![]() ![]() The only Roman film I’m pretty sure Ridley looked at was “Satyricon.”Ĭonnie Nielsen, Joaquin Phoenix Dreamworks/Universal/Kobal/Shutt Gladiator thumbs down movie#There was a very clear understanding that the coliseums were a sports franchise.īoth Franzoni and Scott refused to make a typical “sword and sandal” movie and looked to foreign cinema for inspiration.įranzoni: Some of the movies that Ridley and I watched and talked about were “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “La Dolce Vita” - because of the corrupt Roman bourgeoisie - and “The Conformist.” We didn’t talk about any of those sword and sandal movies. Gladiator thumbs down how to#Mannix, about the Roman games.įranzoni: When I read the book, it’s not the story of “Gladiator,” but what was in the book was an understanding of how to connect who and how we were to who and how they were. In Baghdad, he stayed in a yurt and met an Australian woman who introduced him to a book entitled “Those About To Die” by Daniel P. I didn’t look like any Roman general.įor Franzoni, the idea came from a motorcycle trip around the world, where he was inspired by the ancient coliseums he passed on the way. I had no hair because I had been wearing a wig on that movie, so I had shaved my head to make it more comfortable and the wigs go on quicker. I was just coming off the shoot of “The Insider.” I was gigantic. But then Parkes said, “It’s 184 A.D., you’re a Roman general, and you’re going to be directed by Ridley Scott.” And that was enough for me to want to talk to Ridley. At the time, he had a shaved head and had packed on pounds for another role.Ĭrowe: I’d read the script and I thought it wasn’t a movie. Joaquin Phoenix, Russell Crowe Dreamworks/Universal/Kobal/ShuttĬrowe didn’t initially want to play Maximus, but after talking to Parkes and Scott about their vision, he signed on. So I said, “I’ll do it.” Parkes said, “Hang on, you don’t know what the story’s about.” I said, “I don’t care, I’ll do it” and that was it. When you’re experienced like me, you can do a little knee-jerk flash decision, and normally it’s accurate. He’s got a thumbs down, and I stared at it for a moment and it was like a flash. He’s looking up at a black marble wall at this purple-faced Nero out of his mind on wine or water. It shows the armored man with the tuna-fork that would kill you, standing over a netted victim. Parkes opened a picture of a painting by a fellow called Jean-Léon Gérôme. Scott: I’m a very visually driven director. In lieu of a script, producer Walter Parkes pulled out a picture of a 19th century painting, and Scott immediately signed on. In honor of the film’s 20th anniversary, the cast and crew shared their experiences working on “Gladiator.” A limited edition 4K Blu-ray Steelbook of the film will be released on June 16. Scott, who had already directed “Alien,” “Blade Runner” and “Thelma and Louise,” continued his directing career after “Gladiator” with “Hannibal,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Prometheus” and “The Martian.” Crowe won the Academy Award for best actor, worked with Scott on four more films and Phoenix shot into stardom, winning his own Oscar this year for “Joker.” According to Scott, a “Gladiator” sequel is currently in the works, although the details remain under wraps. ![]() Jealous and skeptical of the new gladiator’s success in the ring, Commodus ultimately goes head to head with Maximus as much of Rome looks on. Meanwhile, the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius’s son Commodus (Phoenix) - who ordered the slayings of Maximus’s family - kills his father and seizes his throne. “Gladiator” follows a widowed Roman general Maximus (Crowe), who is forced into slavery as a gladiator, shunted from the battlefield to the arena, where he faces his opponents in brutal death matches. ![]() The Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix action drama paved the way for more historical epics like “300,” “Troy” and “Centurion.” Steven Spielberg at Dreamworks, already in a three-picture deal with screenwriter David Franzoni, signed on to produce the picture, and the crew started filming in England, Malta, Italy and Morocco. Raking in over $460 million dollars globally on what Scott told Variety was at the time a massive budget of $103 million, the film triumphed at the box office when it debuted on May 5, 2000. Without even knowing what the film’s story would be, Scott signed on to build a Roman Empire saga that would go on to score five Academy Awards. For director Ridley Scott, it was one look at a 19th-century neoclassical work of art that convinced him to make the Oscar-winning picture “ Gladiator.” Jean-Léon Gérôme’s painting “Pollice Verso” depicts an armored gladiator in the ring, triumphantly facing onlookers as the crowd reacts with thumbs turned down, signaling their approval for the fighter to deliver a final, fatal blow. ![]()
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