by Yazmin Ghonaim

GLADIATOR Ridley Scott (2000) Gladiator is directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise), and is written by David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson, from a story by David Franzoni. Gladiator revisits the epic genre last seen in 1959 in William Wyler's Ben Hur (with Charlton Heston) and in 1960 in Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus (with Kirk Douglas). Scott's Gladiator successfully explores the formidable savagery of the Roman gladiator games and the ageless and universal appeal for violence. Having proven his valiant commitment to Rome, the great General Maximus (Russell Crowe) earns the respect of his army and of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). Weakened by a lifetime of war, yet conscientious of the brave and noble nature of his General, the dying Caesar decides to appoint Maximus as his successor and bewilders his ambitious and amoral son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Before the true successor is officially announced, however, Commodus silences his father's wishes, coerces his observant sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen: Mission to Mars), rises to power, and condemns Maximus and his vulnerable family. Escaping death, Maximus is sold into slavery and is trained as a gladiator by Proximo (Oliver Reed), who knows how to exploit the spectators' thirst for violent entertainment, and who teaches Maximus the importance of winning a crowd. Driven by the mission to avenge Commodus' cruelty and corruption, and guided by his unshakable principles and sense of justice, Maximus is transformed from a slave to a hero. Gladiator is the product of the carefully choreographed sword fights (by Nicholas Powell, who also choreographed Braveheart's 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. The character's strength and appeal derives from a well-developed role and from Crowe's accurate personification and skillful performance. 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 crowd's thirst for violence while simultaneously confronting the film's 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.		DVD Music Books Search by keywords:
Outstanding Features: Acting, Story, Set Design, Color/Lighting, Costume Design, Music/Sound Gladiator Movie Review © 2000 Cinephiles - All rights reserved Photo © 2000 Dreamworks Pictures and Universal Pictures