GladiatorThe idea of a nation is one whose values are representative of the people, not the figureheads. Gladiator is the story of Ancient Rome, when emperors called "Caesar" ruled the land, where battles to the death were fought for entertainment in the Colosseum, and where the Roman Empire extended its circle of influence far and wide, as observed in the opening credits, to approximately one-quarter of the globe. Gladiator is the story of General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) of the Roman legion, praised for his military prowess, and it is the story of his sudden fall into nigh obscurity following his betrayal by the assumptive Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).
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The battle of Maximus and Commodus is due to more than just their falling out after the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) decides to appoint Maximus as heir to the empire in lieu of his own son. Their fight is one which represents a split in the nation, a division of how the nation wishes to be ruled versus how it is ruled. It is a battle of politics versus military on the surface, yes, but it is more about the security of a nation--any nation--when subject to tyranny and fascism, under the reign of a savvy despots like Commodus who utilizes the propaganda of the Colosseum to engage the populous instead of securing the welfare of the nation. Maximus has no political aspirations; he actually refuses Marcus Aurelius' attempts to sway him to take the post, wishing only to return to a quiet life in the country with his family, which he recalls in great detail to his beloved Caesar when they meet following the victory in Germania. Aurelius emphasizes that the reason that he wishes him to take the role is because he has not been "corrupted" by Rome, an idea which baffles Maximus who has been of the mind that the idea of Rome is what has motivated his success in his military campaigns, driving him to victory. For Maximus--who has never been to Rome himself--his idea of his great nation is one which brings light to the darkness of the savage nations abroad, one which brings the benefit of civilization to those dark corners of the world so in need of it. His awakening follows Aurelius' death at the hands of his own spiteful son, who would just as easily dispose of Maximus for the sake of convenience as he would the general's beloved family. Maximus is forced to acknowledge the cruel truth that Rome is composed of mere men, and men are capable of cruelty and evil, like butchering his family, a treachery which shakes him to his core. Maximus finds himself sold into slavery and forced into a contract to fight as a gladiator by former warrior turned manager, Proximo (Oliver Reed), who convinces Maximus to become a great gladiator less so out of an appeal to his pride, but by virtue of revealing that it will give him an opening to strike back at the new emperor who ruined his life.
The division between Maximus and Commodus is clear, and reveals the division in their brands of rulership and what it means to advocate their creed of "strength and honor". Maximus is a simple man, well respected by his men for his honesty and his humanity. Commodus is regarded even by his own father as "immoral"; he covets his own sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), and is even jealous of Maximus for his former affair with her. Commodus is further jealous of Maximus' masculinity, snidely calling him "the great man" even to his face. But for Commodus, it is not enough to rule; he must have the "love" of the people, even though he does little to warrant it. This is revealed in his efforts to sway the populous with his revival of the gladiatorial games, which superficially appears to be just what the mob desires, as observed the benevolent and wise Senator Gracchus (Derek Jacobi), who puts it that the heart of Rome is not in the marble of the Senate but in the sand of the Colosseum. Commodus represents the worst kind of ruler, one who claims to desire the love of his subjects, but does not deign to perform any real act to support their welfare. He even goes so far as to twiddle his gladius while listening to the lectures of the Senate about matters of the empire, rather than take his position as anything but for granted. So when the fights begin in the Colosseum, it is not at all surprising that Maximus--called by his alias of "The Spaniard"--continues to succeed, since it is his glory which thrills the nation, not the nobility of the emperor. And when Maximus is forced to concede his identity, he throws the emperor's crimes in his face for all of Rome to see, becoming an instant folk hero, making Commodus' failures as a leader evident to all, and the poison of the bitter usurper all the more potent.
Maximus rewrites the historical reenactments set in the Colosseum much as Gladiator rewrites history itself in its legend of Maximus. Gladiator shares numerous echoes with other similar period pieces, notably Spartacus as well as Ben-Hur, pitting the "everyman" hero that is Maximus against the tyrannical, distant despot that is Commodus, an uprising staged on the silver screen as it would be in the arena. There was the megalomaniacal Emperor Commodus who followed Marcus Aurelius, and who was assassinated; but just as Maximus alters the events of the Battle of Carthage in the arena, so too does Gladiator turn events for the benefit of entertaining the crowd, winning us over with brutal and intense fights and deftly choreographed scenes. One could easily see several parallels between our nation and the empire of Rome. We are apt to fall prey to the wiles of cagey politicians who stoke the flames of our bloodlust to keep us under heel, rather than rise up to protest this misuse. It is a rare thing to find a leader who would be willing to not only lay his own welfare on the line for ours, but to do so out of the noble ambition that we should be ruled by a democratic Senate rather than a vindictive and cruel monarch. This is the secret reason why someone like Maximus succeeds in rousing the spirit of humanity; not because he is a politician, but in fact is like everyone else--invested in securing freedom even from within.
Recommended for: Fans of an action-packed dramatic recreation of Ancient Rome, filled with tense combat, a delightful cast of actors, betrayal and secrecy--a story of heroism with the promise of freedom at its core.
The division between Maximus and Commodus is clear, and reveals the division in their brands of rulership and what it means to advocate their creed of "strength and honor". Maximus is a simple man, well respected by his men for his honesty and his humanity. Commodus is regarded even by his own father as "immoral"; he covets his own sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), and is even jealous of Maximus for his former affair with her. Commodus is further jealous of Maximus' masculinity, snidely calling him "the great man" even to his face. But for Commodus, it is not enough to rule; he must have the "love" of the people, even though he does little to warrant it. This is revealed in his efforts to sway the populous with his revival of the gladiatorial games, which superficially appears to be just what the mob desires, as observed the benevolent and wise Senator Gracchus (Derek Jacobi), who puts it that the heart of Rome is not in the marble of the Senate but in the sand of the Colosseum. Commodus represents the worst kind of ruler, one who claims to desire the love of his subjects, but does not deign to perform any real act to support their welfare. He even goes so far as to twiddle his gladius while listening to the lectures of the Senate about matters of the empire, rather than take his position as anything but for granted. So when the fights begin in the Colosseum, it is not at all surprising that Maximus--called by his alias of "The Spaniard"--continues to succeed, since it is his glory which thrills the nation, not the nobility of the emperor. And when Maximus is forced to concede his identity, he throws the emperor's crimes in his face for all of Rome to see, becoming an instant folk hero, making Commodus' failures as a leader evident to all, and the poison of the bitter usurper all the more potent.
Maximus rewrites the historical reenactments set in the Colosseum much as Gladiator rewrites history itself in its legend of Maximus. Gladiator shares numerous echoes with other similar period pieces, notably Spartacus as well as Ben-Hur, pitting the "everyman" hero that is Maximus against the tyrannical, distant despot that is Commodus, an uprising staged on the silver screen as it would be in the arena. There was the megalomaniacal Emperor Commodus who followed Marcus Aurelius, and who was assassinated; but just as Maximus alters the events of the Battle of Carthage in the arena, so too does Gladiator turn events for the benefit of entertaining the crowd, winning us over with brutal and intense fights and deftly choreographed scenes. One could easily see several parallels between our nation and the empire of Rome. We are apt to fall prey to the wiles of cagey politicians who stoke the flames of our bloodlust to keep us under heel, rather than rise up to protest this misuse. It is a rare thing to find a leader who would be willing to not only lay his own welfare on the line for ours, but to do so out of the noble ambition that we should be ruled by a democratic Senate rather than a vindictive and cruel monarch. This is the secret reason why someone like Maximus succeeds in rousing the spirit of humanity; not because he is a politician, but in fact is like everyone else--invested in securing freedom even from within.
Recommended for: Fans of an action-packed dramatic recreation of Ancient Rome, filled with tense combat, a delightful cast of actors, betrayal and secrecy--a story of heroism with the promise of freedom at its core.