DVD News

Spartacus: Blood and Sand slashes to DVD and Blu-ray

By Patrick Luce May 20, 2010, 1:02 GMT

Anchor Bay Entertainment is set to unleash Spartacus: Blood and Sand – The Complete First Season on DVD and Blu-ray on September 21st.

The four-disc set will contain all 13 episodes, come armored in a high-end collectible packaging, and the Blu-ray edition will include four Director’s Cut Extended episodes.

The DVD will have a suggested retail price of $59.97 with the Blu-ray edition having a suggested retail of $79.97.
 
Executive produced by Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen and Steven S. DeKnight, Spartacus: Blood and Sand on DVD and Blu-ray promises to take fans even deeper into the deadly brutality of gladiator games and the decadent machinations of Roman society with hours of bonus features delving behind the scenes into the making of a modern epic, including interviews and commentaries from the actors and filmmakers, augmented with rare production footage exploring the series’ ground-breaking visual effects, production and costume design.
 
The set features enhanced digital effects added to several of the episodes, and the Blu-ray exclusive “Directors’ Cut Extended Episodes” will feature content too risqué for television.
 
The new series was the most highly anticipated original series in the history of Starz Entertainment, and premiered on January 22, 2010, and was hit with viewers and critics. The show featured a renowned international cast including John Hannah (the Mummy films), Peter Mensah (300), Manu Bennett (30 Days of Night), Nick E. Tarabay (“Crash”) and Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess”), and a star-making turn by UK-born and Australia-based Andy Whitfield in the title role.
 
Spartacus: Blood and Sand was inspired by the actual slave of the Roman Republic, who in 73 BC led a slave revolt that grew to more than 120,000 fighters. Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus (Whitfield), a Thracian warrior captured by Romans, is enslaved into a gladiator training school owned by Batiatus (Hannah) and his wife Lucretia (Lawless).

He is forced to fight daily for his life against deadly foes, under the brutal whip of trainer Doctore (Mensah). He is condemned to the brutal world of the arena where blood and death are primetime entertainment. But not all battles are fought upon the sands. Treachery, corruption and the allure of sensual pleasures will constantly test him and his masters.
 
Against all odds, Spartacus’ rebellious instincts, his intense love for his wife Sura (Erin Cummings) and his powerful fighting skills drive him to win a series of near-impossible battles – setting in motion a revolution against the tyranny of Rome. To survive, he must become more than a man, more than a gladiator. He must become a legend.

DVD and Blu-ray bonus features:

Gladiator Camp
History Rewritten
Make-up Effects
The Hole
Audio Commentaries
Episodes with Enhanced Digital Effects
Behind-The-Scenes Footage
Bloopers
Trailers
 
Exclusive Blu-ray bonus feature:

Four “Directors’ Cut Extended Episodes” personally selected by Executive Producer Rob Tapert

Here is a look at the cover art: