Plautus Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 I agree with everyone here that although the history was off- I kept drawing parallels to that Samuel Bronston epic from the 1960s called DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. Richard Harris was good, but in that film Alex Guinness portrayal of Marcus Aurelius was fantastic. He physically looked like his statues. Your just had to believe Sophia Loren could be his daughter and James Mason could be a Greek. Historian Will Durant was an advisor on that film. I think Ripley did a very good job of recreating the feel of the Roman Empire. Ridley is a history fan and former art director, so visuals are very important to him- The colosseum and forum scenes are inspired directly out of paintings by Jean Jerome and Alma Tadema. Russell Crowe's Maximus hairdo reminded me of the surviving statue of Caracalla. But the most important thing is this movie did for Roman pictures what Dances with Wolves did for the moribund Western genre. Before Gladiator you couldn't get anyone in Hollywood to seriously consider a "sword & sandal film" unless it had Xenia or Arnold in it. Now there coming out all over the place. Someone earlier mentioned doing a film on Thermopylae. Well, its being filmed as we speak. based on the Frank Miller graphic novel 300. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil25 Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 Pertinax - I agree with you about Jolie!! On the other hand I thought Val Kilmer made a good stab at Philip (though Frederick March in the 50s version still takes the laurels for me). Kilmer was younger and reminded me that in the past, could we but travel back in time, we would be amazed at how young many of the great men were. Personally I liked Colin Farrell's Alexander most of the time, he conveyed a damaged, ill-concealed emotional fragility to me, with a physical strength. Where i think he failed was in the great rousing speeches, before battle and during the mutiny, where a more classically trained actor could have used his voice to lift the hearts and send the words soaring. With Farrell, I felt we got an emotional truth but no inspiration, and thus i felt his men would not have been as swayed by his words. Not that a Burton or Olivier would have been any closer to reality - I think we would find the ancient manner of orating very stylised, alien and odd. Plautus - excellent post with some good points about Ridley Scott. For all their failings though, I can usually find something interesting in even the less good films about the past. Were I a teacher, I would want, I think, to use films to ask questions of my students and send them back to the sources: * did the Forum Romanum look like that? how do we know? *if Colin Farrell's Alexander is "wrong" why? how would the original have differed? * did Commodus die in the Forum? if not, how did he die? *was Marcus Aurelius murdered? what do the sources suggest? *which parts of "Fall" are accurate? which are historically genuine but relate to other periods? * what sources were used in film X for the plot? the dialogue? the design? One could go on. On balance though, I like to look for the good in historical films and the insights the depiction of events or the design, or the nuance of characterisation can bring. Talking of Thermopylae: what do my fellow posters think of the old 60s film, 300 Sparatans? Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Favonius Cornelius Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 Phil: here is a man ready for promotion. Talking of Thermopylae: what do my fellow posters think of the old 60s film, 300 Sparatans? I don't even know though I thought I knew all the old movies, was it called Thermopylae? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil25 Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 No, it was called "the 300 Spartans" and had Sir Ralph Richardson as Themistocles, and an American actor, Richard Egan, as Leonidas. David Farrar was Xerxes and Donald Houston one of the Persian generals. It was directed by Rudlph Mate. "Thermopylae" appears to be the title of the new film being made, mentioned above by Plautus. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brotus maximus Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 Personally I loved the movie I thought it was great. i know that the historical values were way off (meaning they had it all thrown in there) but still the spaniard (i think thats how you spell that) is the best person there. I do have to say when the romans fought the gauls, i think it might have bein relitivly close to what some of the battles were like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix Marcellus Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Where i think he failed was in the great rousing speeches, before battle and during the mutiny, where a more classically trained actor could have used his voice to lift the hearts and send the words soaring. With Farrell, I felt we got an emotional truth but no inspiration, and thus i felt his men would not have been as swayed by his words. I agree with that. That kid who played young Alexander had a much more inspirational voice. Just the one line in the scene with Bucephalus where he said, "Buy him for me father". He had more passion in that one line than the veteran actor Farrell displayed in the entire movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neos Dionysos Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Since we're on the subject, (and forgive me if it has been mentioned), but concerning Troy, I thought it was a good film for one major reason. Brad Pitt's acting as Achilles was outstanding, I think he perfectly grasped the role of the hero. His attitude, his demenor, his arrogance and his passion... that's what made Troy a good movie... IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 I resurrected this old thread to make one snide comment - I thought the 10 minute gladiator scene in episode 11 of HBO Rome with Pullo and Vorenus outdid the entire "Gladiator" movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pertinax Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 I resurrected this old thread to make one snide comment - I thought the 10 minute gladiator scene in episode 11 of HBO Rome with Pullo and Vorenus outdid the entire "Gladiator" movie. And this (for those who havent yet seen it) is the scene: http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?act=mo...=si&img=964 which shows the scale of comabt at that time, not the great ampitheatres of hollywood , but an in your face arena. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotWotius Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 I resurrected this old thread to make one snide comment - I thought the 10 minute gladiator scene in episode 11 of HBO Rome with Pullo and Vorenus outdid the entire "Gladiator" movie. From what you have posted, I understand that you received Gladiator with an air of bitterness. I know that the sets were thoroughly sterile, but come on, the opening is one of the best I have ever seen--it is up there with the opening to Saving Private Ryan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 After the opening act, the movie quickly lost its charm for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotWotius Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 I will have to agree with you, but because the opening is so spectacular, I still regard Gladiator as one of my favourite films. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 It's always possible my own paticular idiosyncracies may very well prejudice me against the finer points of said movie. Perhaps someone on this site beholden to this cinematic blockbuster could formally pen their praise in the form of a review? It does seem to me that "Gladiator" carries enough weight among the general public to deserve an official word on our front pages, if not from a Patrician than perhaps from one of our well-spoken Equites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antiochus of Seleucia Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 Hehe if no-one wants to I will, I could use the writing experience, but I'll have to find time between school and work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Favonius Cornelius Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Go for it Antiochus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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