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Historical Movie Review: Gladiator
Movie Review
· Historical setting of film
· Statement of your opinion of the film, and provide numerical rating
· Compare the portrayal of the 4 segments in the movie to historical facts
· Review the movie regarding the 4 segments from an entertainment perspective
· Draws conclusion (summarizes views and evidences) and provide descriptive rating
The movie is about the story of a Roman General, Maximus, who assisted the emperor Marcus Aruelius in the war against the Germania barbarisnas. ... The general, having been weakened by his injuries and grief was captured and sold by slave trader, and later trained as a gladiator. ... His identity was discovered, and Commodus, who loved the games and wanted to prove he could beat Maximus, secretly stabbed Maximus before fighting him in the gladiator game. The story ended with Maximus killing Commodus in the gladiator fight, but Maximus also died from injury inflicted by Commodus prior to the match.
The movie is based on a clever blend of friction and historical facts. Some of the people in the movie are real historical figures, such as Marcus Aurelius, Commodus and Lucilla, but their stories may not be true historical facts. ... This combination is nicely done to add status and heroism to a gladiator as the main character, and to link him to well documented historical figures: Aurelius and Commodus. The movie story took place over three years, from Aruelius’ death to Commodus’ death, which is compressed from the actual 18 years in which Commodus was emperor. This departure from historical fact adds more logic to the movie story, making the various events more closely related. ...
The diversity of the characters in the movie has allowed ample opportunity to show the costume of the era, for all classes, including the Royal family, the Noblemen, the Ordinary people, the military, and of course, the gladiators.
In the film, Gladiator the producer has brought all the viewers back into time, sat them in the coliseum and transformed them into the crowd watching the gladiatorial games. ...
Gladiator, however, owes most of its success to its clever exploration of the notion of "spectatorship." By providing violent images of the gladiator games, the film portrays the Roman crowds thirst for violence while simultaneously confronting the films spectators with their appeal for screen violence. In this manner, Gladiator connects the violence of the arena with the violence of the screen and establishes a common ground between the "Roman mob" and the "movie theater mob." Consequently, Gladiator manages to lure the viewer into reacting as the Roman crowd does, ultimately rejecting the villains and sympathizing with the inspiring hero, as the Roman crowd does. All in all, Gladiator is a spectacular film that cleverly uses its poignant images and its powerful characters to create a dramatic story that speaks of the corruptibility of the human mind and the redeeming powers of love and justice.
Gladiator is the product of the carefully choreographed sword fights (by Nicholas Powell, who also choreographed Bravehearts sword fight scenes); of magnificent set design, especially the reconstruction of the Coliseum (by production designer Arthur Max); accurate costume designs (by Janty Yates); and weaponry design (by supervising armorer Simon Atherton). Gladiator captures most of its glory in the heroism of its main character Maximus, the General/Gladiator. ...
Gladiator, however, owes most of its success to its clever exploration of the notion of "spectatorship." By providing violent images of the gladiator games, the film portrays the Roman crowds thirst for violence while simultaneously confronting the films spectators with their appeal for screen violence. In this manner, Gladiator connects the violence of the arena with the violence of the screen and establishes a common ground between the "Roman mob" and the "movie theater mob." Consequently, Gladiator manages to lure the viewer into reacting as the Roman crowd does, ultimately rejecting the villains and sympathizing with the inspiring hero, as the Roman crowd does. All in all, Gladiator is a spectacular film that cleverly uses its poignant images and its powerful characters to create a dramatic story that speaks of the corruptibility of the human mind and the redeeming powers of love and justice.
Historical Movie Review: Gladiator
Research Notes
Historical Events
- Review
Gladiator, however, owes most of its success to its clever exploration of the notion of "spectatorship." By providing violent images of the gladiator games, the film portrays the Roman crowds thirst for violence while simultaneously confronting the films spectators with their appeal for screen violence. In this manner, Gladiator connects the violence of the arena with the violence of the screen and establishes a common ground between the "Roman mob" and the "movie theater mob." Consequently, Gladiator manages to lure the viewer into reacting as the Roman crowd does, ultimately rejecting the villains and sympathizing with the inspiring hero, as the Roman crowd does. All in all, Gladiator is a spectacular film that cleverly uses its poignant images and its powerful characters to create a dramatic story that speaks of the corruptibility of the human mind and the redeeming powers of love and justice.
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- Comparison To History
The whole movie has radically compressed the chronology of the Emperor Commodus’ reign. ... Although the time encompassed by “Gladiator” is not precisely indicated, it would appear that no more than two years could have elapsed before Commodus was killed. Within that time-frame, however, the script does utilize some historical facts: Commodus was fascinated with shows of beast hunting, chariot racing, and gladiatorial combat; he did train himself in those skills; and eventually, to the ultimate scandal of all classes, he fought in the public arena as the kind of light-armed gladiator known as a secutor (pursuer). ... net/Gladiator/Film-Synopsis. ... html
Costumes
Review
Yates did an extensive amount of research in creating the widely varied wardrobe for the film, ranging from the resplendent armor worn by Maximus and Commodus, to Lucilla’s exquisite gowns, to the relatively plain tunics of the gladiators. ...
The costume department also fashioned 500 gladiator tunics in rough linen, which each had to be distressed. ...
- This item was a personalized signet ring that used for sealing wax for authorizing documents
- These rings were originally made of iron, they were later then made of gold
- Before manhood, boys wore a bulla, a special locket on a chain with amulets, received at birth
Hairstyles
- Men kept their hair short during the middle and late Republic
- Men were clean shaven
- Emperor Hadrian adopted a short beard which resulted to a new trend (117 – 138 CE)
Bibligraphy
Architecture
Review:
As for style, the CGI recreation of the gladiatorial arenas and Ancient Roman architecture eclipse anything MGM ever took months to construct, ensuring we become drawn into the display just as surely as if we were seated amongst the baying simulated extras. At its core, Gladiator is a simple tale about the relentless struggle of a free man to confront the regime that betrayed him into slavery and vanquished his loved ones. ... A complete site on the Roman Colosseum in English and Italian: architecture,
history, gladiator games, tips for the visit, recent events. ...
Military / weapons
Review
The opening segment of the film, featuring the Roman Armies of the North lining up to do battle with barbarian hordes amongst the snow-lashed Germanic forests, are truly awesome. ...
Comparison to History
Weapons used in the movie
G L A D I U S
The Roman gladius was 18 to 24 inches in length, double edged, and parallel sided. ...
S I C A
The sica was a brutal gladiator weapon. This was the standard weapon of the Thracian gladiator. The Thracian was a light gladiator, and the sica he carried was designed to get around his heavier opponents shield. ... All Content Copyright 2001-2003 Gladiator TeamWebsite design by cyberbum
Historical Facts - weapons
The legionary carried equipment with which he trained frequently, and became skilled at using. ... The word gladiator is derived from it. ...
Bibliography
Behind Gladiator
http://www. ... net/gladius/
Review
Gladiator is the product of the carefully choreographed sword fights (by Nicholas Powell, who also choreographed Bravehearts sword fight scenes); of magnificent set design, especially the reconstruction of the Coliseum (by production designer Arthur Max); accurate costume designs (by Janty Yates); and weaponry design (by supervising armorer Simon Atherton). Gladiator captures most of its glory in the heroism of its main character Maximus, the General/Gladiator. ... Gladiator, however, owes most of its success to its clever exploration of the notion of "spectatorship." By providing violent images of the gladiator games, the film portrays the Roman crowds thirst for violence while simultaneously confronting the films spectators with their appeal for screen violence. In this manner, Gladiator connects the violence of the arena with the violence of the screen and establishes a common ground between the "Roman mob" and the "movie theater mob." Consequently, Gladiator manages to lure the viewer into reacting as the Roman crowd does, ultimately rejecting the villains and sympathizing with the inspiring hero, as the Roman crowd does. All in all, Gladiator is a spectacular film that cleverly uses its poignant images and its powerful characters to create a dramatic story that speaks of the corruptibility of the human mind and the redeeming powers of love and justice.
Approximate Word count = 7974
Approximate Pages = 31.9
(250 words per page double spaced)
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