Classic Cuts Collection: Historical Epics Box Set

Four classic 'sword-and-sandal' epics. 'Barabbas' (1962) imagines the later life of the eponymous biblical character (Anthony Quinn).

Released from prison when the crowd chose his freedom over that of Jesus, Barrabas quickly returns to his life of crime.

A subsequent arrest gets him sentenced to a lifetime's work in the silver mines, but fate grants him the chance to become a gladiator and the opportunity to regain his freedom.

Meanwhile, throughout these adventures, he becomes increasingly troubled by the knowledge that an innocent man died in his place.

Set in 13th century Asia, 'The Conqueror' (1956) stars John Wayne as Mongol chieftain Temujin, better known as Ghengis Khan.

Susan Hayward co-stars as Bortai, the Tartar princess who is captured by Ghengis Khan and eventually falls in love with him.

Stanley Kubrick's star-studded epic 'Spartacus' (1960) concerns the efforts of the slave-gladiator Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) to lead the slaves of the Roman Empire in a rebellion against their masters.

The ranks quickly swell as the slave army makes its way across Italy towards the coast.

But the despotic Roman senator Crassus (Laurence Olivier) determines to quell the revolt for his own selfish ends, and the stage is thus set for a tremendous battle.

Drawing its inspiration from such earlier films, Ridley Scott's later take on the Roman epic, 'Gladiator' (2000), lavishes the genre with computer-generated effects technology.

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) betrays the Emperor's beloved General Maximus (Russell Crowe) and takes the throne for himself.

Maximus is sold as a slave and then trained as a gladiator, keeping himself strong with thoughts of vengeance.

Eventually he is taken to the Colosseum, where he prepares to fight in a contest presided over by the corrupt Commodus.

Will he suffer the ultimate humiliation and die for the entertainment of his enemy or will he survive the rigors of the arena and find a way of exacting his revenge?