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GLADIATOR AND HISTORY

© John Lovett

This is short discussion on the efforts, or lack thereof, that filmmakers take towards presenting history and how the acting is only as good as the written script. The recent film GLADIATOR (http://www.gladiator-thefilm.com/) was one of the finer examples of how a historical period could be brought to life with the efforts of a dedicated director and artisans. Notice I wrote "historical period" not history. While a well acted and presented film, GLADIATOR was certainly not history nor, for that matter, a documentary.

A little background is in order. There actually was a Roman emperor named Commodus and a Roman general named Maximus. Lucius Aurelius Commodus was born on 31 August AD 161. The eldest surviving son of Marcus Aurelius he was made ceasar at the age of five. He was made Augustus (emperor) at his father's death in AD 180. Not noted for his administrative capabilities, he spent more time playing at being a gladiator then being a leader. On 31 December AD 192, he was poisoned by his favorite concubine and ultimately choked to death by his personal trainer Narcissus. Through a strange twist of fate, the new emperor Pertinax had Commodus' body exhumed and laid to rest in the Mausoleum of Hadrian. Septimius Severus even had Commodus deified in AD 197.

Magnus Maximus was born to a poor Spanish family, probably in the province of Callaecia in north western Spain. The date is not known. After a military career, Maximus came to serve under Theodosius the Elder in Britain in AD 369, and in Africa from AD 373 to 375. His efforts were rewarded by being granted overall military command in Britain, where he successfully campaigned against the Picts and Scots. In AD 383 the army, being disillusioned with the current emperor Gratian, revolted and proclaimed Maximus as the new Augustus of the west. In AD 388 Maximus led his army against the Augusta of the east Theodosius, only to be defeated at Siscia. He was captured and executed.

The situation of having Commodus die approximately 140 years prior to the birth of Maximus makes their potential meeting problematical. However, my comments are not directed towards the historical accuracy of the movie but ability to portray a correct historical feel in spite of, and not because of, the director Ridley Scott.

Ridley Scott is not a Hollywood lightweight. He has over twenty years of experience in making movies. In 2000, he won a Golden Globe for his work as a producer on the HBO movie "RKO 281," which dramatized the making of Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane." He was previously honored with Academy Awards and BAFTA nominations for Best Director for the seminal hit "Thelma & Louise," teaming Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. Scott helmed the blockbuster science fiction thriller "Alien," which catapulted Sigourney Weaver to stardom. He directed "Hannibal," the sequel to the Oscar - winning Best Picture "Silence of the Lambs," starring Anthony Hopkins.

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