Sunday, February 24, 2008

Gladiator

Gladiator has been by far one of my favorite movies for a while now, not only because of the bloody intense action sequences like the first battle in the forest, but also because of the way Scott keeps bringing up the key elements of the plot throughout the story line.
The main reoccuring theme that i notice continually popping up during the story is the flashback scenes to where Maximus's plantation where his family is hanged and burned. This scene is first burned into our minds by the heartwrenching picture of Maximus crying and cluthing the charred foot of his son when he finds the bodies of his family hanging and burning in front of his home on his plantation. Scott finds places in the story to bring back that scene, usually in times of great pain and turmoil for Maximus like when he is being transported in the slave cart, or when he is wounded but still kills Caesar. He kind of walks into this daze and then remembers his family, its almost like the memory of his family is the only thing driving him to continue pushing on and living. However in the last scene when he kills Caesar, I think his flashback is him going home to his family by dying and rejoining them in death. Scott gives Maximus a driving force during the story to keep going through these flashbacks.

2 comments:

Will P said...

I hadn't noticed the family thing at all until I read your post. That is clever of Scott. It makes sense both as motivation in the plot and as an effective way of pulling an emotional reaction from the audience. Also, I've always loved that last scene, where we see the field that Maximus imagines as he dies. The colors and music are just perfect, and it all seems so pleasant. The conflict is all finally, elegantly tied up.

Jake D said...

I noticed that flashback throughout the movie. Each time Maximus got closer to death we saw more and more of that flashback. I concluded it was a symbol of Maximus rejoining with his family by death. I also really enjoyed the movie because it was my first time seeing Gladiator. In the last scene, although it's tragic Maximus dies I think it's soothing knowing he's where he want to be...with his family.