Everyone wants to be remembered. It's the best way men have found to transcend death. So doing something remarkable is on most people's mind, especially artists and people involved in the movie industry, where immortality is a pertinent currency. GLADIATOR, like Rome, was born from twin intents : tell a good story and wow the masses with unequaled epicness. Because greatness is dealt in oohs and aahs and ordinary people bonding with your unlikely hero. GLADIATOR is an important part of director Ridley Scott's career, for that it secured his place in cinema history. It's as much a vanity project built to promote his filmmaking talent, as it is an epic movie about men murdering each other for two and a half hours.
GLADIATOR is based on the life of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and his successions. At the twilight of his life, the old philosopher names his general Maximus (Russell Crowe) as the man who will take the throne after his death, disowning his son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) in the process. Before his father can make it official, Commodus murders him, usurps the throne and orders Maximus' execution. Very Roman of him, I know. In order to avoid any possible blood feuds, Commodus also has Maximus' family murdered in the most vile possible way, because a man has to set an example, I suppose. Only chink in his plan is that Maximus eludes execution because he's an awesome warrior and a survivor and then Commodus as one HELL of a blood feud on his hands. It'll all start in the colosseum, as Maximus has become a gladiator by another cruel twist of fate. Let the games begin! *
The screenplay of GLADIATOR is a thing of beauty. It's one of the main reasons why the movie is successful. The dual narrative of Commodus' troubled reign and Maximus' second rise to power are never complacent and don't draw outside the lines. GLADIATOR is a movie that understand what it's good at and it's seamlessly leading to epic battle scenes. There is a lot of character development happening during these battles, which has become somewhat of a lost art. He wins the trust of his fellow gladiators in the heat of the battle and Ridley Scott takes the time to stress the subtle shifts in the air in the subsequent scenes, which heightened the emotional power of the film. It's not always about the yelling and swashbuckling, it's about the men who do that. It's a notion that Ridley Scott's no.1 wannabe Zack Snyder will probably never get.
Giant champion? Tiger? No problem.
Viewing GLADIATOR, a decade removed from its initial impact, highlights the difficulty of making a historical film historical. Don't get me wrong, I don't care that it eschews details. Commodus actually reigned for twleve years over Rome, but I don't think it's important. But GLADIATOR is Ancient Rome seen through the glasses of contemporary values. Life is sacred. Men are noble or evil. The senate are gutless politician. The emperor is drunk with power and the soldiers are the most respectable man. That said, it works really well as an allegory for media power and the importance of public opinion. Maximus wins the crowds based on his actions inside the colosseum as any public figure of today would be judged by what made him popular. Nobody really knows him, but he becomes a symbol of democracy. Symbolism in GLADIATOR is wrapped up really tight, but it's not a very historical, aside for the costumes.
Ask people you know to name you three Ridley Scott movies. Good chance you'll hear: GLADIATOR, ALIEN and BLADERUNNER, in that order. Those who can't name three will most likely only name GLADIATOR. It's because it's the last great bull's eye of the famed director. It doesn't matter how deliberately epic it is, it won over the everyman's imagination because it was built on a strong and subtly actual screenplay. Moviegoers fell for Maximus the same way they would fall for any athlete or recording artists. The Roman backdrop offered toys and manufactured pathos, but not even that could get in the way of its tremendous story. I was the first surprised that GLADIATOR withstood the test of time so well, but it did. It did so by willingly not sticking with historical material and give the people the ultimate epicness overload. It doesn't matter if Ridley Scott had immortality in mind when filming GLADIATOR. Because he delivered a long, complex and ingenious movie that ultimately gave him that.
* See how easy it is to be epic when you talk about this movie?
