The Spartans

Starring:Bettany Hughes
Director: Melanie Archer
Studio: Pbs Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The futile yet inspiring stand of 300 Greek soldiers against the hugest army ever assembled in the ancient world inspired this typical example of Hollywood epic movie-making. King Leonidas of Sparta (Richard Egan, Demetrius and the Gladiators), prevented by political squabbling from sending his entire army to defend the narrow pass of Thermopylae, sets out with his personal bodyguard to fight off the ambitious Persian king, Xerxes. Along the way are a pair of young lovers, scantily clad dancing girls, and treachery though a secret mountain path. The 300 Spartans, made in 1961, has an overstated cold war subtext--there's much talk of freedom vs. slavery--and there are a few too many shots of armored men marching through the Greek countryside, but the historical conflict has a fundamentally stirring quality. Also featuring Sir Ralph Richardson (Dr. Zhivago, Dragonslayer) as a wily Athenian politician. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

A good, but not great epic.......2007-06-24

I've watched this DVD 3 or 4 times, which I wouldn't have done if I didn't like it.

It's in between an A and B movie - Cinemasope, color and location shooting are the "A" part, mid-level actors and budget are limiting factors. The love story is a bit of a tack on, but it is handled reasonably well.

Notably, this is a fairly accurate account of the battle and the events that led up to it. The Greeks did ultimately defeat the Persians under Xerxes, and this was a key event in western history.

I actually like that that movie did not have a blockbuster budget, the battle has to be shown on a small scale, making it more personal. Note the final scene, which is historically accurate. If you are an American, you might remember the Alamo.

Well worth it if you like this this sort of movie. For the more casual viewer, try "Cleopatra", (Elizabeth Taylor, ca. 1963), or "Spartacus", also ca. 1963.

Do not confuse this with the ordinary "sword and toga" B Movies hollywood churned out in the late 1950's and early '60's.

Spartan portrayal of Spartans.......2007-06-02

The writers and producers of The 300 Spartans had their hearts in the right place when they set about to make this film in the swords and sandals era. They included many "facts" (history back then was as much an art form as a journalistic one) of the event and filmed on location. Overall, however, it reeks of limited budget. Film stock was not the best. The typical we-must-use-an-American-lead-and-all-other-Greeks-must-have-British-accents casting is the greatest weakness. But for those who can't be bothered picking up a history book or using their imaginations, this flick comes closer to the truth than the very stylized '300' of Frank Miller. That film is an exercise in pure, over-the-top entertainment that cares not a whit that the battle had no giants, rhinos, or African elephants (from Persia?). Better casting, more Tarentinoesque gore, and more of the bravado of the most macho battalion of soldiers the world has ever seen would have pushed this film to four stars in my estimation. If you're a reader and love ancient warfare, seek out my novel To Move the World.

300 spartans.......2007-05-19

i bought this movie to compare with the 300. not even in the same universe. this is so poorly acted and directed that its awonder anyone would put their names on it. the story of the spartans at Thermopylae is so big and compelling you wouldnt think a director and actors could make it so small and comical.

The 300 Spartans.......2007-05-14

This was a great movie to preview in conjunction with the current 300 movie. It showed the tremendous technoloy differences from the 1960's to the present time.

Good to OK.......2007-05-13

Good plot/history detail, bad combat action sequences. The SCA could have done much better in this film than Hollywood. 300 the movie is better.

Average customer rating:

A good premise for a movie, but poor execution
One of A Kind
More anti-Vietnam war propaganda than "best movie"
comes around again...
A great movie that could have been a classic .

Go Tell the Spartans
Starring: Burt Lancaster , Craig Wasson , Jonathan Goldsmith , Marc Singer , and Joe Unger
Director: Ted Post
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ASIN: B0007TKNDI
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Description

Burt Lancaster delivers one of the finest performances of his career as a hard-boiled major in command of a Vietnam outpost. A classic of wartime confrontation.

Customer Reviews:

A good premise for a movie, but poor execution.......2007-06-08

"Go Tell the Spartans" is important in the genre of Vietnam war films primarily because, unlike Platoon or Full Metal Jacket, it looks at the earliest phase of American military involvement in Vietnam. The production values of the film suffer from its low budget (supposedly Burt Lancaster kicked-in his own money to get it made) and third-rate actors. It has the feel of a made-for-TV movie from the 70's. I think that the story would be a good subject for a higher-quality remake. I'm not sure why, but I still like the movie, although I think of it as a very rough cut of what the film could have been.

One of A Kind.......2007-01-20

This is the one movie that covers this period of the Viet Nam war adequately.
First, you must get past the haircuts...minor. Then you must get past the poor quality of the DVD. It seems to be a direct transfer from the VHS version. As a member of one of these advisory teams, I found this movie to provide the most accurate portrayal of the Advisor's frustrations.

The characters were people I knew. The experienced WWII, Korean war Vet who also served as liaison with the British in Malayian insurrection, who lived to fight. The old sergeant who was essentially a expatriate who never wanted to go back to the stateside peacetime army, The young guy who was good at what he did, and wanted to see what war was all about. The Captain who had to be there to get his ticket punched, afraid that it would all be over before he could get his Combat Infantryman's Badge.
The surprise at seeing a 2d lieutenant sent to a place where experience was needed more than "just a body". , however, the "Idealistic West Pointer" was missing.

If you want to know what it was like...watch this movie.

More anti-Vietnam war propaganda than "best movie".......2007-01-16

Yes, there were many, many failures in Vietnam. Truthful writers/directors should portray them and help us examine the reality and complexity of that war. But truthful authors should also show the successes, innovations, sacrifices, and honorable motives that are an equal part of the Vietnam story. This overdone movie errors by heavily playing up the negatives, often stereotypical as well as actual. It does show some individual heroism and sacrifice, but the overall purpose of the film is very clear. I've read a lot of memoirs and battle records of the Special Forces in 'Nam; this movie cheapens the professionalism and cross-cultural successes of many of those "advisors," not so much by what it includes but what it leaves out. Wayne's "Green Berets" may be one extreme. This movie heads the other direction. I picked it up on the chance that it would be a solid story; instead, I got one director's profane, crude hostility toward the war. Well-acted? Sometimes. Worth keeping? Ask my garbage can.
NOTE: Let me add the following after seeing how "non-helpful" I've been :) and the comment below. There is almost always a point of view, an agenda, built into a movie - especially a war movie. For any objective viewer, this movie has a clear anti-Vietnam war bias, and this purpose drives the crafting of the characterizations and the plot. The political and social history of Burt Lancaster supports this. Lancaster was renowned as a left-wing activist. He strongly supported the ACLU, vocally opposed many Republican politicians, refused to work with John Wayne in a movie because of their opposite political views, and was known as a Vietnam war opponent. As to the movie itself, even though the Department of Defense praised some portrayals of self-sacrifice in the film, the Army refused to cooperate in making the film (and straightening out some inaccuracies) because they felt it incorrectly portrayed the specially-chosen advisors of the era as unprofessional "losers." (They also objected to Lancaster's crude story of oral sex with a general's wife as the reason his character had not been promoted.) My point? Every film has a cultural context. If you want to watch something that is designed to support criticism of the Vietnam War, have at it. If you want a war film built on historical facts, watch something like "Black Hawk Down," which manages - all at once - to question war, question policies, truthfully show the stories of real men who deliberately sacrificed themselves for hurt comrades, and immerse the viewer in the intensity of street combat. "Black Hawk" is realism. "Spartans" is well-made, selective propaganda.

comes around again..........2006-10-01

story line of the film is the early 1960's in vietnam, when the u.s. presence was still an advisory one. a lowkey budget enhances the story w/o the distracting flash and bang of special effects. the subtext of the movie is that as with the greeks of thermopylae from which the title is taken, the american military had as much to fear from its allies and leadership as they did from the enemy, a story line thousands of years old and unfortunatley just as relevant today. despite ones view of politics, an excellent film of the professional soldier if not the obedient one.

A great movie that could have been a classic ........2006-07-19

This is a well acted movie with a good story line . Burt Lancaster does a great job . My favorite part is Lancaster telling the story of how he fell from grace as a generals aid and ended up in Vietnam .As others have stated the production does have a "made for TV feel" to it which is a shame .

Average customer rating:

Unsatisfying In Every Way
Engaging and informative, a cut above standard documentaries
Stranger, go tell the Spartans that we lie here in obedience to their laws
Getting ready for "300"
Should be named the History of the Greece

The Spartans

Manufacturer: PBS Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The 300 Spartans
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The History Channel Presents Last Stand of the 300 - The Legendary Battle at Thermopylae
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ASIN: B000BITU34
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Customer Reviews:

Unsatisfying In Every Way.......2007-04-03

This is NOT good. Three hour-long episodes of this remind one why PBS still has a fundraiser every year. Because shows like this, that could be fascinating, are just boring.

If you've seen or read about the city/state system of Greece, there are many conclusions drawn here that either just don't add up, or seem outright wrong.

The narrator appears on screen constantly, and I'm not sure why. Her tone and facial expression seem to indicate a distaste for the material, prompting one to ask why she did this in the first place. Or felt the need to be onscreen non-stop. It ends up being distracting, to the point that it takes away from the scholarly enterprise that's supposed to be going on. Certainly footage of the Greek countryside could have been used.

Also odd, why they show footage of modern day people in modern pubs while talking about Sparta and Athens of 480 B.C. No money from the sale of totebags to afford a reenactment here or there?

All in all, it makes you trealize how much better the History Channel and Discovery Channel now do the same material.

You'd do better to either watch Zack Snyder's movie, The 300, or read its source material, the Frank Miller graphic novel of the same name. Both play it more than a little loose history-wise, but the battle scenes are spectacular.

Your best bet? See the History Channel's documentary, now on DVD, The Last Stand of the 300. Historically accurate, fantastic reenactments, costumes, and drama. Drama befitting the true tale of the 300.

Engaging and informative, a cut above standard documentaries.......2007-03-28

An engaging documentary artfully assembled, this 2003 British production has been a hit for PBS in the United States, with the videos and tie-in book (the US edition of Paul Cartledge's The Spartans) often on backorder status. It is a rarity in that it gives Sparta its due for helping Greece resist the Persian threat and credits Sparta for its more enlightened attitude toward women. Although at times it may project a faint pro-Athens bias, host Bettany Hughes is a sympathetic and knowledgeable narrator. THE SPARTANS boasts terrific location photography by Douglas Hartington, with some impressive aerial shots of the Taygetus gorges. For the first time in a television documentary, we are treated to detailed examination of many artifacts in the Sparta Museum as well as shown many photos of archaeological excavations at Sparta. The atmospheric soundtrack is composed by Anthony Burke. Evocative reenactor footage is used - not as much as in the A&E production "Rise & fall of the Spartans," maybe, but effectively presented, even if the footage tends to be come repetitive by Part 3.

Part 1
THE SPARTANS opens at Thermopylae and with the epitaph of the Three Hundred -- and very stirring it is to hear this spoken in the original Greek -- before introducing some of the topics that will be addressed in the program. (Hmm. The claim that "male homosexuality was compulsory" is extremely dubious; the first boldfaced assertion as fact of a subject hotly debated among ancient and modern experts.) After the introduction, we journey to the Dark Ages of Greece, the end of the Achaean Age and the coming of the Dorian Greeks to the Peloponnesus and Laconia. An effective look at the development of hoplite warfare is presented. Next comes the Messenian conquest, then the establishment of the Spartan constitution. The upbringing of Spartan youths, warts and all, is then addressed at length. A good point is made that the sublimation of the individual as practiced by the Spartans can be very liberating - "the possibility of transcending your limitations as an individual and becoming part of something bigger and better." Spartan institutions are credited for initiating a system of political rights and responsibilities among its citizens centuries before other Greek states conceived of such things.

The finding of the so-called statue of Leonidas in 1925 is used to introduce the Persian Wars, which are then examined in detail. There is much footage of Thermopylae, including the eponymous hot springs, and the commentary casts the Spartans' self-sacrifice in terms that hearken to the Japanese samurai's bushido code.

Part 2
This segment begins by exploring at how Sparta and Athens fell out after the Persian Wars, with a look at Athenian politics and society and how these contrasted to Sparta's. This is a refreshingly non-partisan treatment, not hesitating to be equally critical of Athens. Women's life in Sparta is given much attention. Sparta comes off as considerably more enlightened, by modern Western standards, than Athens. (Interesting sidebar - in her remarks during a November 24, 2003, online chat with Channel 4 (UK) viewers, narrator Bettany Hughes, when asked where she'd have rather lived, Sparta or Athens, replied "Sparta. No doubt.") Hughes wryly notes how Spartan women were "objects of fear and fascination" to non-Spartan men. The legacy of these "radical" Spartan customs on later societies is discussed. Amusingly, whether by design or not, Hughes wears a scarlet dress for much of this sequence - fit garb for a Spartanette - and conducts her narration while striding purposefully about the Laconian countryside or riding on horseback in full exhibition of energetic Spartan vitality.

Lastly, the Laconian earthquake of 465 or 464 BC and subsequent helot revolt is noted and seen as the event that lit the sparks of conflict between Greece's two leading cities. The opening clashes of the Peloponnesian War and the Spartan disaster at Sphacteria ends Part 2.

Part 3
The last section of the film opens at Delphi and takes a look at Greek religion and Spartan attitudes toward the gods and oracles before resuming the history of the Peloponnesian War. Alcibiades, the Syracuse expedition, and Lysander are all examined, taking up half of Part 3. Then the period of the Spartan Hegemony is briefly described, shaped by the "crippled kingship" of Agesilaus and marked by power struggles among Sparta's ruling factions. Hughes notes the critical decline of Spartan citizen manpower and the rise of Thebes as a rival. She takes us to the battlefield of Leuctra, where Spartan military superiority was broken in 371 BC. The remaining sequences very quickly sketch how classical Sparta became a second-class power and finally a tourist attraction for wealthy Romans. The show concludes with a summation of Sparta's influence on Western philosophy.

THE SPARTANS is a standout documentary, wonderfully photographed and directed, and is highly recommended as a visual overview of Spartan history.

Those interested in further information about this production can read an online interview about "The Spartans" with classicist Bettany Hughes and historical consultant Paul Cartledge answering questions from viewers (November 2003)

Stranger, go tell the Spartans that we lie here in obedience to their laws.......2006-06-29

The Spartans is actually three separate documentaries, which attempt to bring to life the legendary heroes of Lacedaemon.
On the positive side: 1) Shot on location, Bettany Hughes does a good job of presenting the actual setting for the events that unfolded.
2) She presents the Battle at Sphacteria of 425 BC, the Syracuse expedition of 415 BC, and the involvement of Alcibiades very well and very accurately.
3) The re-enactment of the hoplite phalanx throughout the documentaries added a nice touch.
4) The theme is Sparta after all; that in itself is a positive aspect!
On the negative side:
1) She does not mention half as much as she should about THE most heroic battle in world history; the Battle at Thermopylae; a three day battle (August 18th, 480 BC through August 20th, 480 BC) for the pass at Thermopylae (the Hot Gates) between an immense Persian host under King Xerxes and a small Greek force led by King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans. Unlike the Alamo, Custers Last Stand, and many other glorious battles where the parties involved did not expect to be wiped out, the
Spartans and Thespians willingly held their positions knowing that they could not possibly win against overwhelming odds. When told that the Persian arrows would block out the sun, they replied Good, we will fight in the shade!
2) Bettany Hughes mentions homosexual relationships between men, when the existing evidence surrounding the issue of whether homosexuality in ancient Greece, and especially in Sparta, was more or less accepted than today is inconclusive and the issue itself is highly controversial; therefore, calling for EXTREME CAUTION when dealing with such matters. She even goes as far as to proclaim that it was compulsory! What people do in their own bedrooms is their own business, but to involve Greeces great men and legends in alleged homosexual acts, shows complete lack of respect as well as lack of basic/elementary knowledge of the era in question, with most frequent the misinterpretation of love between friends which did not include anything sexual or homosexual whatsoever! The warrior-heroes themselves would be turning in their graves if they knew what is being written and said about them by people who are either misinformed or are purposely out to distort the truth in followin!
g their own personal agendas.
3) Moreover, there are so many stories relating to the honor and glory of the Spartan hoplites, which are left unsaid; instead only a few and mediocre at that were mentioned. What ever happened to:
i) The reason why they wore red cloaks.
ii) The reason why they had two kings and the names of the Royal Houses i.e. The Agiads and the Eurypontids.
iii) The story with the boy and the fox that ate its way through his stomach, but he did not cringe.
iv) The story of the stranger who asked the Spartans what happened to adulterers in Sparta, only to be told that they would have to pay as compensation a bull big enough to stand on Mount Taygetus and drink from the river Eurotas, meaning that there are no adulterers in Sparta.
v) The story of the mother who killed her son for having been hit with an arrow in the back (i.e. having turned his back to the enemy).
vi) The story of the mother who upon seeing her sons friend asked how the battle had gone and when her sons friend replied that her child had died, she told him that was not what she had asked; her question was whether Sparta had been victorious.
vii) The Queen of Sparta Gorgo, (and wife to King Leonidas) who when asked by a foreign woman how is it that Spartan women are the only ones who rule men? she answered: Yes, for we are the only ones who give birth to men.
viii) How in Sparta only men who died on the battlefield and women who died during, or shortly after, giving birth were entitled to having a tombstone erected in their honor.
ix) Pausanias words following the Battle of Platae of 479 BC as to why his Spartans were eating Melas Zomos (the broth) instead of feasting like the rest of the Greeks, We are Spartans.
x) Pausanias fate after setting up a monument in the Hellespont commemorating the victory over the Persians.
4) In addition she does tend to go off and talk about the other city-states more than she should when the theme is Sparta and not Greece as whole.
Nevertheless, The Spartans will bring out interest in the famed inhabitants of Lacedaemon, and hopefully more books, movies, and documentaries will present these heroes (both men and women) with the reverence and respect they truly deserve.
Strongly recommended is the 1962 film The 300 Spartans; a movie about honor, real men, and real heroes who fought and died in the name of Greece and Freedom.

Getting ready for "300".......2005-11-21

In preparation for the new Frank Miller based movie "300" I got this movie to start understanding the role Sparta played in the history of Greece. I found it to be excellent, fact filled and interesting with lots of information about King Leonidas, who is the main character in the up coming movie. KL will be played by Gerard Butler of Phantom of the Opera, Attila, Dear Frankie, Dracula 2000..fame..The movie will also have David Wenham formerly known as Faramir from LOTR, am curious to see who he will be in the new movie. The video The Spartans was 3 hours beautifully filmed in Greece telling the very gripping story of this Warrior nation. I enjoyed it very much!

Should be named the History of the Greece.......2005-11-04

I expected this DVD to be about Sparta, but it dealt with the whole Greek civilization when Sparta was at its peak. It was three different programs; each an hour in length. An excellent review of Greece and their individual thought concepts regarding public life, sex, treatment of women, slaves and war. Well worth watching, but I did not add it to my personal DVD library.

Average customer rating:

Where is my order??????
Some debatable content but overall very good - 4.5 stars actually
Low Quality.
Much better documentaries on the Spartans
"Stranger, go tell the Spartans that we lie here in obedience to their laws."

The Spartans
Starring: Bettany Hughes
Director: Melanie Archer
Manufacturer: Pbs Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

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ASIN: B0001KNHTA
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Amazon.com

Maybe it was Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire or Frank Miller's 300 that got you interested in learning about Sparta, but the thought of delving into Herodotus, Thucydides, or Plutarch appeared a bit too daunting. Luckily you don't have to brave the classics in order to get a rich education of the ultimate warrior city-state of ancient Greece. PBS's The Spartans is a well-researched, well-paced three-hour documentary telling you everything an armchair Lambda-wearing Hoplite would ever want to know about Greece's legendary warriors. Classical historian Bettany Hughes does an amazing job of exploring all aspects of life and history in the utopian city-state, including their rise to power, battles, discipline and training, thrifty existence, ideals of equality, enforcement of social/sexual freedom for both genders, and, ultimately, their downfall. Couple The Spartans with Empires: The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization, and you are guaranteed to walk away knowing more than most about the roots of Western Civilization without having to crack open the classics (though that is recommended!). --Rob Bracco

Customer Reviews:

Where is my order??????.......2007-03-08

I saw this show on one of the education channels on TV and ordered it on Amazon. They indicated they had plenty of new and used DVD's in stock. DO NOT BELIEVE IT!! I have ordered and cancelled several times and it's been over a year and still nothing. Save your time and money and record it when it comes back on TV. Its the only way to get it.

Some debatable content but overall very good - 4.5 stars actually.......2007-02-24

I watched this documentary on PBS and thought it very good overall. I don't need CGI battle recreations, just tell the story, it's compelling enough. Ms Hughes did a good job of telling the tale, her narration was interesting and the direction and photography was very interesting.

OK, drawing the parallel to Hitler's ideal is overdone, but, if you realize that a vast majority of people who could watch this documentary would not be in possession of the knowledge required to draw this parallel, it's fair to include it.

Compulsory homosexuality? This assumes facts not in evidence, mainly that, at the "adoption" stage of the Spartan warrior's training, he was "adopted" by someone with homosexual tendencies, implying that anyone of "marrying age" who isn't married, is gay. With that said, the social norms of the time were different and it's quite possible that there wasn't the social stigmata associated with it that there is now.

The portrayal of women in this society as very liberated, while mildly inaccurate when compared to modern liberated women, is pretty accurate when you compare the Spartan women to their contemporaries. While it's safe to say they weren't "liberated" in a modern sense, it was the best of a bad lot...assuming of course you were ok with giving over your male children to the state at 7 years old, also assuming that you were ok with killing any males at birth that didn't live up to the state elder's ideal. So if you watched this documentary, and paid attention, you saw that if was far from a feminist paradise.

All in all a good companion piece for "The 300 Spartans" and the upcoming "300" movies. The main thing to realize is that, all documentaries and even written histories, all put forth a personal agenda of their creator. You can't take any one particular source as absolute fact in any history. Conclusions made by others are based, at least in part, by the facts at hand and then are filtered through an individual's experience.

Low Quality. .......2006-12-28

This could have been an excellent documentary, but the makers of it decided to distort history rather than present it honestly. This is particularly true in the way it depicts Sparta as being some kind of Womyn's Power state which is absurd. Somewhat comically, the narrator enhances the story of Sparta by telling the story of its women which is quite trendy and also totally bogus. She tells us of laconic girls and their supposeed bi-sexuality. Hughes states that it would be a mistake to think of it as a "feminist wonderland," but that's exactly what is implied. I don't know how these other reviewers missed all the laughable politicizing such as: "Fighting wars is a soft option compared to going home to mother." Yeah right! Unless of course, husbands who shave their wives heads and leave after inseminating them count as amounting to the progressive ideal. Pretending people of the past had the sensibilities we do is disgraceful. To many counter-culturalists, history has no value if it is not used for the purposes of advancing a political program. Unfortunately, that is precisely what we have here in this spoiled work. As for Bettany Hughes, I agree that she is quite attractive, but she is an awful narrator as she at times is downright giddy. Hers is not the type of personality that should be discussing Sparta--I'll take Victor Davis Hanson any day over her. I recommend that you skip this one and look for something which quotes actual historians.

Much better documentaries on the Spartans.......2006-09-14

This documentary covered what I had seen in other documentaries without anything really new. The only new thing I really couldn't stand was Bettany Hughes comparing the Spartans to the Nazis. This was so juvenile. It was a cheap sensationalist way to fill her narrative. She did it on more than one occasion. Comparing everything militant to the Nazis is old and out of date. Yes, the Nazis would have liked to imitate the Spartans is many ways, but the two cannot be compared. Please skip the cheap sensationalism when dealing with a very interesting ancient Greek society. There are much better documentares available made by the history channel. Its a shame to have such an otherwise good PBS production be wasted on poor narration.

"Stranger, go tell the Spartans that we lie here in obedience to their laws.".......2006-06-29

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Ben David: Broken Sky
Director: Alex Ostroff
Manufacturer: CustomFlix
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A nuclear war has ravaged the world. What's left of society tries to rebuild, but a ruthless tyrant named Golhardt rises up up seize vast regions of land for himself. With the nation's capital in ruins, Golhardt and his thugs have managed to steal valuable historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence, and hide them. Now, it's up to Zen warrior and martial arts master Ben David to stop Golhardt and get back the Declaration of Independence so society can once again have a foundation of democracy to build on. Ben David's journey takes him to Eden, a searing and dangerous no-mans-land where the elusive Golhardt and his associates are known to stay. It's a place were nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted. Ben David sets out across the desert, towards the dreaded Devil's Horns, a towering mountain range where the documents are believed to hidden. But Golhardt cuts him off. At last Ben David finds himself face to face with pure evil. An epic martial arts battle erupts that eventually takes both men to the the "top of the world" for the final unforgettable showdown. Filmed on location, "Ben David: Broken Sky", contains some of the most intense fight scenes ever filmed. No wires, no pads, no green screen, no computer graphics--this is the real deal. Stars Alexander Fields as Ben David, David Aranovich (Spartan, The Unit)as the insane neonazi Muller, Kata Dobo (Basic Instinct 2)as sexy, sultry Lila, and 5 Time World Kickboxing Champion and Guinness Book of World Records Holder, Lalee Hugyetz (aka Lalee H. Sabian) as Golhardt. VIEW TRAILER AT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN_DsJ66qCM To find out more about World Kickboxing Champion, Lalee Hugyetz check out: www. LAkickbox.com

2000 NCAA(R) Division I Men's Basketball Championship

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2000 NCAA(R) Division I Men's Basketball Championship

Manufacturer: NCAA On Demand
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

1989 NCAA(R) Division I Men's Basketball Championship
2006 NCAA(R) Division I Men's Basketball Championship
2002 NCAA(R) Division I Men's Basketball Championship
2003 NCAA(R) Division I Men's Basketball Championship
2005 NCAA(R) Division I Men's Basketball Championship

ASIN: B000O77QKQ
Release Date: 2007-03-09

Description

Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and A.J. Granger ended their careers at Michigan State on top, leading the Spartans to an 89-76 victory over Florida in the national title game. The three seniors combined to score 58 points, led by Peterson's team-high 21 points. Cleaves was named the Final Four's most outstanding player.

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The Making Of 300
Starring: Lena Headey , Rodrigo Santaro , David Wenham , and Dominic West
Director: Zack Snyder
Manufacturer: Warner Bros
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Production Design
Cast Interviews
Adapting 300
Stunt Work
Creatures

ASIN: B000SNKJHI

Product Description

Exclusive Bonus DVD with over 30 minutes of Behind-The-Scenes footage. A SNEAK PEAK AT 300: Exclusive look inside 300 with behind-the-scenes footage. FIRST LOOK: Director Zack Snyder provides a glimpse into the amazing world of 300 and discusses the process and challenges of bringing the graphic novel to life. PRODUCTION DESIGN: A first glance at the set designs and the inspiration behind them. TRAINING: Inside look at the intensive and rigorous excercise program the actors went through prior to filming. WARDROBE: Learn about the creative process involved in creating a wardrobe insoired by the painterly pages of the graphic novel. STUNT WORK: An in-depth look at the amazing amount of stunt work that was required while making 300. CREATURES: The story brhind the make-up, latex, and creative blood that transformed Frank Miller's artwork to the screen. ADAPTING 300: Frank Miller and Zack Snyder give new insights into the process of translating Miller's vision of the tale into a motion picture. SPARTAN CULTURE: Learn about Spartan Society and training rituals. INTERVIEWS WITH THE CAST: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey and Rodrigo Santaro each describe his/her role in the film. 300 MARCH TO GLORY: Asneak peak of the new videogame. 300 MOBILE GAME TRAILER

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Rivalry Rewind: Wolverines Vs Spartans

Manufacturer: Computer Group Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Features:

Rivalry Rewind captures all of the game day intensity and drama of this rivalry.
The DVD includes expanded pre-game, halftime and post-game footage.
You will experience the pre-game tailgating, team warm-ups, and the locker room speeches.
Included with this DVD is a bonus 30 minute episode of Spotlight.

ASIN: B000NJMJSE
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Product Description

Rivalry Rewind, a FSN Detroit original program captures all of the game day pageantry, intensity and drama of this storied rivalry. This 60 minute directors cut version originally premiered as a 30 minute show on FSN the week following the game. The DVD includes expanded pre-game, halftime and post-game footage, much of it exclusive to FSN. Using only field level video, natural sound and Michigan and Michigan States beloved radio announcers, Rivalry Rewind tells the story of this annual grudge match from the perspective of one who is on the field for the whole game. Fans of both schools will experience the pre-game tailgating, team warm-ups, passionate locker room speeches as well as the euphoria and heartache that define this unofficial state holiday. Included with this DVD is a bonus 30 minute episode of Spotlight that focuses on the history of the Wolverine/Spartan rivalry.

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Cooking wears out, kissin' don't
The glory of the Lacedamonians

The Spartans
Starring: Mychal Wilson , Geno Taylor , Carsten Norgaard , and Tucker Smallwood
Director: David Portlock
Manufacturer: Pbs (Direct)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000C508X
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Customer Reviews:

Cooking wears out, kissin' don't
.......2003-12-28

[preamble] After reading Plato's "Republic" early in my high school years, I realized that Plato's ideal society was what today we'd call fascism. Plato's "Republic" isn't a republic at all, it's mighty similar in fact to the Spartan system. Plato later expressed the wish that "either true and genuine philosophers attain political power or the rulers of states by some dispensation of providence become genuine philosophers." The appeal of being the brainy despot, sitting at the top, and ordering everyone around does have appeal, but that's not a good way to run a government. It is a good way to run a company though. ;') [end of preamble]

Sparta's system was based on the enslavement of neighboring towns, the development and maintenance of a warrior elite class, brutal training, eugenics, separation of the genders, and, as the narration says, a complete rejection of change. The disk goes into detail that frankly I wouldn't want young children to listen to, unless I wanted to scare them into obedience -- "behave, or I'll send you to Sparta!"

That said, even folks with no knowledge whatsoever of ancient Greece should enjoy this disk.

The detail on the disk of the Peloponnesian War (Sparta vs Athens) was particularly well chosen.

The location shots were mostly the scenes being discussed, beginning with the surviving Spartan monument at Thermopylae, and including Sparta itself, Athens, and other Greek locales. The quality of this production is very high.

Having also watched the PBS Empires Series disk "The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization", I'd have to say I much prefer "The Spartans". The brains behind the latter is interviewed for the former, but "The Greeks" just doesn't hold the attention like "The Spartans", which is well worth the few extra dollars.

This DVD is excellent. Despite its three hour duration, I watched it twice in two days, all the way through, and revisited specific segments a few more times. Bettany Hughes teases her way through the whole disk, which has plenty of shots of her walking away in tight jeans, or close ups of her face as she narrates. This is no reason to buy this, but it certainly is a nice unexpected bonus.

One problem I had may have been related to the cheap Daewoo player I used -- the picture was too wide for the TV screen. I wound up figuring that out during the second run-through, and set the player to 1/2 resolution, which worked fine on the 27 inch TV.

The glory of the Lacedamonians.......2003-11-19

This is one of the greatest historical documentaries I have ever seen. Of course, the fact that it details the chronicles of one of my very favorite historical peoples doesn't hurt.

The documentary is narrated and put together by a scholar named Bettany Hughes. Hughes brings ancient Greece to life by travelling to all the relevant locales in modern day Greece, and some of the topography has not changed hardly at all since the days of the Spartans.

Hughes stands at the cliffs of rejection, wades in the river Evrotas, takes us to Thermopylae, Athens and Sphacteria. Basically, all of the primary places of prominent interest in Laconian history are visited in this film. One can almost imagine the Spartans standing in these locales some 2,400 years ago.

During our journey thru Greece, Hughes offers a historical narrative of the brave Spartans, from the mythical times of the Trojan war to the apex of their prestige after the battle of Thermopylae. Hughes continues on throughout the pages of Greek history to the Peloponnesian War, the eventual defeat of Athens, the decline of Sparta and the ultimate defeat of the Lacedamons on the plains of Leuctria.

Along the way, Hughes points out various aspects of the austere Spartan lifestyle, such as the brutal Agoge, the presence of homosexuality in the Spartan social norms, the conquest of Messenia and subsequent fate of the "Helot" class and much more.

This is one of the most thorough documentaries on ancient Greece I have ever seen and is a must for people who even have so much as a passing interest in the mighty Spartans. It is also a nice "balancing" DVD as so many Greek documentaries tend to focus on Athens and more-or-less forget about Sparta.

Description

Michigan State ties the largest comeback in Final Four history to upset Tennessee. Down by 16 points in the second half, the Spartans rally to earn a trip to the national title game. Lindsay Bowen scored 18 points to lead the Spartans while Kristie Heynie had the winning steal and lay-up.

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