Gladiator

Gladiator (Released May 5, 2000)

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Honsou, Richard Harris

Produced by: Douglas Wick, David Franzoni, Branko Lustig

Written by: David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson, story by David Franzoni

Music by: Hans Zimmer, Lisa Gerrard

Cinematography by: John Mathieson

Distributed by: DreamWorks  

Aren't You Glad It's Gladiator?

Ahem.

I realize it has been a rather long hiatus for us here at Oscar Boot Camp. I won't make excuses, or bore you with the details. I am truly sorry that life got away from us at Chez Karras, but we are back, and ready to rumble. Or watch movies. Whatever comes first.

We did watch Gladiator last November. I'd seen it before and liked it, but never gave much thought to what made the movie so good. (And let me qualify this statement by saying that I thought it was a good movie, though not a great one.) Let's see what we have:

1. Russell Crowe in a short skirt.

Hello, salty goodness...

Well the short skirt was hot, but it wasn't just Crowe's sex appeal that made him well-suited to the role of Maximus Decimus Meridius. Crowe does well in roles of manly fortitude (Master and Commander, Cinderella Man, etc.) where physical prowess is a necessity. This movie was no exception. He fought on the battlefield, he fought in the ring, he fought the Roman Emperor, for crying out loud. (And I'm sorry, but the name Maximus? Why not just call him Biggus Dickus and be done with it?)

2. Joaquin Phoenix as the Emperor Commodus.

This guy is one hell of an actor. And he did such a subtle creepy good job of this role. Commodus certainly had some family issues, one of which was lusting after his sister. Even his physical appearance for this film was spot on. He looked bloated, ill, and nuts. (But maybe that's just him.)

A right sick, twisted bastard.

3. Gorgeous cinematography

The golden glow of the sunlight in the Mediterranean notwithstanding, this film was a jewel to look at.

4. Music by Hans Zimmer

Zimmer always does a good job of sweeping epic music. And he has such a unique signature to his sound. The music gets the blood up, it makes you feel like sword fighting yourself.

These and other elements such as the beautiful Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, and Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius are definite attributes. And then there is Maximus' line, "What we do in life echoes in eternity." Pretty good sound bite. Maybe a little melodramatic, but I can say I wish I wrote it.

When Kosta and I watched this together for the first time, he pointed out a few bloopers in the film. For instance, in the scene where Maximus battles the Amazon warriors, a chariot spills over revealing some kind of tank that is obviously not supposed to be seen. I went to www.imdb.com to see what else they list, and I was shocked at how long the list of bloopers and continuity errors there were. What gives?

I liked this film, but I can't say I thought it was outstanding, and worthy of Best Picture of 2000. I felt that perhaps there was lots of action, but not a lot of depth to the characters.


~Anna

Hail, Big Budget Epics!

Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000) proved that there is still success to be found and money to be made in the making of big-budget historical epics. In fact, the trends for filming ancient narratives continues to this day, a decade later, in large part due to the influence of this motion picture. While not all of the films have enjoyed the popularity of Gladiator, there apparently exists an interest in the movie-going public for pictures set in ancient Greece and Rome.

No, not a cast of thousands, but clever CGI.

As one can expect from a Ridley Scott film, there is much to take in visually. His scenes, both on the small and large scale are artfully composed and with a "little help" from the boys in front of the CGI (computer generated imagery), computers, he transports us to Rome and the ancient world, circa AD 180 with all the pomp as well as the mud and dust.

For historically astute movie-watchers the story line of the fictionalized general-turned-gladiator Maximus, and the sociopathic emperor Commodus, scheming their way through the picture do tend to make one squirm in one's seat. The professional historians  hired on the project to make sure the film makers stay somewhat true to what facts are generally known about the period must have been squirming themselves -- one thinks of the movie: Troy (2004) and shudders...

Nevertheless, being historically accurate does not necessarily fill seats in a movie house and Scott and the screenwriters fall back on the old but tried-and-true story gimmick that works to perfection time and again; that of revenge.

The cast fits snuggly in their individual roles, with Joaquin Phoenix giving a bravado performance as the truly creepy emperor, Commodus. In one very brief shot during the scene where he looms over his young sleeping nephew, Lucius Verus, Scott brings Commodus' face into frame from a deeply out-of-focus shot and for an instant while blurred, the face resembles a human skull. Given the character's evil persona, it turns out to be a most appropriate visual. Russell Crowe's solid portrayal brings strength to the morally strong character of Maximus and is indeed a solid foundation upon which this long movie rests.

There will be blood...

There is one interesting note in this Academy Award winner that I find rather fascinating. It is the subtle, yet telling dissimilarity between what the dying emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) believes Rome is and what we are shown Rome is upon the bloody sand of the Coliseum. Aurelius, one of the more intellectual emperors, believes Rome to be the one light in an ancient world filled with darkness. This is fine as far as noble speeches go, but one wonders if the luckless victims of the gladitorial games would have agreed with him. After all, in the center of the "civilized" capital city of the ancient world there were The Games, dedicated to fulfilling the entertainment need of the masses with the lives of its unfortunate participants. Plato, for one, would have blanched at the thought.

Still and all, Gladiator remains one of the more enjoyable and entertaining Hollywood romps into the Classical World and is evidence that there are still little golden statues awaiting the makers of good solid story telling, no matter if the characters dress in shirts and ties or tunics and armor.

--kak

Up next: My Fair Lady (1964)