Ashley Carrigan

World History 1500 Film Review

Ridley Scotts film Gladiator tells the story of a beloved and courageous general who, despite all the odds, rose against an entire empire in the pursuit of justice. Maximus Decimus Meridius, played by Russell Crowe, was the loyal commander of the Roman army under the direction of the emperor Marcus Aurelias, who favored him greatly, even over his own son. Murdering his father in anguish of being placed below Maximus, Commodus became the new emperor of Rome. Maximus defied Commodus, ensuring his own death and the death of his family. While Maximus escaped his execution, his family was served a much more grim fate. A traitor of Rome with a murdered family, Maximus was forced into slavery, sold to be a gladiator, and eventually fought his way to the top of the barbaric totem pole. Entering Rome as a gladiator, Maximus dared once again to defy the emperor Commodus, but had already won the hearts of the people. In an effort to please the people, Commodus allowed Maximus to keep his life, at least until he could execute him and still hold the respect of the Roman people. This gave Maximus time to create a plan of his own, to overthrow the corrupt emperor and return Rome to a republican state, as per the wish of the late Marcus Aurelias. With each man fighting to have the upper ground, the last battle finally came down to a gladiator match between Maximus and Commodus. Taking the advantage by injuring Maximus before the fight, Commodus was confident that he would overpower Maximus and gain the respect of the Romans. Greatly underestimating the willpower of Maximus, Commodus was defeated, leaving nothing but a black mark in the history of Rome. Maximus returned the power of Rome to the people, received his vengeance, and returned to the afterlife shortly after conquering Commodus. A riveting and inspiring movie, however historically inaccurate it may be, Gladiator is a film that motivates people to fight for what is right, regardless of the opposing forces. Captivating and

appealing, this film sparks an interest in the ancients Romans, but one must realize that the majority of the film is entirely fictional. Marcus Aurelias did not disfavor his son Commodus. They were in fact co-rulers until the time of his death. Marcus Aurelias also did not want to eliminate the role of emperor in the Roman government. It was already decided that his son would inherit his crown. After Commodus became the sole ruler, there were conspiracies to remove him from the throne, but the members of these treacherous plans were executed, and Commodus continued his reign for more than a decade. The emperor Commodus was assassinated in reality, but it was not at the hand of Maximus, neither was it shortly after the death of his father. Maximus was an entirely fictional character, probably based off of the ideals that courage and honor on the battlefield were of the highest regards. While Commodus wasnt actually killed by Maximus in the gladiator arena, he did participate in gladiatorial games. However, the depiction of such games in the movie is fairly skewed from the reality. Referees enforced many rules in the arena and there were different levels and classes of gladiatorial fights. The movie tends to portray them as massacres, and while that isnt an entirely accurate display of what the games were actually like, it does express the violent views and lifestyles that were prominent in ancient Rome. Another inaccuracy of the movie is the representation of the imperial family. Marcus Aurelias had many children, not just Commodus and Lucilla. Lucilla did plot against Commodus, but she was exiled and then executed after Commodus learned of her betrayal. The idea of her having a son controlled by Commodus as is shown in the movie is also historically innacurate. She did have multiple children, but none played the roles of the boy in the movie. Historically this movie cannot be considered a factual representation of events, but it does give a broadened idea of the life of the Romans in that time period. There were gladiators, conspiracies,

murders and wars, and the film makers presented these ideas in such a romantic fashion that it would be hard to not have some inkling of interest in the subject of ancient Roman civilization. Wars and tyrant leaders can be found all throughout history. Time and time again, armies conquer civilizations in the hopes that they will have the most power. Inside those armies there are leaders with hidden agendas that put on shows to satisfy their own greed. In Gladiator, we see Commodus kill his own father in order to maintain his status. We see him throw a celebration of gladiatorial games to mask the fact that he is an unsuitable ruler. This wins him the approval of the citizens, until Maximus brings to light the man that he truly is. Often in history there are great conquerors who build an empire for themselves, only to be the reason for their own failure. Maximus didnt fool anyone into thinking that Commodus was a corrupt and devious emperor. He merely had to show them the truth. Greed for power and wealth are a common theme throughout history. Many times there are people who get away with it. But eventually, it is seen that this problem is not one that is easily ignored by the people who arent benefiting from it. Most people arent entirely content with being treated unfairly while other people prosper. In ancient Greece, when the city was ruled by everyone, not just a select few, the majority of the people were satisfied. In civilizations where there is one main ruler, there are generally many people who feel disadvantaged, and take action to right the scales. This is when we see the fall of an unjust emperor. Maximus was a person who had many reasons to be angry, and with those reasons, he made the rest of the Romans realize that they too had reasons to be angry. Commodus then lost all respect of the people, and in turn lost his life and his empire because he was entirely full of greed and had a very limited sense of humility and compassion.

Bibliography The Movie "Gladiator" in Historical Perspective by Allen Ward, University of Connecticut http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/showcase/wardgladiator7.html Gladiator: The Real Story by David Neelan http://www.exovedate.com/the_real_gladiator_one.html Gladiator Fact vs. Gladiator Fiction by Katarina Ilic, Journal of Historical Studies, University of Toronto http://cssaame.com/jhs/gladiator_fact_vs_gladiator_fi.html