Colosseum - A Gladiator's Story/Pompeii - The Last Day - Region 1 DVD

Just as convincing--and just as impressive in its use of cutting-edge CGI--is the 50-minute bonus program Pompeii: The Final Day, which chronicles the final 24 hours of Pompeii when it was decimated by the ultraviolent eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 A.D. Inspired by the written descriptions of Pliny the Younger (whose detailed observations were later vindicated by geological science), recovered artifacts, and the haunting remains of Pompeii citizens preserved under tons of pumice and ash, Pompeii is first-rate from start to finish, proving yet again that the BBC is now setting the standard in lavishly produced docudrama programming. --Jeff Shannon