GLADIATOR
Russell Crowe trades in his business suit, gray hair, and his specs for pecs to transform himself from the whistle blower in "The Insider" into a second century A.D. super hero in "Gladiator." He is Maximus, a mere mortal who can do no wrong. He is incorruptible. His loyalty can’t be bought, and his honor can’t be compromised. He would rather go home to his wife and son and till the soil of his forefathers than accept a position of power in Rome. He is invincible, first as a general in the Roman Legion under the command of his mentor, the philosopher/warrior Marcus Aurelius, then later as a gladiator known as ‘The Spaniard’ - a lean mean fighting machine. He yearns to kill Commodus! The man who ordered his assassination. Commodus! The man who destroyed his dreams and altered his fate. Commodus! One of the most complex villains to hit the silver screen in ages.
The spectacle of the Germanic Wars and the sport of men slicing and dicing each other to pieces in the gladiator’s arena are used to great effect to show off Maximus’s leadership abilities and his combat skills, but "Gladiator" really owes its success to the epic melodrama that not only makes you root for the good guy, but makes you feel sorry for the bad guy.
"Gladiator" has all the elements of a classic soap opera! - Murder - Revenge - Insanity - Sex - Remorse - Politics - Redemption - and more Murder. The screenplay by David Franzoni turns the mad Emperor Commodus into a consequence of parental malfeasance that may be repulsive but is always fascinating. Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus is deliciously deranged, turning every intonation and nuance into an instrument of evil. He despises his father Marcus Aurelius, has an incestuous thing for his sister Lucilla, and hates Maximus because his father loved him more. Marcus would never name his son successor. He’d rather hand the mantle of power over to Maximus, but he has no heart for politics. Lucilla has the political savvy to rule but not the gender. Her influence over Commodus wanes when he decides to become the master of his own fate through patricide. He thinks his father, even in death, may be proud of the way he seized power. Commodus looks to his sister to exonerate him while she tries to use her wiles to control his unpredictable temperament. He declares himself emperor and soon imagines his closest allies have become his worst enemies. Lucilla becomes distant, and her worries turn to her son who is the next in the line for succession. If Lucilla doesn’t love Commodus anymore, who will? He turns to the people of Rome for the love he craves through the gladiator games that his father detested. If only Marus Aurelius hadn’t gone off to expand the Roman Empire! Who knows how his son might have turned out?
All kidding aside, "Gladiator" is one hell of a movie. The sets are spectacular, and the gladiator scenes are in your face. Director Ridley Scott supplies just enough blood and guts to create the visceral feel of the arena, complete with flying limbs, ferocious lions, and chariots of death. The performances are likewise, phenomenal. Richard Harris is Marcus Aurelius, the pragmatic commander who seeks the true measure of his life’s work and counts Commodus among his failures. Russell Crowe has the world weary look of a man who’s seen it all, giving Maximus a stoicism that can endure any hardship. Phoenix turns Commodus into a simpering, uncontrollable brat on a power trip. He is most dangerous when most inconsolable. Connie Nelson, last seen in "Mission to Mars," has a commanding screen presence as Maximus’ one time love, Lucilla, whose own aspirations of political power dim as her brother’s maniacal obsessions increase. Derek Jacobi is Gracchus, the resilient Roman Senator who knows when to appease his peers, when to be silent, and when to play his hand in his own bid for power. Proximo is Oliver Reed’s final screen role, and it is one of his most memorable. He is a cold blooded entrepreneur who is not above redemption who trains his slaves to become gladiators. He buys Maximus who is mistaken for a Spaniard. ‘The Spaniard’ becomes Proximo’s ticket to the big money when Commodus invites him to show off his star attraction - in Rome.
The success of "Gladiator" once again establishes Ridley Scott as one of the world’s top directors. The movie is a visual feast with enough action to satisfy the most die hard fan. More importantly, Scott knows when to pull back and let the dynamics of David Franzoni’s characters drive the plot forward. This movie, like his best work, also has a unique sense of time and place, real or imagined. The wooded battle scenes in Germania, the remote outpost of Zachabar, and the Roman arena itself are right up there with the look of the Napoleonic Era in "The Duellists" and the bleak futuristic milieu of "Blade Runner." Some may quibble (myself included) about some of Scott’s excesses, demonstrated by the repetition of the hi-con TV ad look of Maximus’ near death experience(s), but his story telling skills and the good sense not to dwell on them too long is more than compensated for by the rest of the film.
On another note, there have been comparisons of "Gladiator" to "The Fall of the Roman Empire" and "Spartacus." "The Fall of the Roman Empire" covers the same era of Roman history with the same key figures, like Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, but it has nothing to do with gladiators. Comparisons to "Spartacus" from 1960 seem unfair when you look at the film in the context of the times in which it was made. Although, I personally feel "Spartacus" is the better film, its story of a man struggling to escape the tyranny of Rome, indirectly, reflects the sentiment of the Civil Rights Movement that was just gaining momentum when it was released. The character of Spartacus, in a sense, had his eye on the prize. "The Gladiator" likewise, reflects the current obsession with the Marvel Comic type of super hero. It’s to the screenwriter’s credit, that he attempts to give Maximus a lot more depth than your average Hulk. Whether or not Franzoni succeeds is in the eye of the beholder. The character of "Spartacus" was more human. He had to work at becoming a leader. A viewer could aspire to his ideal which is a lot more commendable than living for the revenge that Maximus seeks in "Gladiator." He leaves the ideals to others. Nevertheless, "Gladiator" is still a terrific picture.
The not so obvious video pix
"Androcles and the Lion" (1952) - The George Bernard Shaw toga comedy about the Christian who befriends a lion who won’t eat him later in the Roman arena. Fun film with Alan Young as the Christian. He later starred opposite ‘Mr. Ed’ the talking horse on TV. Also with Victor Mature and Jean Simmons.
"My Son the Hero" (1962) - I don’t know why, but the title of this movie kept popping into my head whenever Commodus showed up. It has nothing to do with Rome or gladiators. It’s an Italian film about an evil king in Greece that was dubbed with comic dialogue. If you can find it, it has the feel of the British ‘Carry On’ films that were popular from the late fifties to the mid sixties.
The obvious video pix
"Spartacus" (1960) - Dir. Stanley Kubrick. The slaves revolt against the Roman Empire almost a half century before the rise of Christianity in this Oscar winner with Kirk Douglas as the title character. Also with Jean Simmons (from "Androcles and the Lion"), Charles Laughton, Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis, and Peter Ustinov among others. Ironically, Anthony Mann was the original director but Kirk Douglas replaced him. The opening sequence is Mann’s. His "El Cid" came out a year later and "The Fall of the Roman Empire" after that.
"The Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964) - Dir. Anthony Mann. The same historical figures populate this tale about the power struggle in the battlefield and in Rome after the death of Marcus Aurelius. Everything about this movie had ‘winner’ written all over it but its epic style was on the wan by the time it came out. It also didn’t do as well as it should have. With a great James Mason, Alec Guinness, Christopher Plummer, Stephen Boyd and Sophia Loren (who was in Mann’s "El Cid" before this.)
"Demetrius and the Gladiators" (1954) - Victor Mature ("Androcles and the Lion" - do I sense a trend here?) is the character he made popular in the "The Robe." Jay Robinson is a great one dimensional Emperor Caligula who believes Christ’s Robe has some magical power. This covers some of the same terrain as the acclaimed BBC series, "I Claudius." Also with Michael Rennie as the Apostle, Peter, and a sultry Susan Hayward.
"Quo Vadis" (1951) - Dir. Mervyn LeRoy. One of the great ‘Let the Lions eat the Christians’ movies with Robert Taylor as a Centurion who falls for the Christian Deborah Kerr. Rome burns while Peter Ustinov fiddles as Nero. At the time, this was reputed to be the most expensive movie ever made. This has a different ending than Cecil B. DeMille’s version of the same story (see below).
"The Sign of the Cross" (1932) - Dir. Cecil B. DeMille. The other great ‘Let the Lions eat the Christain’ movie with Frederic March as the Centurion. Rome burns while Charles Laughton fiddles as Nero. This has a different ending than Mervyn LeRoy’s version of the same story (see above.)
Trivia note: Both Neros of "Quo Vadis" and "The Sign of the Cross" were strange bedfellows who had to rely on each other in "Spartacus." Ustinov plays a slave trader and Charles Laughton, a Roman Senator.