994)
Starring:
Cynthia Haymon ,
Brigitte Balleys ,
Ning Liang ,
Michael Chance (II) , and
Harry van der Kamp
Director:
Hans Hulscher
Manufacturer: BBC / Opus Arte
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
 All Works by Monteverdi
| Monteverdi, Claudio
| ( M )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Baroque (c.1600-1750)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Music Video & Concerts
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| British Cinema
| By Country
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Classical
| Musicals & Performing Arts
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Opera
| Classical
| Musicals & Performing Arts
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
( M )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
General
| British Cinema
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
-
Monteverdi - L'Orfeo / Ainsley, Balleys, Chance, Cordier, Luperi, Smythe, Audi, Stubbs, Amsterdam Opera
-
Monteverdi - Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria / Christie, Spicer, Mijanovic, Abdeslam, Les Arts Florissants, Aix-en-Provence Opera
-
Handel - Hercules / Shimell, DiDonato, Spence, Bohlin, Ernman, Kirkbride, Christie, Les Arts Florissants, Aix-en-Provence Opera
-
Handel - Giulio Cesare
-
Handel - Teseo / Laszczkowski, Rostorf-Zamir, Wesseling, Meyer, Diestler, Katschner, Potsdam Opera
ASIN: B000AMMSR6
Release Date: 2005-09-20 |
Customer Reviews:
a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-03-29
This opera has nine main characters and a few more less important and although there is a main story there are many other stories going on at the same time. Essentially the Emperor Nero (Brigitte Balleys) is having an affair with Poppea (Cynthia Hayman) and wants to make her Empress in place of his present wife Ottavia(Ling Liang). Meanwhile Ottone (Michael Chance) returns from the Wars and finds out that he has been rejected by POPPEA. He becomes enraged but gives it up and decides that he loves Druscilla(Catherine Bott), but he doesn't really!!!!Druscilla does love him and declares to help him in whatever he does. Ottavia calls Ottone to her bedroom and demands that he kill Poppea or she will tell Nero lies about him. So he enlists Druscilla's help by borrowing her clothing and attempts to stab Poppea while she is asleep. Cupid wakes her up and she sees Druscilla (Ottone)and everybody thinks that it was Druscilla. Nero interrogates her, but our hero Ottone comes and confesses his guilt. They are both exiled happily together as is Ottavia. Poppea is made Empress and alls well that ends well. If you just understood this synopsis you are to be commended.Fortunately I heard the John Eliot Gardiner recording of 1993 prior to viewing this production. I can't find fault with either rendition, but the DVD opened up some things that were not obvious on the recording. First of all I think this is a stunning and exciting opera to see, and I found all the voices to be excellent. However, I too would have preferred a countertenor voice for Nerone and I still have difficulty with a female portraying a male in an opera except for Mozart's Cherubino that is. I also rather preferred McNair's Poppea to Haymon's, and I preferred Ning Liang's Ottavia to von Otter's, but I'm sure others would feel differently, since personal preferences are so obvious musically speaking. It was interesting to me to see the costuming of the participants; I certainly hope the material was light in weight because there was a lot of it per costume. I'm delighted that the role of Ottone remained with Michael Chance for he was very convincing as the rejected lover.
Best Poppea I've seen on DVD or VHS video.......2006-01-05
This production is superior to that of Harnoncourt. The cast is first rate - every member is superb. The small orchestra - simpler than Harnoncourt's - is much more "authentic" (strings, 2 cornetti [beautifully played, BTW!] and basso continuo) and gives the work just enough colour.
I love the dark and moody lighting. The whole production has a very dream-like quality to it, yet the raw emotions of the protagonists are brought out very strongly. Michael Chance, in particular, is very good. I saw him in a production a few years ago and was slightly less than impressed. His voice seems to be getting better as he gets older.
Most of the cast will be familiar to lovers of Baroque music - Dominique Visse, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Sandrine Piau, Claron McFadden, Harry van der Kamp are here, and they are the minor characters!
The work has a great sense of pace and the musical interpretations from Christophe Rousset and his band, Les Talens Lyriques, are excellent. In the interview with Harry van der Kamp in the "Extras", he tells us that the instrumentalists do follow the singers - this is particularly true of the continuo group. As I said before, the cornetto playing was a real highlight for me. The two players play very beautifully and stylishly.
There are other DVD recordings of L'incoronazione di Poppea available, but in my opinion, this is the best.
I highly recommend this beautiful, atmospheric, impressive and fantasy-filled production to all music lovers.
Not Up to the Harnoncourt Production, but Good........2005-11-12
Claudio Monteverdi wrote the L'incoronazione di Poppea near the end of his life and managed to incorporate all that he had learned from many years of composing and teaching. It premiered in 1642 and includes all that makes a great opera in today's world. Nerone lusts for Poppea; Poppea lusts for power; Ottone aches for Poppea; Octavia and Nerone both use their power ruthlessly; Seneca pays with his life for telling Nerone what he doesn't wish to hear; and through all of this the ending is happy for everyone else, except for Octavia, who is exiled to wherever the winds may carry her.
My view of this opera is somewhat jaded by a wonderful production with Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting at the Zurich Opera House. If this dvd of the Amsterdam Opera production had been my first experience with The Coronation of Poppea, I would have been thrilled. The parts are well sung and in some cases exceed performances in the Harnoncourt version. This is especially true of the Ottone part. Michael Chance managed to communicate the heart ache of Ottone and also the great beauty of the music he is given to sing.
The part of Seneca is sung powerfully by bass Harry van der Kamp. The role would have been even better played, in my eyes, if the singer had been made to look older. He seemed a bit young for being an old sage.
On the Amsterdam Opera production a woman sings the part of Love. Sandrine Piau sings the messenger role for Love very nicely, but I missed hearing a boy sing. Cynthia Haymon played and sang the part of Poppea beautifully. She plays it as a strong woman and seems more powerful than Nerone. Brigitte Balleys sang the Nerone part well, but I greatly missed having a countertenor sing that role. The mezzo-soprano may be closer to the castrato voice that the part was written for, but I found the two women's voices too much alike. It was hard to tell their voices apart when the camera was not zoomed in on their faces. Nerone ends up seeming to be a weak character. This is not the case when he was sung by Eric Tappy. Tappy managed to portray Nerone as the mad man that he was and yet contribute mightily to some of the loveliest love duets ever written.
In spite of not having a boy singer for Love and not having a male singer for Nerone, this version of Poppea is quite enjoyable. It is a pleasure to see the various possibilities for the staging of this great opera. Christope Rousset and Amsterdam Opera worked hard to make this an authentic production and it does achieve that. The staging is simple and voices are kept close to original parts.
This dvd sounds good and plays well on a widescreen television.
Average customer rating:
- Absolute Garbage
- Absolute Waste Of Film
- Poor, heavily-edited DVD is a joke, see it uncut PLEASE!
- a waist of money
- BRING BACK BOBBY GUCCIONE!
|
Caligula - La Storia Mai Raccontata
Starring:
David Brandon (II) ,
Laura Gemser ,
Oliver Finch ,
Charles Borromel , and
Fabiola Toledo
Director:
Joe D'Amato
Manufacturer: Intermedia Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Erotic
| By Theme
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Erotic
| By Theme
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Italian Horror
| Horror
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Damato, Joe
| ( D )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
4-for-3 Art House & International
| 4-for-3 DVD
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
4-for-3 Drama
| 4-for-3 DVD
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
4-for-3 Horror
| 4-for-3 DVD
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
4-for-3 All DVDs
| 4-for-3 DVD
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
General
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DVDs Under $7.49
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
Art House & International
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
All Deals
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
General
| Kids & Family
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
( C )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
-
Caligula II - Messalina, Messalina
-
Erotic Nights of the Living Dead
-
Emmanuelle on Taboo Island
-
Images in a Convent
-
Emanuelle in the Country
ASIN: B000056BP9
Release Date: 2000-12-12 |
Customer Reviews:
Absolute Garbage.......2003-10-12
Save your money,your time and your sanity!This movie is a waste of all of the above.
Absolute Waste Of Film.......2003-10-12
Poor quality,crap dubbing,totally out of synch.....I shall refrain from using expletives..Save your money!!
Poor, heavily-edited DVD is a joke, see it uncut PLEASE!.......2002-06-17
My low score is due mainly to the atrocious DVD release, not the film itself. Why does this DVD bite? Let me count the ways...
1.) Not widescreen
2.) Edited to pieces! The original was much more gory and had several HARDCORE ... scenes.
3.) Poor picture and sound.
The film itself isn't a classic by any means, but this release makes matters worse. Try to get a hold of an uncut version (available from many cult video dealers) and judge the film that way. Even the amazing Laura Gemser couldn't save this mess of a DVD, but I gave it one star just because she's in it. :)
a waist of money.......2001-10-09
having watched the original film before, i was shocked with all the cuts they have made to this movie. all the good sex has been slashed, don`t waist your money buying this movie.
BRING BACK BOBBY GUCCIONE!.......2001-05-16
This film takes a lot of its' substance from Tinto Brass' epic 'Caligula' (1980) but is rather more gratuitous and lacks the stylishness of Donati's set-design which for me makes the latter beautiful to look at. I know that now. Malcolm MacDowell played the emperor consumately and its hard to imagine Martine Stephano or Bruce Willis playing Caligula with such sangfroid. This is another auteur offering that attempts to be 'historicaloso' but has more in common with that horrible stream of cak that comes from America & that degenerate English ex-colony Hong Kong. If you are a fan of Joe D'Amato you will appreciate it on a better level; being a Tinto Brass fan I'm biased toward the first attempt to make a film about Caligula. Incidentally, he was no worse than Nero or Domitian. Domitian was as sadistic as the others and would laugh hysterically at the executions of his enemies, while making their families watch. If the families did'nt join in the laughter, he had them branded with hot irons and made them laugh as they were being tortured. If they screamed he'd have them killed. ...Julius Caesar was a cross-dresser with a love of wine ... It was thus common in these times for the ruling elite to act like raving [people]; as they do now. A terrible film about a terrible topic.
Average customer rating:
- Fantastic movie!
- caligula
- Italian historical sex farce comedy
- trash in trash out
- Intermedia Video Pro released the worst DVD I have seen
|
Caligula II - Messalina, Messalina
Starring:
Anneka Di Lorenzo ,
Vittorio Caprioli ,
Giancarlo Prete ,
Lori Wagner , and
Raf Luca
Director:
Bruno Corbucci
Manufacturer: Intermedia Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Comic Action
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Espionage
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Period Piece
| By Theme
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Italy
| By Country
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Caprioli, Vittorio
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Milian, Tomas
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Corbucci, Bruno
| ( C )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
4-for-3 Action & Adventure
| 4-for-3 DVD
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
4-for-3 Art House & International
| 4-for-3 DVD
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
4-for-3 Comedy
| 4-for-3 DVD
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
4-for-3 All DVDs
| 4-for-3 DVD
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
General
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Italy
| European Cinema
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Comedy
| By Theme
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Period Piece
| By Theme
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DVDs Under $7.49
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
Art House & International
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
General
| Action & Adventure
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
All Deals
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
General
| Kids & Family
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
( C )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
-
Caligula (Unrated Version)
-
Caligula - La Storia Mai Raccontata
-
Caligula Reincarnated as Hitler/White Slave Double Feature DVD
-
Images in a Convent
-
Devil in the Flesh
ASIN: B000056BPA
Release Date: 2000-12-12 |
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic movie!.......2003-11-15
I admit that after reading Grave's "I Claudius" and "Claudius the God", the notion of Emperor Claudius merely acting out his stupidity as to survive the intrigues of his evil family seemed plausible. Oh boy, was I mislead! Caligula II made me realize that the ancient historians might have been right all along. Poor uncle Cla-Cla-Claudius was portrayed fantastically and the ever-whining centurion...oh man this movie is definately a must see. Even though I was straining to understand the muffled dialogue, being Enlish my second language making it all worse, this movie was greatly entertaining and had parts that were deliciously funny. The porn is pathetic, which in my view adds to the humour of it all. If you are a Roman history fan, this movie is the perfect refreshment after a long period of literary severity.
caligula.......2003-09-26
caligula died in the first one that was the end of the story
Italian historical sex farce comedy.......2003-03-28
This film is not a sequel to the famous Guccione "Caligula" with Malcolm McDowell etc. It is not even a real sequel to the "Caligula" with Laura Gesmer and David Haughton (ASIN: 6303364438), which is released on video and DVD by the same company. The only connection is that they use the same sets! Caligula is not even in this movie!
This film follows the stories of the Emperor Claudius, trying to run the empire while passing gas (on doctor's orders) all the time and hopelessly in love with his wife, the Empress Messalina, who is having sex every man in Rome except her husband, a traveller who has come to rome looking for a good time, and a Roman con-man. There are several funny scenes involving sexual situations, such as the con-man convincing the traveller that a Christian's home is a brothel, and the Empress, disguised as a prostitute, attempting to act out every sexual position illustrated in pictures on the wall ("do them all and it's free...wait, I think you missed one...well, we'll just have to start over..."). It all ends in a comedic bloodbath when Claudius comes home early and finds an orgy in the palace.
For all it's eroticism, this is not a "porno" flick, in that it is not just about sex for sex's sake. It's a sex comedy, where most of the humor involves sex or sexual situations. It is also a historical farce, satirizing the Roman Empire and other Roman Empire movies. It's funny both for the comedy, and for how "bad" this movie is. It is badly dubbed, badly acted and the effects are really cheezy. Not a timeless masterpiece, but somewhat amusing.
trash in trash out.......2002-10-10
horrible ,disgusting a piece of good film wasted but when you trying to make money of a classic story (who are they )the producer.the original story caligula i love and thought they would finish the story . ps what a waste.
Intermedia Video Pro released the worst DVD I have seen.......2001-03-29
Not that I dislike the movie, but the DVD transfer looks even worse than a BAD video tape. Aspect ratio is 4:3 of course, colours are at maximum wash-out level, and the extremely grainy picture even JUMPS at times!! The English dubbing is muffled. The film itself is enjoyable only for fans of Italian stupidity. No extras. No Italian soundtrack. I would think that this is cut, for there's nothing truly ofensive in it.
Customer Reviews:
Film with accurate historical content and sex.......2005-10-13
I was surprised to discover that this film is actually accurate as to the history surrounding the early death of the Qing dynasty's last empress' son at age 19. Speculation is that the empress wanted to keep control of her power so she brought numerous prositutes for her son so that he would contract syphilis and die so that he could never rule.
The film follows this but it is also a somewhat touching love story about the hopeless romance between the young emporer and one of his servants. For those who are only interested about the sex stuff, there are a good number of sex scenes in the movie, mostly orgies. Lots of nudity, but the women are not all that attractive except for the main character but she is not involved in any sex scenes. It is also a bit strange because the emporer was very young and he is protrayed by a male actor who looks 14. There are also a few gory and bloody scenes, especially that last one, where a woman removes her face. Also,there are graphic scenes of the emperor with serious symptoms of syphilis.
Other than the historical context and the slight humor invovled (the film starts off as a comedy and eventually turns into a drama), I did not enjoy the film so much. But if you are into period sex and looking for a film with a few of these scenes, then get this movie.
DVD:
- Grand Theft Auto (Tricked Out Edition)
- Green Hornet - Vol. 1
- Hell in the Pacific
- Hell Up In Harlem
- Hercules (Disney Gold Classic Collection)
- Il Postino
- In God's Hands
- Into the Sun
- Jackie Chan's Project A
- James Bond Ultimate Edition Boxed Sets Bundle
DVD
DVD
The Lord of the G-Strings - The Femaleship of the String
Play-Mate of the Apes
Erotic Survivor
Spiderbabe
Dr. Jekyll and Mistress Hyde
