Analyzing The Movie 'Gladiator'

Great Essays
Gladiator- First Quarter Extra Credit
The Ridley Scott movie, “Gladiator”, starring Russell Crowe as Maximus, is the story of a Roman general who was asked to become the new emperor of Rome by the dying Marcus Aurelius. This angered and power-hungry the son of Marcus, Commodus, then killed his father before Maximus could make his decision. Commodus became the new emperor of Rome and ordered for Maximus to be killed. Maximus escaped from the officers who were going to execute him, and stole their horses to ride back to his home. Though, upon arriving, he saw that it had been burned to the ground, with his wife and son hung above his front door. Maximus collapsed at the sight of this and was then captured by slave traders, who sold him into becoming a gladiator. Maximus quickly rose through the ranks to become a great fighter, dubbed "The Spaniard" by his adoring crowd. Eventually, Commodus ordered for the entertainment of the gladiators to come to the Roman Colosseum. Maximus helped the other gladiator slaves to defeat the people they were supposed to lose against,
…show more content…
For one, the movie is rated R. Regardless of its historical and cinematic merit, the movie is gory and vulgar and it would not be allowed to be shown in a classroom. Though if it were allowed in the classroom, t is possible that the students could gain some interesting information about Rome at the time. Such as the inner-working politics of the government, or the chaos that ensued after the death of Marcus Aurelius. I greatly enjoyed this movie, even though I am not a huge fan of the swords-and-sandals genre. However, I thought it was well done and very interesting, if a bit lengthy and long-winded at times. The aspect I most enjoyed about this movie was its cinematography, which is important for movies that feature long fight scenes where the angle of the camera has to be perfect, so the audience can understand what is

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Ex Machina Movie Analysis

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Challenge surrounds Caleb (Domhall Gleeson) in the fictional sci-fi movie Ex Machina. He is invited to the secluded home of Nathan (Oscar Issac), an IT god, to conduct a Turing test with a robot, Ava (Alicia Vikander). But as Caleb gets to know her better, he starts to trust Ava, potentially being lured in her unscrupulous plans. Will he listen to Ava who expresses her feelings of seclusion, loneliness and hopes of integrating with human life, or will he listen to Nathan who has the power to ‘turn off’ Ava, basically terminating her life? To find out, you must look and search deeply into the long and windy film to get an answer and it can be somewhat quite boring for an impatient watcher; but this film definitely questions our mind of thought…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lady Snowblood Analysis

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Still, what sets this particular movie apart is its technical soundness. The design of the characters is inspired, the set design is meticulous and the special effects are impressive in one of the finest depictions of sick…

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The 1989 movie Glory is a Civil War film based on the history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment. The movie focuses on one of the first black regiments in the Civil War, which must overcome an enormous amount of adversity during the war. The film was told through the eyes of the white regiment leader, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw a Boston born abolitionist. The regiment was commissioned in March of 1863 after the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The film follows his journey as a gladiator and through his quest for revenge. Through his showmanship Maximus is able to win the crowd’s support in his defiance of Commodus. His disrespect eventually grants him a fight with Commodus himself. He violently attacks him and at the end is able to defeat him with a jab to the throat. This allowed him to achieve his…

    • 1319 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The downfall in this movie were scenes of all the sword fights. The fights from the sounds of the swords as well as the battles were not the most realistic part of the movie, but kept us viewers engaged. The sets and props seemed realistic. The lighting and wardrobe were appropriate for the emotional state of all the men. The music was a great way of setting the mood of the scenes.…

    • 613 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Glory Movie Analysis

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The viewpoints of the Civil War were clearly portrayed in the movie Glory through the plot and the characters. As the movie progressed, the two main perspectives evolved and eventually joined together to form a common view. These two perspectives came primarily from that of the white officers and the black soldiers. Both risked their lives for freedom, but had different outlooks on the situations due to their backgrounds. The two main perspectives of the movie realistically reflected the profile of the freed slaves fighting for their freedom and the elite white commanders.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gladiator Research Paper

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Rome; the most well-known place in the world. Many dream about traveling to Rome and paying a visit to The Colosseum or taking a picture in front of the large aqueducts that span throughout the country. Although people love to take pictures of the ancient structures that have stood for many centuries, some don't know the history behind them, or Rome itself. Learning about the more historical things about Rome are the best parts; such as how it used to be an idea, and how it was a republic for many years but then turned to becoming an empire of sorts.…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Glory Movie Analysis

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Joshua Rolle Mr. Moreland Film Genres October 13th , 2015 Glory “I ain't much about no prayin', now. I ain't never had no family, and... killed off my mama. Well, I just... Y'all's the onliest family I got. I love the 54th.…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    CONNECTIONS REPORT My connection, not giving up, is shown through these four texts: A Knight’s Tale (directed by Brian Helgeland), Gladiator (directed by Ridley Scott), The Help (directed by Tate Taylor) and 127 Hours (directed by Danny Boyle). A Knight’s Tale shows the connection not giving up when the main character, (William, a young squire with a gift for jousting) forges genealogy documents in order to enter a jousting competition. Despite not being a knight, he gains popularity and wins a number of tournaments.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mad Max Fury Road is an astonishing movie. They did a great job with the editing. This includes the visual effects, and continuity of the film. A multitude of aspects are completely overlooked by the general audience, when it has to do with the editing. Furiosa, the main female protagonist of the story, is escaping from the Citadel, a post-apocalyptic city.…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A man is robbed of his name tries to gain freedom of his people, in this historical drama directed by Ridley Scott, released in 2003. The death of Marcus Aurelius in the year 180 A.D threw the Roman Empire into chaos. Maximus, one of the Roman army`s trusted generals and advisor to the emperor was sent to be executed when Marcus`s son Commodus rises to throne. Maximus manages to escape but is captured by slave traders, renamed Spaniard and became a gladiator by force. His battle experience helped him as he becomes one of the most loved men to fight in the Colosseum.…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Persepolis Movie Analysis

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the movie, Persepolis, Marjane express freedom in three different ways; the way she acts around people, the way Marjane and her family would talk about freedom, and the way Marjane and her family would try to gain freedom. Many people believe that freedom mean the same thing to everyone, but to other it has a whole other meaning. For example, people in the U.S have a different way of showing their freedom then people from North Korea. In this essay that I wrote, my purpose is to inform the audience about what freedom mean to someone.…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The film is full of excellent qualities such as persuasive acting, fantastic costume design and great cinematography.…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gladiator Film Analysis

    • 1096 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Love, respect, honor, courage and bravery are some of the values highlighted among the characters. From the visual portrayal of the past to the themes presented in the different sections of the film, a better perspective of the past is gained. Although the movie Gladiator should not be taken as an accurate chronological record in the Roman times, it has served a great purpose into making the past live through the present. The film revolves around universal values.…

    • 1096 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When I was a kid, I frequently cogitated about being the only conscious being on this planet. Everyone else was just following a script; they were not able to think nor even exist in this world. They were makeshift beings existing only for the sole purpose of guiding my life. Ever since I was five years old, my entire life has been on the internet. I matured fast because I played sophisticated video games on a daily basis and interacted with people much older than myself.…

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays