I feel like I'm repeating myself but there's a new HD version of HERCULES UNCHAINED available on the internet. It's from RAI (Italian network). The same thing happened to HERCULES two months ago.
Like the HERCULES RAI copy, this new HERCULES UNCHAINED version from RAI is the same print available on the Japanese Blu-ray. For me, there's really nothing new about them since I already have the Japanese BD. The only thing new and cool about these prints is that the English audio was added to them by a dedicated fan. But this HERCULES UNCHAINED in HD is not really good. It's zoomed in and cropped. I'm comparing it to the German 2 DVDs set I have in my collection (above). BTW, this German DVD set has the English audio included. Unfortunately, this version is heavily cut.
Above is a screen shot from the German DVD. This is the correct aspect ratio. Below is the same scene from the RAI TV copy. As you can see it's zoomed in and cropped.
Above is the screen shot from the RAI TV version. Below is from the German DVD. Everything in the red rectangle is the RAI TV / Japanese Blu-ray. Everything outside the red rectangle has been cropped out, which is a lot. I don't like this HD version. It's not the original framing. If RAI can't show a correct version of this classic, I'm afraid the movie will never get released properly in HD.
SIGN OF THE GLADIATOR...
The SIGN OF THE GLADIATOR, or SIGN OF ROME, German DVD above has an English version. It's the only one available in English anywhere. It's not from the original US theatrical release with the English opening credits but the audio of this copy is in English (with Italian opening credits). It's at around 82 minutes which means over 10 minute was cut from the original version. Even so, it's better than nothing. This same copy was shown in the UK years ago on a channel called MOVIES 4 MEN minus the opening credits in Italian. I also have this version. Years ago I tried to do a Fan Dub using this English audio but there were too many cuts and I gave up halfway into it. You can buy the German DVD here.
Anita Ekberg as Queen Zenobia. This scene is cut from the English version on the German DVD. Instead, a voice over explains everything.
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