1. There significant institutional factors in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, some of which are based on the occurrences that revolve around the time period and production effort, truly exemplify the making of the film. The film was created under the multimedia corporation “Dreamworks.” In May 2000 Ridley went to the film studio with a concept, and based on the success of previous Scott films like “Blade Runner” and “G.I Jane” the producers were willing to fund the film. During this time period, the classic Hollywood ideology that consisted of the protagonist being inauspicious and extremely powerful. Take for example the Matrix, which was created a year before Gladiator; The film followed the story of an underdog who found power within himself. American audiences had become deeply associated with the idea of a happy/successful character recollecting back to the days of the anti-hero. However, the truth is that all films are widely “changed” in order to entertain the masses of different people around the world. This is the case in the making of gladiator, as the background of the film era heavily influenced the film. The idea of being unsuccessful and in some way the “bad ending” was a taboo theme in the world of western film. The audience wouldn’t be able to grasp the concept of the protagonist actually losing and would be quick to criticize the film concept. That’s why the historical content of the Roman Empire’s destruction was viewed in such a sensationalized way, so the audience could focus on the themes and symbols within and be more content with an “entertaining” story.
2. The film’s historical significance is that it takes place in the final years of the Roman Empire. The date is correctly placed in AD 180, following the last years of the corrupted emperor Marcus Aurelius and the fall that followed an uprising revolution. The story in itself is a fictional reenactment of the myths and legends of the great Roman civilization. It does follow the chronological events of this time period, and can also be dated correctly to proper historical events. Nonetheless, the plot of the story heavily relies on the influences of Anthony Mann’s 1964 previous film, “The Fall of The Roman Empire.” As a vestige of history, this story is much more a heartwarming story with the protagonist succeeding rather than a story to reference to about content. Scott’s interpretation of Gladiator retells the story of the great civilization and how everyone ends up freed from the corrupted government. Of course this is not true, but the Hollywood audience would much rather understand a story of uprising and revenge then the antagonist winning.
1. Gladiator’s socio-cultural context:
As a work from the United States heavily influenced by Western beliefs, Gladiator expresses themes and other followings that other countries would not be comfortable with. For example, most of America culture rely on films as entertainment, exploring a dimension that relieves the pressures of our society. Americans are known to enjoy big action packed scenes with filled violence and gore. In Gladiator the use of stunning graphics, high budget production, and long-drawn and coordinated fight scenes certainly appeased audiences. However, when it comes to sexual content, it is highly censored or limited as some romantic parts in Gladiator were very brief.
In American culture, there are many plot styles constantly repeated throughout film. One I’d like to focus on is the story of the underdog. The underdog is the following of events where the underrated character is given the chance to rise amongst everyone and make his place known. To cheer for individuality and to be against society, is the fundamentals of American culture. This relates to Gladiator, as it retells the story of a slave who fights his way in the arena to seek revenge on his fallen family.
The work in Gladiator was meant to represent the Roman empire and how civilization was during this timeframe. It could entirely represent the corruption of overly aggressive beings, and how it takes true courage to rise up against oppressors in order to overpower them. However I feel that Scott simply wanted to show a deeper appreciation of Roman culture, and to spread knowledge of the problems and great successes that came with Greek Mythology. The film does draw on dates and significant events, but not enough to be regarded as a historical reference.
The film is directed towards a male audience, and with ease I can say definitely not for children below 15. The film follows a formula of a good Holywood film : a high production budget, a strict and mindful director, a surprising cast made of elite actors, state of the art animations, rapid battle movements, and a happy closure to tie it all up together. Also those seeking to delve into the cultures of Roman civilization, this could be a film to reawaken one’s knowledge in greek mythology.
The director’s reason for creating this film were explained in a previous interview with a local magazine. Scott stated that he wanted two make things apparent throughout the entire film. The first idea, was to make Roman culture a part of history that could be appreciated and understood. This hidden civilization held so many mysteries and treasures in the form of mythology, that anyone would be interested to take part in the understanding of other cultures. Another reason was to express the ideology of how life and death were synonymous with each other. This is implemented through the scene of Crowe walking through a wheat field. He looks back on life and finds true happiness with his family, and in the afterlife he is content being reunited with his family despite all the blood that was shed to get there. Life and death should not be lived in fear, and one must make the best of it to live fruitfully.
2. The film’s historical significance is that it takes place in the final years of the Roman Empire. The date is correctly placed in AD 180, following the last years of the corrupted emperor Marcus Aurelius and the fall that followed an uprising revolution. The story in itself is a fictional reenactment of the myths and legends of the great Roman civilization. It does follow the chronological events of this time period, and can also be dated correctly to proper historical events. Nonetheless, the plot of the story heavily relies on the influences of Anthony Mann’s 1964 previous film, “The Fall of The Roman Empire.” As a vestige of history, this story is much more a heartwarming story with the protagonist succeeding rather than a story to reference to about content. Scott’s interpretation of Gladiator retells the story of the great civilization and how everyone ends up freed from the corrupted government. Of course this is not true, but the Hollywood audience would much rather understand a story of uprising and revenge then the antagonist winning.
1. Gladiator’s socio-cultural context:
As a work from the United States heavily influenced by Western beliefs, Gladiator expresses themes and other followings that other countries would not be comfortable with. For example, most of America culture rely on films as entertainment, exploring a dimension that relieves the pressures of our society. Americans are known to enjoy big action packed scenes with filled violence and gore. In Gladiator the use of stunning graphics, high budget production, and long-drawn and coordinated fight scenes certainly appeased audiences. However, when it comes to sexual content, it is highly censored or limited as some romantic parts in Gladiator were very brief.
In American culture, there are many plot styles constantly repeated throughout film. One I’d like to focus on is the story of the underdog. The underdog is the following of events where the underrated character is given the chance to rise amongst everyone and make his place known. To cheer for individuality and to be against society, is the fundamentals of American culture. This relates to Gladiator, as it retells the story of a slave who fights his way in the arena to seek revenge on his fallen family.
The work in Gladiator was meant to represent the Roman empire and how civilization was during this timeframe. It could entirely represent the corruption of overly aggressive beings, and how it takes true courage to rise up against oppressors in order to overpower them. However I feel that Scott simply wanted to show a deeper appreciation of Roman culture, and to spread knowledge of the problems and great successes that came with Greek Mythology. The film does draw on dates and significant events, but not enough to be regarded as a historical reference.
The film is directed towards a male audience, and with ease I can say definitely not for children below 15. The film follows a formula of a good Holywood film : a high production budget, a strict and mindful director, a surprising cast made of elite actors, state of the art animations, rapid battle movements, and a happy closure to tie it all up together. Also those seeking to delve into the cultures of Roman civilization, this could be a film to reawaken one’s knowledge in greek mythology.
The director’s reason for creating this film were explained in a previous interview with a local magazine. Scott stated that he wanted two make things apparent throughout the entire film. The first idea, was to make Roman culture a part of history that could be appreciated and understood. This hidden civilization held so many mysteries and treasures in the form of mythology, that anyone would be interested to take part in the understanding of other cultures. Another reason was to express the ideology of how life and death were synonymous with each other. This is implemented through the scene of Crowe walking through a wheat field. He looks back on life and finds true happiness with his family, and in the afterlife he is content being reunited with his family despite all the blood that was shed to get there. Life and death should not be lived in fear, and one must make the best of it to live fruitfully.
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