Reading. 24 Next comes some information about the film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott

24 Next comes some information about the film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott. Below are five versions of the film's plot outline. Read all five of them and choose the fullest and most detailed one. Find the information overlooked in the "best" one, but contained in the others. Complement the additional details to the main story and read the comprehensive version to the class.

The Gladiator

A. Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Before his death, the Emperor chooses Maximus to be his heir over his own son, Commodus, and a power struggle leaves Maximus and his family condemned to death. The powerful general is unable to save his family, and his loss of will allows him to get captured and put into the Gladiator games until he dies. The only desire that fuels him now is the chance to rise to the top so that he will be able to look into the eyes of the man who will feel his revenge.

B. In Gladiator, victorious general Maximus Decimus Meridias has been named keeper of Rome and its empire by dying emperor Marcus Aurelius, so that rule might pass from the Caesars back to the people and Senate. Marcus' neglected and power-hungry son, Commodus, has other ideas, however. Escaping an ordered execution, Maximus hurries back to his home in Spain, too late to save his wife and son from the same order. Taken into slavery and trained as a gladiator, Maximus lives only that he might someday take his revenge and fulfill the dying wish of his emperor. The time soon comes when the gladiator troupe is called to Rome to participate in a marathon of gladiator games held at the behest of the new emperor, Commodus. Once in Rome, Maximus wastes no time in making his presence known, and is soon involved in a plot to overthrow the emperor with his former-love Lucilla, Commodus' sister, after whom he lusts, and also the widowed mother of Lucius, heir to the empire after his uncle, and democratic-minded senator, Gracchus.

C. Upon the sudden death of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, his trusted and successful general Maximus Meridas is unlawfully imprisoned and condemned to the gladiator games by Marcus' twisted son Commodus. As the new emperor, Commodus fears Maximus could use his heroic stature to depose him and become leader himself. But Maximus gains fame as a gladiator and uses his celebrity to cause further damage to Commodus' tenuous hold on the susceptible Roman people, hoping to inspire them to rediscover their lost values and overcome the corruption that is eating away at them. These actions prompt Commodus to square off a duel with Maximus in the Colisseum with the fate of Rome at stake.

D. Roman General Maximus (Russell Crowe) is chosen to be the new emperor of Rome after Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) instead of his son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). The corrupt prince kills his father and claims himself to be the new emperor of Rome. As soon as Commodus has his hands on the power he orders the army to kill General Maximus and his family. It happens that Maximus survives, but not does the family that is burned and crucified alive. Maximus is found unconscious on the ground by a group of nomads who turn him into a gladiator called Spaniard specially known for his combat skills. Through his bravery he wins over the masses, much to the chagrin of Commodus. This moves the emperor to know who that gladiator Spaniard is. It is at this moment that appears one of the movie's best lines: ‘My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the north, general of the Felix legions, loyal to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and now I will have my vengeance, in this life or in the next.'. Commodus is now frightened to see that his control of the empire is dropping and the people's love for him is each time dropping as well. He arranges a plan to make the new hero of Rome be forgotten in less than nothing.

E. A dying Marcus Aurelius plans to name his loyal and brave General Maximus as his successor in order to restore the power of the Roman Senate. However, his power-hungry, jealous son Commodus learns of the plan, murders Marcus Aurelius, and plans to execute Maximus in order to secure his claim to the throne. Maximus escapes execution, but is sold into slavery and is forced to become a gladiator. Eventually, Maximus and his fellow gladiators are sent to Rome to perform for Commodus. Can Maximus use his newfound popularity to avenge Marcus Aurelius' death, or will Commodus be able to keep the throne?

25 Let's pretend that the film has not been released yet and the mere idea of the film is still in the pipe. Act out a conversation between the scriptwriter and would-be director. The scriptwriter outlines his idea of a film, while the director is concerned about the aspects that promote the future film's success.

26 Read the review of the Gladiator. In your notebooks write down a list of the film’s strong points as the author views them, determine what mix of genres the film has come out to be. (See ex. 4)

Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed big-budget epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator 's plot is a whirlwind of Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind – believe it or not – Saving Private Ryan. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall -- he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status.