Movie: Gladiator
2000.05.06

We went and saw "The Gladiator" last night. I was very interested in seeing this movie since it was directed by Ridley Scott and is about a time in history that is interesting to me. Like any time in history, there are good points and bad points. The period of this movie, circa Ancient Rome B.C., is filled with both.

The battle in the opening sequence is filled with an enormous Roman army. Just as one would expect from a Roman army crushing an enemy. There is obvious use of CGI in multiplying the numbers of men and armament but it's done very well (as in you won't really notice it). I'd have to see the movie again to be able to pick apart any flaws (graphically or historically). I personally disliked the shaky strobe like filming style in the open battle sequences though. In my opinion they were a cheap film trick attempt at showing the confusion and chaos in such a battle. Shaking the frames is a post shoot editing trick often used to try an enhance an action scene that didn't quite turn out with as much impact as originally intended. Say good bye to that Cinematographer. I was thinking I'd be disappointed if all the fight sequences were filmed this way. Luckily, there were not.

For those who may have not read anything about the movie yet, it stars Richard Harris, Jaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed, Connie Nelson, and of course, Russell Crowe. The brooding Aussie who didn't smile once during the Oscars. Although I have liked the acting he's done in past movies, I didn't go see the movie because he was in it. He did a good and believable job as Maximus, General or the Northern Roman Armies. After the opening battle sequence he asks his Emperor Marcus Aurelius if he can go home to his family. Aurelius, played very nicely by Richard Harris, is dying and has other plans for Maximus. He wants Maximus to succeed him as ruler of Rome and help bring true democracy to the people. Before that can happen though, the Emperor's son Comedus find out he won't succeed his father. Comedus, played by Jaquin Phoenix, kills his father. Comdeus then asks his long time friend Maximus to pledge his loyalty to his new Emperor. A pledge Maximus walks away from. Comedus orders Maximus killed and has his wife and son killed as well. The attempt on Maximus' life fails and that's when the fun starts.

Maximus soon hits rock bottom after finding his dead wife and son and ends up as a slave in a former Gladiator's brood. Maximus is now forced to do for entertainment what he did for his Emperor in battle. Fight and kill. The life and paradoxical stature a Gladiator held in these ancient Roman times is portrayed well. They were slaves and considered the lowest of society yet at the same time they drew in thousands of people wanting to watch the carnage created by their favorite Gladiators. They were treated as slaves by their masters yet at the same time favored for their money making abilities. Amusingly, there can be a lot of parallels made between Gladiators and today's sports figures.

The movie is filled with the expected hero and damsels, fighting and dying. As the movie progresses however, Maximus finds himself entangled in the very same political battle he would have had to fight had Aurelius lived long enough to put Maximus into power. Only now, Maximus has to fight to live through battles in the Coliseum to help fight the political battles going on outside. It is this political angle in the movie that I think interested me the most. Comedus wants the people to love him so he promotes months of daily Gladiatorial events in honor of his dead father. Comdeus' political motivation for the fights is on target at winning over the people and Senate members applaud him for making that move. That is, until Gladiator Maximus comes to Rome to entertain the crowds. Maximus commands more respect (and gets it) than the Emperor.

I view movies like this with the thought in mind as to whether any of my kids will be allowed to view it. When you take into account fight scenes like those in Star Wars Episode 1 included the disembodiment of a character, the graphic nature in which Gladiator shows similar body parts getting cut off is definitely on a more gruesome scale. However, despite what I've read about the movie in other reviews that have stated that Gladitor is one of the most gruesome movies ever, I have to disagree. The battle and fighting sequence are not on the same scale in filming impact as, say, the battles in Braveheart or even Saving Private Ryan. All of my kids have seen Braveheart while only my two oldest have seen Saving Private Ryan. We saw the movie last night with our oldest son and we're still undecided as to whether any of his brothers will be able to see it or not.

If you are familiar with Roman history you will enjoy subtle points in this movie more than someone who may not aware of the significance in the Emperor giving a wooden sword to a Gladiator. Even if you aren't familiar with Roman history this movie will entertain you. I'm sure demand for Russell Crowe will go up after more people see this movie.

cheers,
dEVoN

Copyright (C) 1999 Devon Hubbard