# The Gladiator Curse **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 2, 2002, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gladiator-curse/134962 "2002-11-02T03:40:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gladiator-curse/134962/1 "2002-11-02T03:40:21Z")
So, I’m watching the network television premier of _Gladiator_ tonight, and I was wondering if perhaps this production may have been cursed, hence the three deaths: Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, and Russell Crowe’s career. _rimshot_ Thank yew. I’ll be here all week, folks! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gladiator-curse/134962/2 "2002-11-02T04:07:36Z")
Worse. Editing. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gladiator-curse/134962/3 "2002-11-02T04:09:19Z")
:smack: **Worst** ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gladiator-curse/134962/4 "2002-11-02T04:14:20Z")
Yeah, I know. And in two parts, no less! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gladiator-curse/134962/5 "2002-11-02T05:49:12Z")
Pardon? What was bad about the editing? ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gladiator-curse/134962/6 "2002-11-02T05:58:57Z")
Well, most editing is bad when they chop it up to fit in the commercials for television. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gladiator-curse/134962/7 "2002-11-02T06:20:55Z")
Perhaps I mis-remember (is that a word?) the theatrical release, but I thought there was a bit more gore in the opening battle and (it seemed to me) that there was a LOT of slow-motion that I just didn’t remember. It was so bad my wife and I were laughing at it. But then, we didn’t care for the movie when we paid $5 each to see it, so we could be a little biased. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gladiator-curse/134962/8 "2002-11-02T14:19:27Z")
I tend not to watch good feature films on network TV, since they crap it up in editing, I’ll just watch it on Video. ---
**Author:** ![cichlidiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cichlidiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cichlidiot)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gladiator-curse/134962/9 "2002-11-02T19:42:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JohnT \* > \*\*Perhaps I mis-remember (is that a word?) the theatrical release, but I thought there was a bit more gore in the opening battle and (it seemed to me) that there was a LOT of slow-motion that I just didn’t remember. It was so bad my wife and I were laughing at it. > \*\* You aren’t mis-remembering. We have this film on DVD but the SO wanted to watch it anyway. I decided to read, but I glanced over from time to time and noticed small things missing and a few good size sections. At the point where Maximus is going to enter the small arena as a gladiator for the first time, I stated, “I bet they’ll cut the part where the guy pees on the ground.” (out of fear) They did. I’m surprised the mucus on Maximus’s face when he discovers his wife made it past the editors.