Analysis of the Opening scenes of the film Gladiator Essay Example

learn about him and his character. We see his hand brushing through a golden cornfield.

On his finger is a wedding ring. We already have images of a family man with a loving wife and children. The golden corn and peaceful music give us an idyllic scene of calmness, but this scene cuts to the harsh reality of a cold, dark Germanic battlefield. We then see a long shot and Maximus is shown walking alone with no one around him. This gives the sense of isolation and loneliness which recurs throughout the film. There is then a crane shot which shows the Roman army and its magnitude, although it is a dark and smoky shot it is very impressive to behold.

The low angle shot which is shown next of the riding cavalry makes the viewer feel very vulnerable, and it is in the next shot that we are shown the Emperor, the most powerful man in the world, this only adds to the sense of vulnerability. The next shots are of Maximus walking along the line of troops, and this is when we learn more about him. Firstly we see his impressive armour for the first time in detail and establish that he must be an important figure, this is confirmed by the men's salutations. They nod to him and call him "sir" or "general".

The camera then switches to a point of view shot, this helps us identify with Maximus and we can see from the faces of the men he looks at that they both respect and like him. i?? For this essay, I will be studying Gladiator Extended Special Edition When he stops to

speak to the men we can see that he is a very friendly man who respects his troops and is glad to fight along side them. It is in these few shots that we learn most about our protagonist. The most important aspect of this battle scene is the attention to detail and how realistic it is.

This was one of the major pitfalls of earlier historical films set in the Roman era such as Spartacus. In Gladiator, Scott is very careful to make sure that the armour, shields and weapons used by not only the main cast but also the extras, looked as though they had endured a brutal twelve year campaign. The wear of the shields is especially important in this scene. They contrast with the stereotypical views of bright, colourful Roman shields which would not have fit in with the generally dark feel of the scene which is brought about by the overcast weather and smoke from burning trees and the men's fires.

There is then a discussion between Maximus and two other officers, we are shown his leadership qualities. He is sure of what he wants and demonstrates his military knowledge and prowess. The next shot is a long shot and it gives us a glimpse of the brutality that will come during the battle. A t first we see nothing wrong with the approaching rider, but gradually it dawns upon us that he has been decapitated. He was a messenger for the Roman army and had been sent to offer terms of surrender.

His brutal murder shows us that it was not only the Roman invaders who used horrific violence to their advantage.

We then get our first glimpse of "the enemy" general. Though we can only assume the Romans were the aggressors and the Germans had done them no wrong. He is holding the head of the murdered messenger and he throws it into the muddy ground, where it squelches, disgusting the viewers the close up of this is repulsive and shows the beginnings of the horror that is about to be unleashed.

We are then shown another long shot, and behind the barbarian warlord comes his army. They appear as if from nowhere, advancing menacingly from the fog. Quintus, a Roman officer then remarks. "People should now when they're conquered. " Maximus responds, "Would you Quintus? Would I? " This rhetorical question raises an interesting issue which make the audience think about the nature of war and also surrender. We are then shown Maximus' interesting ritual which is repeated before every major fight.

He picks up dirt from the ground and rubs it between his hands. Throughout the film this is almost a signal that violence will ensue. The theme of the afterlife then continues as Maximus orders, "At my signal, unleash hell. " Death and the afterlife are major recurring themes of this film and it portrays life almost as a journey to the afterlife, with Elysium as the destination which is to be worked towards. Maximus is then shown riding towards his cavalry, where he gives them an inspirational speech.

He addresses them as "Fratres" or brothers. We then learn that he is leaving the army and "three weeks from now (he) will be harvesting (his) crops. " We are then shown the main army again and

we see them preparing their weapons for battle in a series of short sharp shots, emphasising the rush and panic in preparation for a battle. Then Maximus sends his signal for Quintus to "unleash hell", a single flaming arrow, which is followed by a mass of artillery and archers' fire.

The fire is important as hell is represented by fire this is important as it makes the battle almost hell-like. We then see close-ups of the barbarians being slaughtered by the Roman missiles. On more than one occasion we see men in agony set alight by the artillery or impaled by a ballista bolt. There is a long shot showing the barbarian army in the forest, the background is dominated by the flames roaring up behind them, it is a very impressive shot but shows the huge scale of the battle for the first time.

This shot covers such a large area that it makes the audience feel very small and insignificant. Next the hand to hand combat begins, the barbarians charge and during the fighting Maximus and his cavalry charge the barbarians from behind, they come from the flames and we see their silhouettes and then a close up of the horror-stricken faces of the Germans. As Maximus is fighting, he is shown almost as a killing machine, and he seems invincible until he is dismounted.

We switch between pictures of the Barbarian general and his counterpart Maximus, both killing continuously without though and without hesitation. After being dismounted Maximus almost kills one of his fellow Romans, and from the Close-up of his ally's face you can see the terror in his eyes as he stares death

in the face, Maximus smiles almost madly and continues to fight. The next shot is a medium shot of the barbarian general being brutally killed. He is repeatedly stabbed by an onslaught of Roman soldiers. The man who looked invincible only a few shots ago, is now dead.

This is a metaphor for the whole film, that even the most powerful men are at risk from the lowest classes, such as soldiers or as the case may be, gladiators. A flaming axeman then knocks Maximus to the ground and it looks as though the devil is standing over him, about to strike the fatal blow, but he is saved at the last moment by a cavalryman and then his dog, who wrestles and attacker to the ground. The near fatal experiences that he has throughout the battle show the audience that he could be one second away from death at any moment, this increases the tension.

During one shot in the battle mud sprays onto the camera lens, this really makes us feel that we are actually there and heightens the experience. The action then slows down, and we see the final stages of the battle, the action seems blurred as though everything is fading into each other. We see a close up of a bandaged man crying and screaming in agony, this is a very upsetting stage of the scene as we are shown only now the horror after the battle of those who have been wounded.

Maximus shouts "Roma Victor," and we are shown a shot of the soldiers left alive cheering, but we also witness the suffering of the injured and the vast numbers of

the dead. Scott is challenging us to decide if it is a victory as so much life was lost on both sides. We then zoom slowly into a big close up of the Emperor, who looks both aggrieved and relieved. The battle scene cuts and we are shown the relative harmony of a carriage travelling along the road; this carriage contains the Emperor's son and daughter who are dressed in elaborate clothes.

We make a link between Commodus and the Emperor as they are wearing almost exactly the same blue clothes, seeing Commudus attired in the same dress as the Emperor; we get the idea of a child aspiring to be like their father. We cut back to the battle field, where Maximus retrieves the cavalry sword he lost in a tree during the battle. He is bloody and scarred from the fight. The music is a highly important part of the battle scene. It sets the tempo and often has the effect of making you sad, for example, the slow music at the end of the battle or making the scene tense and exciting, as it does when the cavalry are charging.

The next scene is designed to both shock us and inform us about the aftermath of the battle. The camera follows Maximus through the hospital, passing soldiers with terrible wounds. On more than one occasion we see stumps, where limbs have been hacked off during the battle or amputated afterwards. This scene is a steadicam shot, and we feel as though we are part of the terrible events that are unfolding, and it makes the experience more shocking, as we move closer to Maximus,

we can see the horror on his face.