How a Doomed Failure Film Received 5 Oscars and Global Popularity: Ridley Scott's Gladiator

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Exactly 20 years ago, the historical large-scale Ridley Scott's blockbuster "Gladiator" … The film, initially doomed to failure, created with virtually no script and grossing nearly half a billion dollars worldwide, was presented in seven nominations for the prestigious Oscar, receiving five coveted statuettes; and also received the Golden Globe in the main category, five BAFTA awards, including the People's Choice Award and many other awards. About how the film was shot, what remained behind the scenes, about the magnificent cast, as well as about the continuation of the blockbuster, which the director intends to shoot in the near future, then - in our review.

When American filmmaker Ridley Scott decided to make a multimillion-dollar film about the Roman Empire, many in Hollywood assumed that the idea was initially doomed to failure. After all, the genre of historical cinema seemed to have become obsolete for several decades already. From all sides, the director was told that the story of the antiquity of Ancient Rome was unlikely to be able to captivate anyone, when even in Western European schools children hardly study it.

However, to everyone's surprise and admiration, Ridley Scott was able to create not only a large-scale and pretentious, but also a deeply emotional story that shocked viewers in America, Europe and the whole world. The film was so successful that it not only hit the jackpot of $ 460.5 million and received five Oscars (including in the categories Best Film, Best Actor and Best Costumes), but also breathed a new life in a genre that is now widely represented in film and television. By the way, according to the results of the year, the film became the second in the box office in the international box office. The first place was taken by the action adventure "Mission: Impossible 2" by a slight margin. It was a truly phenomenal success for Ridley Scott and his entire team.

Critics then highlighted three important factors in such a grand success. First of all, many noted the amazing performance of Russell Crowe, calling the actor literally a superman from the Colosseum. It was also said that the film was a worthy experience in the revival of the peplum (history genre) genre, which was popular in the 1950s and 1960s and completely forgotten for forty years. Many also argued that Gladiator in many ways set high standards for the quality of filming and production in general in cinematography.

After the unpredictable success of Ridley Scott's film in subsequent years, Troy with Brad Pitt, Alexander with Colin Farrell, Eagle of the Ninth Legion, Ben-Hur and many other films came out on wide screens, but they remained in the shadows. "Gladiator", which was the first such project after a long break.

Briefly about the plot

The blockbuster takes the viewer to Ancient Rome during the time of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and tells the story of the valiant General Maximus, who lost everything, but, having become a gladiator, avenged both the death of his family and his good name.

The whole action of the picture literally unfolds around Maximus, the commander of the great Roman Empire, who led its legions, fighting with opponents for years. The invincible warriors, commanded by this brave hero, idolized him and could follow him even to hell.

But it so happened that the brave warrior was powerless against the court intrigues: as a result of a treacherous conspiracy, his wife and son were killed, and he himself was sentenced to death. Miraculously, having escaped death, Maximus falls into slavery and becomes a gladiator. Preparing to take revenge on his main enemy, he earned himself the glory of invincible in bloody fights. And then one day our hero finds himself in the famous Roman Colosseum. It is here, in his arena, in one of the bloody battles that he will have to take revenge on his sworn enemy, however, at the cost of his life …

Film improvisation: how Ridley Scott shot his blockbuster

Ridley Scott in 1999, inspired by Daniel Pratt Mannix's novel The Gladiator's Way, literally plunged into the history of antiquity and sketched his own plot, in the center of which was the Roman athlete Narcissus, who killed Emperor Commodus. Despite the disappointing forecasts, preparations began for the film adaptation. However, the first version of the script, written by David Franzoni, did not satisfy the director as, in his opinion, it was too superficial. To rework it, Ridley hired John Logan, famous for the movie "The Aviator," then William Nicholson ("Shadowland") joined him.

The writers changed both the characters and the plot of the upcoming film, while adding more emotional scenes. And now the main character is General Maximus, according to one version named after the Roman statesman and commander Sextus Quintilius Maximus. And the script was also based on his personal tragic story of betrayal, loss of family and his revenge.

However, even after the fundamental revision, the film was filmed practically without a script: the director was not entirely satisfied with the new version. As a result, Scott reduced the text to 21 pages and began filming, leaving room for improvisation, and was already thinking out this story with the main character of the film Russell Crowe during the filming.

By the way, Scott made edits to the plot almost until the end of the filming process. He also radically changed several key points. So, for example, in the original script, Maximus remained alive, but the director came to the conclusion that the main character, who avenged his lost family, had nothing else to do in this world. - said after filming the actor Russell Crowe, who played the role of the main character of the film.

Another reason for the partial rewriting of the script was the unexpected death of actor Oliver Reed three weeks before the end of filming. His character Proximo was very important to the plot. The director could have re-shot scenes with another actor, but decided to keep the footage with Reed. As a result, the final scenes of the script were rewritten, and the film was finalized with the help of CGI and a stunt double. As a result, the creators of the picture dedicated her to the memory of Oliver Reed.

Where and how the film was shot

The filming process took place from January to May 1999. Germany was the starting point. Then permission was obtained to film a forest site near Galway, Ireland. The forest was literally given to the filmmakers to be burned. The scenes related to the desert were filmed in the Moroccan city of Ouarzazate, where they built an arena for 30 thousand seats, it was there that Maximus spent his first battles.

They worked on the scenes of Ancient Rome in Malta, in Fort Ricasoli, where a copy of a part of the Roman Colosseum with a height of about 16 m was built from plaster and plywood. The erection of the monumental structure took several months and cost about 1 million dollars.

The director tried to achieve maximum naturalism by all means and methods, and this concerned literally the entire filming process. One of Gladiator's impressive scenes, where live tigers appear in the arena of the Colosseum, was filmed with real animals. They were only five meters from Russell Crowe. True, the tigers were constantly looked after by a veterinarian with tranquilizer darts, ready to put the animals to sleep in case of danger.

Departure from historical facts

Alas, in pursuit of entertainment, the creators neglected historical facts. So, during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, in fact, no commander Maximus existed, and the title "general" did not appear until the 16th century in France. However, it is not surprising. After all, the film, as conceived by the director, was supposed to vividly and believably reflect only the spirit of that time.

What will the continuation of the blockbuster be about

And just recently, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the release of the popular blockbuster, Ridley Scott announced the launch of the sequel to Gladiator. The statement said that screenwriter Peter Craig, best known for City of Thieves and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, had already started writing the script. The details of the plot have not yet been disclosed, but it is absolutely certain that the director does not intend to resurrect the deceased hero Russell Crowe. In the center of the new story will be the son of Maximus and the nephew of the Emperor Commodus - Lucius. It seems that this film will be a worthy continuation of the famous film that won the hearts of millions.

The director intends to start work pretty soon - as soon as the organizational work is settled and the script is approved. However, judging by the way the director treats the work of the screenwriters, this may not happen as quickly as the viewer expects.

As Russell Crowe, who has worked with the director on several occasions, noted in an interview, this is normal practice for Ridley Scott.

The cast of the film 20 years ago and today

Russell Crowe (born 1964) - The Australian and American film actor and director of New Zealand origin was quite famous until 2000, but Gladiator, where he brilliantly played the role of the main character of the picture, the brave Maximus, brought him world fame, as well as the Oscar. After working together, Crowe became one of the favorite actors of director Ridley Scott: he subsequently shot him in four more of his projects. He noted that Crowe is a co-author of the paintings in which he acts. …

This is one of the best roles of Russell Crowe. It was she who fully revealed his talent as a dramatic artist. Thanks to her, he became one of the leading actors in Hollywood and took part in many successful projects such as: "Beautiful Mind", "American Gangster", "Robin Hood", "Poor" or "Man of Steel". In 2013, Russell Crowe married actress Danielle Spencer. The union lasted 5 years, two sons were left from the marriage. Now the actor is 56 years old. Judging by the latest photos, he has significantly lost his physical shape. Once an example to follow - now it looks more like an ordinary man in the street.

Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus

Through the role of the cruel and pitiful son of the emperor, who killed his father to usurp power, Joaquin Phoenix received critical acclaim for showing his character's vulnerable personality with great acting. The role also helped Joaquin secure the first Oscar nomination of his career. Phoenix connected his further career with directing music videos, producing films and television shows. But he did not forget about acting either. He has starred in ten fairly successful films, and last year won an Oscar for his role as "Joker" in the film of the same name.

Connie Nilsson as Princess Lucilla, Commodus's older sisterDanish actress Connie Nielsen, who plays Princess Lucilla, Commodus's older sister, who falls in love with Maximus and often comes to his aid. This role helped the actress gain fame and recognition in Hollywood, and her career quickly took off. After Gladiator, Connie starred in such films as Ice Harvest, Nymphomaniac, Mission to Mars, and Justice League.

Djimon Hounsou plays Jubu, Maximus' assistant. Having started his career in Hollywood in the 90s, Hounsou approached the role in "Gladiator" as a well-known supporting actor. According to critics, he coped with the role excellently, which strengthened his position. To this day, Djimon plays in Hollywood blockbusters, however, as before in secondary roles.

Oliver Reid (1938 - 1999)Oliver Reed was, as they say, a real macho in real life, so he played only courageous and fearless heroes in the films. "Devils", "Outcast", "Women in Love", "Three Musketeers" - this is not a complete list of his roles.

The actor was ruined by a passion for alcohol. Reed's drunkenness gave rise to many conflicts not only in everyday life, but also on the set, some of which reached fights. The actor himself openly stated that he would part with the bottle only after death. During the filming of "Gladiator" in May 1999, no one could even imagine that all this would eventually turn into a tragedy. One day after the shooting day, Oliver walked into a bar and took part in the game "Drink Me" with five young sailors. After a few liters of beer, countless whiskeys and three bottles of Jamaican rum, a heart attack put an end to his career and life. In commemoration, the bar was renamed Ollie's Last Pub.

Continuing the theme of the historical genre in world cinema and how directors interpret it, read: What and why the Polish director Jerzy Hoffman changed in the popular novel "With Fire and Sword", filming the film of the same name.