Well as you might have guessed my last post was of course an April fool, as I am not shutting this blog down and will still be writing new posts (or indeed revisited ones like this!).
So, for this post I have decided to dig through the vaults of my older posts and do another revisit and this one will take another look at my original review of Ridley Scott's acclaimed historical epic, Gladiator.
So, with that said, let's get our sword and armour on and step back into that Coloseum and take another look at this one...
And the usual warning is coming...
PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!
STORY
So the story is set in AD 180 and begins with General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) of the Roman army fight and win against the Germanic forces, which ends the war on the frontier. Maximus, who has already gained the respect of the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) who as a result of the victory wants him to be his succesor after he dies and end the political corruption in Rome, in spite of the fact that Marcus has a son, Commodus (Jaoquin Phoenix) whom Marcus does not approve of and sees him as being amoral.
As Marcus meets with Commodus and tells him that he will not be his successor, Commodus is deeply wounded by the news and does not take it well and ends up smothering his father to death and he takes the throne. Commodus then asks Maximus for his loyalty, however Maximus turns him down and leaves, only to be arrested by one of his own men, Quintus (Tomas Arana) who has decided to be loyal to Commodus instead and tells Maximus that his wife and son will be executed.
Maximus however manages to escape his execution sentence after killing the Praetorian guards that hold him captive and he flees on a horse to his home in Spain, where he desparately tries to save his wife and son, but he arrives too late to find them already dead and crucified. Maximus devastated, buries them and passes out and is soon found by a slave caravan, which takes him to Zuchabbar in the African province of the Roman empire and he is sold to a man named Proximo (Oliver Reed) and made to fight as a gladiator.
Maximus however as a gladiator proves to be a great success given his superior fighting skills he wins every match he faces and he begins to gain popularity in the province. Maximus also makes a friend with one of the other gladiators, an African former bounty hunter called Juba (Djimon Hounsou). As a result of Maximus's sucesses, Proximo reveals that they will be returning to Rome to the Roman Colosseum. The timing of this is a result of Commodus who has decided in his new reign as the emperor of Rome that he will bring the games back to the Colosseum.
As Maximus and the other gladiators arrive at the Colosseum they are pitted against a group of warriors, who fight them using chariots, but Maximus again uses his military resources and leadership to upset the odds and secures a victory. Commodus is surprised by the result of the match and he goes to meet Maximus (who wears a metal helmet to conceal his face) but is angered when Maximus refuses to tell him his name and demands he take off his helmet, which Maximus does and tells him that he will have his vengeance for the deaths of his wife and son aswell as Marcus. Despite Commodus's wish to kill Maximus the crowd who are won over by the Spaniard, and chant for him to live, which Commodus reluctantly allows.
And from here Maximus is thrown into a fight for his own survival against the crazed and corrupt Commodus and also find a way to take his revenge and end the corruption in Rome...
THOUGHTS
There is not much doubt that Gladiator is a very entertaining historical drama and its popularity is fairly easy to comprehend as the film offers many sequences that are thrilling as the battle scenes are so well staged and gladiatorial fights are as compelling as they are bloody. The film's story is of course pretty much as old fashioned as it gets in its battle of good vs evil with Maximus, the moral and decent soldier in the field, who fights for the Roman empire, only to be ultimately betrayed by his own men and sentenced to death by the corrupt and amoral Commodus and he eventually manages to escape and fight his way back to Rome where he enters the Colosseum as a gladiator.
The film however succeeds very well in showing the complexity of Commodus's character as well as while he is twisted and corrupt he is also quite pitiful as he was almost cruelly shunted aside by his father and denied the throne which was rightfully his. However Commodus is also depicted as having inappropriate and incestuous feelings for his sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) who lives in fear of her crazed brother.
PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section contains spoilers!)
As for the performances, they are excellent as the film features a fine cast.
Starting with Russell Crowe who actually gives perhaps the film least most appealing performance as Maximus, simply because his character is pretty one-dimensional but its still a pretty good one all the same. However I have to say (and this maybe a rather unpopular thing to say!) I really do not think Crowe's performance truly merited an Academy Award for best actor as he has given much better performances in his career than this, especially the following her as gave a terrific performance in the film, A Beautiful Mind.
Despite that however Crowe does do very well with the physical side of the film as he handles the fight scenes really well as he engages in some fierce hand to hand combat and he does lend a strong presence and authority to his character.
Crowe also has some good moments in the film such as the scene near the start where Maximus addresses his men as the Roman army takes on the forces in Germania. So, Maximus says to his troops "Three weeks from now, I will be harvesting my crops. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. Hold the line! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium (the afterlife) and you are already dead! Brothers, what we do in life... echoes in eternity!". And there is of course Crowe's most memorable line where he says to Quintus, his second in command "At my signal, unleash hell!".
Another good scene from Crowe is when Maximus starts to become something of a celebrity in the desert city of Zucchabar and he takes to the arena and easily dispatches of his opponents. However as the crowd look on impressed, Maximus throws his sword at one of the spectators, which clatters against their table. So, Maximus yells "ARE YOU ENTERTAINED?!! ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!!! Is this not why you are here?!" and he looks at them with contempt and throws his sword down and spits into the sand and walks off as the crowd cheers him.
Crowe also has the odd moment of levity in the film such as in the scene where, Lucilla's son, Lucius (played by Spencer Treat Clark) and Lucius visits Maximus who in the market and says to him "I hear you can crush a man's skull with your own hands" and Maximus says "Not a man's.... a boy's!". So, Lucius asks Maximus "Do they have good horses in Spain?" and Maximus tells him "Some of the best" and he shows the two engrave horses on his armour "This is Argento. This is Scarto. They were my horses" and he laments "They were taken from me".
Then there is scene in the Colosseum where Maximus is forced to remove his helmet and reveal himself to Commodus. So, Maximus turns around and removes his helmet and says coldly to Commodus "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelias! Husband to a murdered wife, father to a murdered son and I will have my vengeance in this life or the next!".
Another good moment is later on in the film when Maximus has been captured trying to stage a coup against Commodus. And as Maximus is chained up and confronted by Commodus he says "I knew a man who once said that death smiles at us all. All a man can do is small back." and as Commodus "I wonder did your friend smile at his own death?" and Maximus says "You must know, it was your father".
Next up is Joaquin Phoenix who gives the film's best peformance as the twisted and corrupt Commodus who is both loathsome and pitiful and Phoenix deserves much credit for his complex potrayal of the immoral emperor.
Phoenix has quite a few highlights in the film, the first one that comes to mind is the scene where Commodus's father, Marcus, tells him he won't be emperor and Commodus tearfully asks who is to take his place and Marcus tells him it will be Maximus.
So, as Marcus asks "Does my decision disappoint you?" a devastated Commodus says " You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues: Wisdom, justice, fortitude and temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them. But I have other virtues, father. Ambition. That can be a virtue when it drives us to excel. Resourcefulness, courage, perhaps not on the battlefield, but... there are many forms of courage. Devotion, to my family and to you. But none of my virtues were on your list. Even then it was as if you didn't want me for your son!".
And Marcus sighs and says "Oh, Commodus...you go too far!" but Commodus becomes even more emotional and says tearfully "I search the faces of the gods... for ways to please you, to make you proud. One kind word, one full hug... where you pressed me to your chest and held me tight. Would have been like the sun on my heart for a thousand years. What is it in me that you hate so much?!". And as Marcus pleads with Commodus and says "Commodus... your faults as a son are my failures as a father" and he opens his arms to embrace him. However as Commodus does so, he starts to smother Marcus to death and he says "I would butcher the whole world if only you would have loved me!".
Another scene is where Commodus realises that Lucilla has betrayed his trust by plotting against him with Maximus and he disguises it by telling Lucius the story of "The emperor Claudius who betrayed by those closest to him by his own blood." And as Lucilla starts to silently cry as he tells the story to Lucius, Commodus continues "And the emperor was heartbroken. The little bee had wounded him more deeply than anyone else could ever have done. And do you know what happened then? The little bee told him everything!".
Another fine scene is where Commodus taunts Maximus in Colosseum after Maximus defies him once again as he refuses to kill Rome's most prized gladiator. And in the scene Commodus says to Maximus "They told me your son cried like a little girl when they nailed him to the cross and your wife moaned like a whore when they ravaged her again, and again, and again!".
And Phoenix's finest moment arrives in the scene where after Maximus has been captured, Commodus expresses his full intentions of his incestuous expectations for his sister to provide him with a son. And Commodus says "And as for you, you will love me as I have loved you. You will provide with an heir of true blood, so that Commodus and his progency will rule for a thousand years. Am I not merciful?" and as Lucilla turns her head away, he angrily grabs her face and yells "AM I NOT MERCIFUL???????!!!!".
And last of all is the scene where Commodus having captured Maximus before he could carry out his coup to kill him, taunts him in Maximum's cell. So, in the scene Maximus says to Commodus "I knew a man once who said, "Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back." and Commodus asks in a cynical manner "I wonder, did your friend smile at his own death?" and Maximus almost with satisfaction tells him "You must know. It was your father". So, Commodus deeply wounded by Maximus's words says "You loved my father, I know. But so did I. That makes us brothers, doesn't it?". Commodus then hugs Maximus and says sharply "Smile for me now, brother!" and he stabs Maximus in his side and kisses him on the cheek and tells his men "Strap on his armour and conceal the wound".
Which brings me to Connie Nielsen who is also excellent in her role as Lucilla, Commodus's sister and former lover of Maximus, who is forced to leave in fear of her brother and tries to resist his incestuous advances and then betrays his trust to conspire against him with Maximus.
And Connie has some excellent moments that include the scene where she tries to talk to Maximus just after Marcus has imposed his duty on Maximus to become Rome's protector but Maximus just wants to leave. So, Lucilla asks Maximus "What did my father want with you?" and Maximus smiles faintly and says "To wish me well before I leave for home" but Lucilla says "You're lying. I could always tell when you were lying because you were never good at it". So, Maximus stops and says to her coldly "I never acquired your comfort with it" and Lucilla says "True. But you've never had to. Life is always simpler as a solider. Or do you think me heartless?" and Maximus tells her uneasily "I think you have a talent for survival" and he tries to head off. However, Lucilla smiles and says "Maximus, stop! Is it really so bad to see me again?" and Maximus tells her "No, I'm tired from battle".
Another good scene is where Lucilla meets with Maximus in a prison cell after he reveals himself to Commodus and as Maximus angrily tells her that his son and wife were crucified she denies knowledge and he grabs her by the throat. So, Lucilla tries to reason with him "I knew nothing" and Maximus yells "Don't lie to me!" and Lucilla says "I wept for them!" and Maximus furiously asks "As you wept for your father?!". Lucilla however angrily tells him "I have been living in a prison of fear since that day! To be unable to mourn your father for fear of your brother. To live in terror every moment of every day... because your son is heir to the throne! Oh, I have wept!".
Maximus then let's go of her and tells her emotionally "My son was innocent!" and Lucilla says "So is mine! Must my son die too before you will trust me?!" but Maximus feeling defeated says "What does it matter if I trust you?". Lucilla then tells Maximus "The gods have spared you. Don't you understand? Today I saw a slave become more powerful than the emperor of Rome!". Maximus however angrily tells her "The Gods have spared me?! I am at their mercy with only the power to amuse a mob!" and Lucilla tells him "That IS power! The mob IS Rome! And while Commodus controls them, he controls everything!".
Richard Harris also provides a fine performance as Marcus Aurelius the ageing emperor who is dying and turns to Maximus to succeed him as emperor.
Harris also has some good dialogue in the film such as in the scene where he tells Maximum that he wishes him to take over as the protector of Rome. And at the start of the scene, Maximus enters Marcus's quarters, who sits writing and Maximus says "You sent for me, Caesar". So, Marcus asks Maximus "Tell me, Maximus. Where are we here?" and Maximus says "For the glory of the empire, sire" so Marcus stops writing and sits back and says "Oh yes, I remember". Marcus then points to a large map on the wall and he asks Maximus "Do you see that map? That is the world which I created. For 25 years... I have conquered, spilt blood, expanded the Empire. Since I became caesar, I've known four years without war. Four years of peace in 20. And for what? I brought the sword. Nothing more".
And as Maximus tells him that his men who fought and died, died for Marcus and for Rome. However Marcus tells Maximus "Yet you have never been there. You have not seen what it has become. I am dying, Maximus. When a man sees his end... he wants to know there was some purpose to his life. How will the world speak of my name in many years to come? Will I be known as the philosopher? The warrior? The tyrant? Or will I be the emperor who gave back Rome her true self?".
So, after the two men talk about Maximus's home and his family, Marcus then asks to perform one more duty before he will let him return home. So, Marcus says "There is one more duty I ask of you before you do go home" and Maximus asks "What would you have me do, Caesar?" and Marcus tells him "I want you to become the protector of Rome after I die. I will empower you to one end alone. To give power back to the people of Rome... and end the corruption that has crippled it!". Maximus looks utterly stunned and Marcus asks him "Will you accept this great honour I have offered you?" and Maximus says eventually "With all my heart, no!".
Maximus then asks of Commodus and his right to rule as Marcus's heir "And Commodus?" but Marcus says "Commodus is not a moral man! You have known that since you were young. Commodus cannot rule. He MUST not rule! You are the son I should have had. Commodus will accept my decision. He knows that you command the loyalty of the army".So, as Maximus is stunned by this news, he says "I need some time, sire..." and Marcus says "Yes. By sunset, I hope you will have agreed. Now embrace me as my son. And bring an old man another blanket!".
And later in his last scene where he tells Commodus that he will not be the emperor and he pleads with his son, on his knees "Commodus, your faults as a son, are my failure as a father" and the two of them embrace and well it all goes badly right there!
Oliver Reed is excellent in what turned out to be the final performance of his career as the grouchy Proximo, a former gladiator, who now trades in using slaves as gladiators.
Reed has some fine moments in the film, and even his opening scene is funny where he get's angry with a sleazy trader (played by the comedian Omid Djail) "Those giraffes you sold me won't mate, they just stand around. You sold me queer giraffes!" followed later as he driven in a carriage toward his home through a busy market place he moans "How long does it take to get into my own house?!".
Also in the scene where he addresses the slaves, with Maximus among them, and he says to them "I am Proximo! I shall be closer to your for the next few days, which will be the last of your lives, than that miserable bitch of a mother who first brought you screaming into this world! And just as your mother was there at your beginning... I will be there at your end. And when you die - and die you shall - your transition will be to the sound of.... (claps his hands) gladiators.... I salute you!".
And later on in the scene where he talks to Maximus after his success in African province and he tells him of his memories of being a gladiator himself as he says "Oh you should see the Colosseum, Spaniard. I was the best not because I killed quickly, I was the best because the crowd loved me. And if you win the crowd, then you will win your freedom!". So, as Maximus agrees to win the crowd in Rome, Proximo proudly says "So, Spaniard, we shall go to Rome together... and have bloody adventures! And the great whore will suckle us until we are... fat and happy and can suckle no more. And then, when enough men have died, perhaps you will have your freedom!".
And last of all is the scene where Maximus is about to do battle again in the colossuem and he tries to tell Proximo about how Commodus has perverted Marcus's dream. And Proximo tells Maximus "Commodus knows too well about how to manipulate the mob!" and Maximus angrily tells Proximo "Marcus Aurelius had a dream that was Rome, Proximo. This is NOT it! This is NOT it!". Proximo then tells Maximus "Marcus Aurelius is dead, Maximus. We mortals are but shadows and dust. Shadows and dust, Maximus!".
As for the other supporting cast Djimon Hounsou is also good in his part as Juba, fellow gladiator and good friend to Maximus as they fight together in Africa and then later in Colosseum.
And Djimon has some good moments that include the one where not long after Maximus and Juba have been traded in to fight as gladiators for Proximo, Maximus refuses to fight in practice and later on he sits and tries to carve his Roman guard tattoo off his arm with a sharp stone. So, Juba asks Maximus "Spaniard, why don't you fight? We all have to fight!" and Maximus ponders on this for a moment and continues to try and cut the tattoo off his arm. So, Juba asks him "Is that the sign of your gods?" and Maximus smiles and nods and Juba then asks "Will that not anger them?" and Maximus smiles and nods again.
And lastly there is the scene where Maximus and Juba talk about their families together and Juba laments that he may never sees his family again. So, Juba tells Maximus "It's somewhere out there- my country, my home. My wife is preparing food. My daughters carry water from the river. Will I ever see them again? I think no". Maximus then asks him "Do you think you will see them again when you die?" and Juba says "I think so. But then, I will die soon. They will not die for many years. I'll have to wait". And Maximus becomes emotional tells Juba "You see my wife and son...are already waiting for me..." and Juba sincerely tells him "You'll meet them again. But not yet. Not yet!" and he shakes his hand to encourage him as Maximus holds back his tears.
And lastly Derek Jacobi also makes provides a fine turn as Senator Gracchus, a roman senator who opposes Commodus's rule and often makes sarcastic remarks to him.
This is well noted in their first scene together where Commodus tells Gracchus "I think I understand my own people" and Graccus mockingly asks him "Then, perhaps Caesar will be so good as to teach us...out of his own extensive experience!. So, Commodus says "I call it love. Rome is my children and I will embrace it like it were my own" and Gracchus says "Have you ever embraced anyone with plague, sire?!" to which Commodus turns him and says "No, but if you interrupt me again, I'm sure you will!".
Another good scene is where Graccus meets with Maximus and Lucilla in private as they discuss what will happen as Maximus plans his coup against Commodus. So, Gracchus, who is a little alarmed by Maximus's plan says to him "Marcus Aurelius trusted you. His daughter trusts you. I will trust you. But we have little time. Give me two days...and I will buy your freedom. And you- You stay alive. Or I'll be dead. Now we must go!".
And last of all is the scene where Gracchus attends one of the gladiatorial showings as Maximus is about to enter the Colossuem again. So, as Gracchus sits down in the crowd, one of the senators says "Senator Gracchus. Don't often see you enjoying the pleasures of the vulgar crowd!". So, Gracchus tells the senator "I don't pretend to be a man of the people, Senator. But I do try to be a man FOR the people!".
DIRECTOR AND MUSIC
As for the director, Ridley Scott does a great job with Gladiator as the film is visually spectacular and he effortlessly handles the staging of the film's epic battle scenes, particularly at the start and also the fight scenes in the colosseum. Scott also makes good use of the film's locations as the opening sequence was actually filmed in the Bourne woods in Surrey, and the scenes of the desert travel and the African province were shot in Morroco, and lastly the Colosseum location was shot in Malta, where the production even built a smaller scale set of the Colosseum itself. The film at over two and hours long never drags and Scott paces the story very well throughout as well.
And Ridley Scott was inspired to direct the film after he saw the painting titled Thumbs Down (or Pollice Verso in Italian) by the French paintor Jean-Leon Gerome, which was of a gladiator in the colosseum standing over two slain corpses. The thumbs up and down signalling is also demonstrated by Commodus in the film as thumbs up means live and thumps down of course means die.
And this brings me onto the film's score by Hans Zimmer, which is excellent and remains one of his most memorable and recognisible scores and was also co-written by Lisa Gerard who provides the disinctive singing in the film. The film score itself did not win an oscar although it was nominated but it did win the Golden Globe award for best original score.
FLAWS
Now we get onto the flaws, does Gladiator have any??? Well, yes it does have a few worth mentioning.
For starters I have big reservations about the character of Marcus Aurelias, as he comes across as a rather arrogant, presumptuous dick, who rather cruelly tells his own son that he will not become emperor. And given Commodus's amoral nature this may well be understandable however its the manner in which Marcus shafts his son at the start and doesn't even bother to ride with him either that shows his open contempt for his Commodus.
And top it all off when Marcus delivers the devastating news to his son that he will not be emperor, he has the temerity to ask his son "Does my decision disappoint you?". Well.... DUH!! Of course he is disappointed! I mean Marcus is just SO self absorbed it is utterly unreal! Commodus has been building up to being the emperor his whole life and this was his big moment, which he had been totally robbed of. So, of course he's going to be gutted that he won't be his douchebag of a father's rightful heir to the throne!
Not only that there is the infuriating presumption that after all Maximus has done for him that he won't even let him go back to his wife and family and insists it is he that should end the corruption in Rome instead. I mean hasn't the guy done enough for you already????!!!! And its the arrogance of giving Maximus no choice when Maximus says "I need time to think" and Marcus says "Of course and by the morning I hope you will have agreed with my decision". Acchh sod off you arrogant, presumptious old git!
And I enjoy looking at cause and effect in movies and it has to be said, and this is by no means a flaw, but Maximus's capture and ultimate demise actually lies with Lucius as the youngster naively reveals to Commodus while they have a playful swordfight that he is "Maximus, the saviour of Rome!". And as Commodus looks surprised by this, he asks Lucius who told him that, and the boy whispers in his ear that it was Lucilla (presumably anyway) and Commodus later has his men ambush Maximus and capture him, where Commodus later stabs Maximus, to weaken him during their final duel in the colosseum. And that all boils down to Lucius's flippant remark, so if only he'd kept his mouth shut then that probably wouldn't have happened. Thanks Lucius!
I also thought it was rather peculiar how the character Quintus, who betrayed Maximus's loyalty for Commodus's, at the end of the film switches sides and rather than give Commodus his sword, as Commodus commands, Quintus refuses and says "shield your swords!". And this is the emperor he is disobeying!!! Now either there are strict rules in the gladiatorial combat that once an opponent has dropped their sword they can't pick it up again (which might be so) or Quintus has committed a blatant act of mutiny! In the end of course its the right decision and it sees Quintus acquit himself for his actions in ordering the execution of Maximus's family (which was at the hands of Commodus anyway, so he was just following orders).
Its also worth noting that the film is not the most historically accurate either but then again there are few historical epic films that truly are (I guess!) and for the most part the story of Gladiator itself is fictional. This is especially true in the case of Maximus, who is in fact a fictional character although he could have loosely have been based on the real life historical figure, Narcissus, a wrestler, who ended up strangling Commodus Aurelias in his bathtub in reality and did not take him on in a duel in the colosseum as the film depicts between Maximus and Commodus.
And lastly another historical inaccuracy in the film involves the death of Marcus Aurelias as he is shown to be murdered by his own son, Commodus as a result of denying him his right to take the throne. However in reality, Marcus died at Vindobona in 180AD from the Antonine Plague, which was said to have been smallpox or the measles and this was rife throughout the Roman empire around this time.
Anyway so that's it for the flaws.
SUM UP
So, to sum up, Gladiator still remains a highly entertaining epic historical drama, which even though it is largely fictional in the story it tells, its still a very enjoyable film featuring some great action scenes and fine performances from its cast. The film also features a very memorable score from Hans Zimmer, which was nominated an Academy Award even thought it missed out in the end to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by Ta Dun.
And despite any of its inaccuracies and flaws, this is still a very enjoyable experience and a film that is still worth taking a look at.
Right, so that's it for now and I will be back again sometime soon.
So, till the next one its bye fer now!
Thanks, John
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