Tell about Gladiator ?

Ostentatious armor and bending of rules –

9) A theater of blood lust, as opposed to chaotic fighting –

10) Death not only inside arenas, but also aboard ships –

11) The chances of survival –

12) Rudis – the symbolic wooden sword of ‘freedom’

The film has been widely credited for reigniting interest in films about Ancient Greek and Roman Culture. The remake of “Ben-Hur” has been widely credited for doing the exact opposite.

It was rumored that Mel Gibson was originally offered the role of Maximus, but he turned it down because he felt he was too old to play the part. Ridley Scott denies this, insisting that Russell Crowe was his first and only choice for the role.

The film was greenlit after screenwriter David Franzoni answered three simple questions from Dreamworks exec Steven Spielberg. 1) It’s about ancient Roman Gladiators? Yes. 2) It takes place in the ancient Coliseum? Yes. 3) They fight with swords to the death and such? Yes.

Ridley Scott was convinced to do the movie after producers showed him a copy of Jean Leon Gerome’s 1872 painting Pollice Verso, which depicted a gladiator awaiting a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down from the coliseum crowd. “That image spoke to me of the Roman Empire in all its glory and wickedness,” said Scott. “I knew right then and there I was hooked.”

Commodus and Lucilla were real people. In 182 AD, Commodus survived an assassination attempt by Lucilla. Those family dinners must have been intense.

In reality, emperor Marcus Aurelius died of the plague and Commodus ascended to the throne. He was loved by the army and the lower classes until his megalomaniacal behavior forced his advisors to hire a champion wrestler named Narcissus to strangle him to death.

As a matter of fact, in the first draft of the script, dated April 4th, 1998, the protagonist was named Narcissus.

The real Commodus was known as the “Gladiator Emperor” because he would often make appearances in the arena to take down wild animals and other challengers. But he also cruelly brought cripples or amputees into the arena and clubbed them to death, turning the populace against him. Additionally, he charged Rome an exorbitant fee for these appearances, which devalued Roman currency and precipitated the fall of Rome. An egomaniacal ruler, who insists on making everything about himself, causing the decline of a republic? Sounds familiar.

The film has been widely credited for reigniting interest in films about Ancient Greek and Roman Culture. The remake of “Ben-Hur” has been widely credited for doing the exact opposite.

The forest near Farnham, England that doubled as Germania during the battle between the Roman Legions and the German hordes had been scheduled for “deforestation” by the Royal Forestry Commission. To get the shots he needed, Scott helpfully arranged to burn it down for them.

It was rumored that Mel Gibson was originally offered the role of Maximus, but he turned it down because he felt he was too old to play the part. Ridley Scott denies this, insisting that Russell Crowe was his first and only choice for the role.

As part of the production, they built a 52-foot high portion of the first tier of the Colosseum measuring about one-third the circumference of the original. The rest of the arena was a digital recreation.

The film was greenlit after screenwriter David Franzoni answered three simple questions from Dreamworks exec Steven Spielberg. 1) It’s about ancient Roman Gladiators? Yes. 2) It takes place in the ancient Coliseum? Yes. 3) They fight with swords to the death and such? Yes.

The wounds on Russell Crowe’s face after the opening battle scene were real. He received them when his horse was startled and backed him into some tree branches.

Crowe suffered multiple injuries on set including an aggravated Achilles tendon, a broken foot, a cracked hip bone, popped bicep tendons, and losing all feeling in his right forefinger for two years following a sword fight.

The film was greenlit after screenwriter David Franzoni answered three simple questions from Dreamworks exec Steven Spielberg. 1) It’s about ancient Roman Gladiators? Yes. 2) It takes place in the ancient Coliseum? Yes. 3) They fight with swords to the death and such? Yes.

Only 32 pages of the script had been completed when shooting began. To be fair, they were 32 awesome pages. Double spaced and everything.

Ridley Scott was convinced to do the movie after producers showed him a copy of Jean Leon Gerome’s 1872 painting Pollice Verso, which depicted a gladiator awaiting a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down from the coliseum crowd. “That image spoke to me of the Roman Empire in all its glory and wickedness,” said Scott. “I knew right then and there I was hooked.”

Crowe reportedly didn’t love the now-famous line, “And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.” He tried to come up with something better on set, but in the end, decided to stick with it. Maximus’ vengeance speech became a fan favorite and one of the most quoted scenes in the entire film.

Commodus and Lucilla were real people. In 182 AD, Commodus survived an assassination attempt by Lucilla. Those family dinners must have been intense.