By this time, gladiator fights that ended in death were largely banned outside of Rome, and sometimes the contestants would fight with wooden weapons to prevent death. Throughout the film, gladiatorial games are shown to be one of the most important parts of the Roman society. You can imagine that having a personal connection with religion would seem really strange to them. Lucilla plotted to have Commodus assassinated, but Commodus had her exiled for the plot and later executed. Lucilla was at one time married to Lucius Verus, as her son tells Maximus in the film.
After all, we live in a capitalistic society; competition is everywhere and the more forceful the leaders, the more likely success will be realized. Petronius, in The Satyricon, wrote of female charioteers. Maximus escapes to the city walls only to be ambushed by a cohort of Praetorian guards who use Cicero as bait, killing him as soon as Maximus comes out in the open. How did those two guards know that the orders were given directly to them? Select albums in the Format field. Age This Website does not target people below the age of 16. But there are far more innaccuracies than factual stuff in the movie. Commodus ruled for 12 years, a much longer period than alluded to in the film.
These consuls, with equal power, were to guard against dictatorship. His work The Meditations, although more a compilation of existing stoical thought than a work of great originality, remains a highly readable classic in philosophy. As Ridley Scott wanted to portray Roman culture more accurately than in any previous film, he hired several historians as advisors. There was a general named Avidius Cassius, who fought in the campaign depicted in the film and, upon hearing of Marcus' death, declared himself emperor of Rome. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Website.
It follows the Braveheart school of historicity, I'm afraid, and can't be said to be set in a specific year. He and his troops are expecting to be relieved but are instead sent on a risky mission to rescue the Roman family of Marius Honorius, who proves a despicable torturer of pagans. They were champions of the common people, and paid the cost with their lives. Mike Duncan, The History of Rome. But the speech Proximo gives early in the film about buying slaves to profit from their deaths? One more note on the film: Ridley Scott made the Colosseum larger than it actually was because he wanted to show off the dramatics. Yes it was based on his life, but only part of it.
Herodian, History of the Roman Empire since the Death of Marcus Aurelius. This was not shown in the film, mostly because the producers thought film audiences would not believe it since it is so similar to our modern sports. We have reviewed our partners privacy policies to ensure that they comply with similar policies in order to ensure your data security. With beautiful scenery, a moving story, powerful performances, and Ridley Scott's confident direction, Gladiator is the rare blockbuster that provides intense action including a full-blown fight with a tiger with characters we genuinely care about. Writers don't just magically come up with ideas from nothing.
In fact, Commodus was the first Roman emperor who was raised in royalty and succeeded his father. This is the role that Heston will forever be remembered for. Scott, while historiographically imperfect, due to this creative effort in characterization, avoids many of the annoying anachronisms of psychology present in such films as Spartacus, Cleopatra, and Ben Hur, where the characters appear to think and act like modern personages while wearing ancient costumes. In contrast to the movie, Marcus named Commodus his successor, rather than Maximus. To construct the arena where Maximus has his first fights, the crew used basic materials and local building techniques to manufacture the 30,000-seat mud brick arena.
Douglas demanded that Kubrick take over as director, and then once the director got the gig, there were constant creative arguments between the two during production. It appears that Scott attempts to present not just a reconstruction of empirical facts, but also to boldly and forthrightly present to us his vision of the culture of ancient Rome, the spirit of its time, and the psychological outlook characteristic of its period. Maximus then beats Commodus into submission and kills him with his own stiletto. Commodus really did have a sister named Lucilla, and, as depicted in the movie, she hated him. But that doesn't mean the Nightmare on Elm Street movies are based on a true story! Commodus was obviously being groomed to take over when his father died.
The clothing of the gladiators depicted, particularly the helmets, were likely not true and were stereotypes taken from later periods. Maximus could still be a solider — not a general though, he should fly under the radar — who gets forced into slavery for some reason. He was killed by a wrestler. Similar to sport today, the gladiator games had a lot of money that would exchange hands around the event. In truth, about two years after Commodus became emperor, Lucilla devised a plot to assassinate him. For instance, gladiator contests did often reconstruct famous battles or scenes using characters from history or legends.
However, despite the destructive nature of his son of his son, Marcus Aurelius willing chose Commus to be his successor and heir. The historical Commodus was approximately 1000x more horrifying than the movie version leering at his sister. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves jo in their ranks. Senators largely looked after their own interests, and as the Republic continued they got more corrupt and self-centered. It was another sister, not Lucilla, that Commodus was rumored to have had sexual relations. The name we use today game about hundreds of years later. Slave traders find Maximus and take him to Zucchabar, a rugged province in North Africa, where he is purchased by Proximo , the head of a gladiator school.
Lucilla plotted to have Commodus assassinated, but Commodus had her exiled for the plot and later executed. A republic is a system of government which does not have a hereditary monarch. Much like today's most celebrated athletes, But the producers didn't think that audiences would know—or believe—that, so left it out of the film. When she saw this, Marcia apparently said: So, Commodus, this is my reward for my love and devotion, after I have put up with your arrogance and your madness for so many years. General Maximus Decimus Meridius is a fictitious character.