The Gladiator epic directed by Riley Scott (2000) is based on real life events of the Roman Empire, their society, as well as the role of gladiators. Scott tried to portray the Roman culture as accurately as he could, and even went further to ensure his authenticity by hiring several historians to do so . It is supported by the findings of historians’ research. The film is historically accurate in most parts, including the role of gladiators; gladiatorial games and the aspects of Roman society such as the religions and beliefs. Some characters such as Commodus, Lucilla and Marcus were loosely based on the real life characters. However some parts of the film were exaggerated such as the battles in the arena, where gladiators fought to death; and many of the outfits were historically inaccurate. Moreover, fictional characters like Maximus were created and these historical exaggerations were aimed to attract and entertain the audience, like every other Hollywood blockbuster, there are bound to be some historical inaccuracies in this film.
One of the main themes that the film revolves around was the role of gladiators and the gladiatorial games, which was accurately depicted throughout the film. A gladiator refers to a professional swordsmen or fighters that were trained to entertain in the amphitheatre. But they were generally slaves, condemned criminals or prisoners of war bought for the purpose of gladiatorial combat by a Lanista. They were the owners of gladiators who were also a gladiatorial trainer. Moreover, gladiators were seen as at the bottom of the hierarchy class chain, no higher than a slave as they were considered as a property. In the film, the character Proximo Palindromos is a Lanista who bought Maximus. Furthermor...
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Therefore, it can be said that the film Gladiator accurately depicts most aspects of Roman society through the Colosseum, gladiatorial games, religion and beliefs. Overall, it can be seen that the film attempts to portray the themes correctly, but due to nature of the production and the fact that it was created solely for entertainment; it is not one hundred percent correct. As result of this, there are bound to be some inaccuracies and exaggeration. However if the film had been done in a documentary form, it surely would have been more accurate but would not have attracted such a wide range of audience this film managed to achieve. It has reached hundreds of millions of people around the world who otherwise would not know learn or know any history of the Roman Empire, making this film one of the most valuable historical recounts of the ancient Rome.
Gladiator's purpose was to portray the life of the particular Roman general; Maximus(played by Russell Crowe)—the general-turned-gladiator whose popularity does threaten the power of the emperor—was key to the success of the project. The reason they picked this as the main focus of the movie was because the government of Rome was a very corrupt society. ''Maximus is the very soul of the movie.'' ''It was crucial to find an actor who you could believe possessed the ferocity of this great warrior, but in whom you could also see a man of strong principle and character. Russell Crowe's name came up pretty fast. His intensity, his dignity and his utter conviction in every role he undertakes made him everyone's first choice.''
Human nature during this time was rather inhuman. The gladiators were slaves, rebels, criminals, and Christians. They had to fight against each other. The fighters used anyway possible to win a fight. They had to because if they fought and made the crowd happy and get the emperor’s thumbs up; they can be released and live their life again. If the gladiator did not make crowd h...
Ridley Scott’s film, “Gladiator,” portrays the sudden fall and heroic rise again, of a great Roman General named Maximus Decimus Meridius. Maximus’ monumental rise, and eventual vengeance, show the viewer, the greatness of this heroic character. A liberal humanistic critique, reveals that the film, has an inherent purpose or meaning, promotes the enhancement of life, and shows that human nature is basically unchanging.
The gladiators were not born athletes who had a mission in life to become warriors, most of them were normal men living a normal life on a farm located within the fringes of the Roman Empire, such as Moesia. These men had families and friend within their village and usually farmed to survive. They had little to no contact with people outside of their town and kept to themselves. This made them easy targets for the Roman armies to attack which was extremely common. As the Romans began their attack the men of a village usually sent their women and children off while they stayed to fight. Of course they stood no chance and were forced to surrender to be taken as Roman slaves. They would be forced to take the trip to Italy which usually took over fifty days. Immediately after reaching Italy the newfound slaves were taken to an auction where they would be sold off to the highest bidder. The men bidding on the slaves could be using them for various t...
"Gladiator", comes from the latin word "gladius", for sword. They were primarily made up of slaves, criminals, prisoners of war or even volunteer free men. The crimes that could lead one to the arena included treason, robbery, and murder, among others. Some free men became gladiators of their own free will in hopes of gaining notoriety and patronage amongst the wealthy citizens. By the end of 50 BC almost half of the gladiators fighting in the Colosseum were free men.
A gladiators life was far from easy. Most were slaves, prisoners of war, or hardened criminals, therefore they were not free men. Often times they were trained and forced to take part in the events, hoping for their freedom if they were to conquer their grim fate and survived for a few years (wik). This was depicted in the most recent movie GLADIATOR. In this film Russel Crowe Maximus' starts out as an army general under Marcus Aurelius, until Commudus murders his own father out of spite for his fathers loyalty to Maximus and not him. He then inherits the title of king, and condemns Maximus to a gruesome fate as a slave/gladiator. Though this doesn't sound like the ideal life, to some at the time is was an appealing, so much so that some free men degraded themselves so they could battle in the games. Was it for basic living? Possibly but more than likely it was for the Fame and Prestige of a Gladiator. These free men were known as Professional gladiators.
Stanley Kubick's Spartacus In the 1960 film Spartacus, directed by Stanley Kubrick, the character called Spartacus is depicted as a revolutionary who leads an army of slaves against the oppressive forces of Rome during the first century B.C. Though the overall story is true, and most of the main characters are real, the presentation of their character is entirely fictional. Spartacus and the other characters have been split into groups epitomizing good and evil, and the story itself has been vastly romanticized. This essay will address the ways in which the story deviates from reality and finally will show how Kubrick and those before him have used such interpretations as a valuable tool for social change.
The first chapter of Strauss’ work, titled “The Gladiator”, explores both Spartacus’ background as a gladiator and Rome’s fascination with the sport. Strauss outlines how a gladiator match worked in Rome, usually in carefully chosen pairs starting with a practice match with wooden weapons followed by the real officiated match that was generally to the death unless the crowd decided that the wounded deserved to live. The attention is then turned to where the Spartacus legend begins, Capua. Strauss gives a sweeping view of Capua’s history in the Roman Empire, from being punished for allying itself with Hannibal to returning to some prominence as a slave center, in particular for gladiators. Gladiators were usually slaves, and much like Spartacus, were foreign. Spartacus was a Thracian, feared by Romans for their fierceness on hors...
Scott, Foreman and Company, 1903. Kohne, Eckhart and Cornelia Ewigleben, eds., pp. 113-117. Gladiators and Caesars: The Power of Spectacle in Ancient Rome. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. Meijer, Fik (Liz Waters, trans.).
Gladiators were combatants equipped for arena battles. These battles were against other soldiers, conquered enemies, slaves, and criminals. Even wild beasts were added to be part of the bloody spectacle. Gladiators were a source of entertainment for Roman crowds, politicians and nobility at the Coliseum. It was the Roman equivalent to a Packer game at Lambeau field. A few gladiators were volunteers, but most were detested as slaves. Regardless of where they came from, gladiators allowed spectators to see an example of Rome 's military principles and, how to die an honorable death. The origin of gladiator combat is unclear, evidence supports that it became an important attribute of politics
The story of Gladiator takes place in Ancient Rome and contains intense action, great acting, and fantastic storytelling. Although most of this action drama is mostly fictitious, some certain events and characters appear in the history books.
In the movie Maximus, a trusted Roman general is chosen to be the next emperor. Maximus is chosen over the emperor 's son, Commodus. Maximus is unable to protect his family from the threats and violent attacks of Commodus. Once his family has died, Maximus is captured as a slave and forced into gladiator games until his death. While performing for Commodus, Maximus reveals his true identity. Maximus and his lover, Commodus 's sister, create a plan to overthrow and kill Commodus. Commodus challenges Maximus to a duel in front of a raging audience. Maximus is stabbed in the lungs by Commodus but soon steals his sword and kills Commodus. Through the movie Maximus is determined to get revenge on Commodus. The archetype becomes more evident as the story goes on. Maximus completes his quest for vengeance. The gladiator is a movie telling the journey of Maximus’s “quest for
" Life of a Gladiator. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 06 Mar. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard The "Roman Gladiator" - "The Roman Gladiator" The Roman Gladiator.
With the decline and fall of the western empire, the classical age of Rome came to a close as disease, warfare and corruption conspired to bring about the downfall of an ailing empire that had once conquered the known world. Where once enlightened despots had ruled a debauched and unwieldy polity, now barbarians stood over the ruins of a once thriving metropolis. In its absence a new world would arise with new values and ideals. Turning their back on a pagan past the Christian children of these wild men from the north would spawn the greatest houses of future European nobility, and when they looked back for a legacy, they would not see their ancestors as pillagers picking at the bones of a defiled Rome, but instead as its trusted guardians, partnering with the Church to carry her legacy through the “Dark Ages”.
Gladiator (2000) is an action drama about a Roman general that is betrayed by his country and is forced to fight in the Colosseum. This particular scene, which runs for approximately 5 minutes, is the aftermath of the fight scene between Maximus, the betrayed general, and Commodus, the jealous emperor who betrayed him. This scene is not only significant because it is the concluding scene of the film, but also because it represents the end of Maximus’s enslavement and his coming to peace with dying.