Gladiator- Narrative

        The movie I will be focusing on is Gladiator, during the beginning of the film after the Roman battle in Germania. I will focus on the character of Commodus and how his cynical and deceitful character promotes the plot and enhances the characters around him.     
          In the beginning of the film Gladiator, the emperor, Marcus Aralias, has ruled for quite a long time and is getting too old to rule and is getting ready to make his decision to pass his powers on to someone else, which ideally would be his son. But, he ends up deciding to pass his powers on to Maximus Decimus Maradus, and not his own son Commidus. He chooses Maximus, a strong, brilliant general of he Roman Army, because he contains the four virtues that call for successful ruler as claimed by Marcus Aralias: resourcefulness, temperance, justice, and fortitude; which Commodus doesn't have. 

           In the beginning as Marcus Aralias appears behind his son Commodus, he begins with "Are you ready to do your duty for Rome?",  leading Commodus to believe that he will be emperor. Directly after, he says, "You will not be emperor . . . i am giving my powers over to Maximus". This quickly strikes Commodus, bringing tears within his eyes. This makes him start expressing the cynicism within his character. He then avoids his father as he tries to caressing his cheeks. Commodus then states, " I realize that I have none of [those virtues, but has] ambition, . . . courage . . . and devotion", thus, showing his desire to be emperor. Commodus' reaction to this is somewhat childish as prior to this, he is shown as a light-hearted person, especially after the battle. After this though, he becomes stubborn and petty to get what he wants, even if it means going to the extremity of killing his own father. Considering that Maximus loved and admired Marcus Aralias, this sparks the rivalry between him and Commodus, thus helping the plot grow and intensify. Along with that, by commiting this act of patricide, he strips Maximus of his powers and takes them for himself.  During their conversation, the camera is positioned to stalk Commodus as it is positioned right behind him. This shows a certain resemblance between the two, foreshadowing  a certain comparison between the two.

          The Room is lightly dimmed on one side of the room. As Commodus speaks, he has fast falloff on his face with the camera looking up at him. This gives him a dominance over his father who is kneeling down. Since the camera is looking down at Marcus Arelias, the falloff is practically unnoticable, giving him innocence and a sense of security in the eyes of the audience. But with the camera working to show Commodus as dominant, it hints that in this situation Commodus has more power than his father despite his position as the emperor of Rome. In addition, since the location is secluded and concealed from the outside eye and ear, it enhances the instability and the uncomfortable position of Marcus Aralias.

      In the beginning of the scene as Commodus enters the room, we hear wind blowing from the curtains. This ghastly sound creates a disturbance in the easiness of the room. In this scene, the non-digetic music is very subtle and pretty calm, but as the scene progresses, so does the music. in the end, the music ends very loud and glaring, dominating the scene, making it a little uncomfortable for the audience. The high volume enhances the importance of the film, establishing it as a turning point. The music seems to match the emotions of Commodus: as he gets more angry, so does the music. This scene is where the music is the loudest. Here, he is in the process of strangling his father, slowly sucking the life out of him.

              In the beginning of the scene, the opening shot is panning as Commodus is walking towards the sculpture, and then he touches its face. The sculpture is of his father's (the emperor) head. In the beginning, it seems like an admirable figure, but in the end of the scene, the sculpture transforms from an emperor, to a tyrant as the death of Marcus Aralias put Commodus as the new emperor.  the harsh, pounding music foreshadows the problems and brutality that will come with his rule. the sculpture also has a fast falloff, symbolizing a certain maniacal charcteristic in it. the camera here pedistals down, matching the position of Commodus' dominance.
             This scene ultimately establishes the characteristics of Commodus. Commodus' goal and desire to please his father appeals to the audience, as it is both innocent and understanding. This innocence is also shown throughout to be liked by everyone around him and to respect him. Right after this scene, he asks fo Maximus' hand once, and is turned down, cementing the bad blood between them.  He constantly appeals to the fans at the arena later on in the film, claiming to be "merciful", despite the fact that he always sets up what would be expected for Maximus' downfall. On the other hand, his own jealousy torments him, bringing him to become a murder of not only Marcus Aralias, but also Maximus' son and wife, influencing Maximus to feel the same hatred for Commodus as Commodus does Maximus. Commodus continuously tries to kill Maximus as he becomes a slave of Rome, and throws him in the arena constantly at a disadvantage.
            Commodus' character also works to bring out the role of his sister, Lucilla. Despite the fact that she is a strong women, because she is a women during this time period, she is unable to escape or stand up to her brother, and bystands his harsh decisions and acts. Commodus' character drags her onto the side of Maximus', leaving him with nobody to support him.
          Commodus' conflicting character creates the perfect villain for this movie. He deceives the ones that he "loves", but still strives to do "good" for the people of Rome.

Gladiator-socio-culture & history

 

                                             Gladiator- Institution and history; Socio-culture

Historical and Institutional Factors:

       The film Gladiator was a film directed by Ridley Scott in the DreamWorks studio as well as Shepperton Studios for specific reasons dealing with actors. This film was released in 200, yet it was influenced by 1960 films. Their isn’t any political background during this film to help influence it. Scott Ridley thought that since a new millennium was embarking, that he would reflect on the past through this film.

       This film did extremely well for its time. This film was made in time for the 73^rd Academy Awards and blew its opponents away. It one five awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (Russell Crowe), Best Visual effects, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound. It also won many awards in the Golden Globe Awards as well as the BAFTA Awards. This film led to the “Gladiator Effect” as named by New York Times that led to the upbringing in interest in Roman and classical history. This film ended up making among the top of the year 2,000. In the U.S., it made a total of over 187 million, and 457,640,427 throughout the world.

Socio-culture:

       Gladiator is a film that attempts to portray the life of Ancient Rome. in this movie, Ridley Scott portrays this era as a very gruesome and bloody time. Not many films before this one has attempted to dive into this almost ancient life. Their were films though such as Sparticus that resembled this movie but included "annoying anachronisms of psychology" according to David Neelin. The main character, Maximus Decimus Meridus, was formally a commander of the Roman Army, but after the emperor Marcus Arelias tells his son Commodus that he is going to hand over his powers to Maximus, he goes frantic. To start his frenzy, he kills his father in order to hold the power to himself. with this power, he tries to create his own Rome with the initiative of trying to make people like him, which is uncommon for a successful ruler which is apparent as the film progresses. With the character of Commodus in charge of the empire, he allows us to be exposed to the brutal life of Rome. but with his came some faulty history. For instance, during this time, the emperor would never be addressed as "sire" or "my lord". Along with that, at this time their wasn't an emperor, yet their were two consuls who had equal power. with this being said, Rome was formed as a republic rather than a dictatorship. Also, this film depicted 3 years of Rome, but Commodus ruled for 12 years according to contentmaster. In addition, an aspect that wasnt shown was Commodus execution of his sister for trying to assassinate him, thus, showing more brutality of Rome. Gladiator did an exquisite job picking certain aspects of Rome to depict the life of Rome despite some minor changes in the history.