An Epic Masterpiece

Sponsored Essays

Free Essay Submitted by blaine on 04/16/2008 05:23 PM

Report this Essay

An Epic Masterpiece

An Epic Masterpiece

Gladiator is set about 2000 years ago in the Roman Empire. The director, Ridley Scott, gives the audience the feeling that they are actually in the city of Rome 2000 years ago watching the gladiators battle each other to death with many different beautiful types of scenery and sets, such as the battle scene in the very beginning of the film, which is a beautiful forest covered in snow with trees lined on the outside of the Roman base, and Caesar’s palace, which is very big with tall rooms and many different pillars and marble floors. The most notable set in the film is the famous Coliseum of Rome which stands about twenty stories high, holding about 20,000 people to watch the gladiators battle to the death, looked as if it were the actual coliseum being used by the gladiators. Scott gives the film a sense of realism by showing blood and gore as it might happen if they were actually fighting in a ring.
The film’s main character, Maximus (Russell Crowe), is made a slave by the new ruler of Rome, Commodus, (Joaquin Phoenix), because his father, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), was murdered by Commodus in a jealous rage because Marcus decides to make Maximus his successor, which does not go over well with Commodus. Maximus is taken away to be executed, but escapes and sets out to find his wife and child dead and is captured by slave-traders to become a slave. He is bought by Proximo who makes him fight as a gladiator around different arenas to make money. Proximo realizes Maximus’ potential and heals him up to fight in the great Coliseum of Rome, where he finds Commodus and in the end faces him one on one in the Coliseum.
One scene that has the most impact on the whole movie is when Maximus and Commodus fight their final battle in Rome’s famous Coliseum one on one. The coliseum is filled with thousands of Romans watching and cheering for Maximus. Both fighters are in the center of the arena surrounded...

You must Login to view the entire paper.
If you are not a member yet, Sign Up for free!