Synopsis

The great Roman General Maximus (Russell Crowe) has once again led the legions to victory on the battlefield. The war won, Maximus dreams of home, wanting only to return to his wife and son; however, the dying Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) has one more duty for the general-to assume the mantle of his power.

Jealous of Maximusí favor with the emperor, the heir to the throne, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), orders his execution and that of his family. Barely escaping death, Maximus is forced into slavery and trained as a gladiator in the arena where his fame grows. Now he has come to Rome, intent on avenging the murder of his wife and son by killing the new emperor Commodus.

Maximus has learned that the one power stronger than that of the emperor is the will of the people, and he knows he can only attain his revenge by becoming the greatest hero in all the empire.

Presented at Siggraph (23 - 28 July), the top event devoted computer-generated images.

A Return to Epics?

The Ridley Scott film, rife with special effects, makes two journeys: the first is a plunge into the Roman Empire, the second into a forgotten genre of cinema.

Film has its trends. We've seen dinosaurs, extraterrestrial, serial killers, and remakes of old sitcoms. It seems the next phase in filmmaking will be a return to the mighty figures of Antiquity, a period full of triumph, battle, intrigue. With Gladiator, Ridley Scott has revived a genre that was so popular in the 50s, but infused modern cinematography and flair. Perhaps this is a response to the studios, which have been too busy churning out low-budget formulaic films such as Scream, Terminator, or Blair Witch.

Here's a trivia question: When was the last epic produced in Hollywood? 10 years ago? 15? 20? You're not even close --the last epic was made over 36 years ago, more than two generations of theatre-goers ago -- The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964). Between this film from Anthony Mann and Gladiator, the setting for epic films has been a total desert, with the lone exception being Astérix et Obélix Against César (1999) from Claude Zidi, perhaps the most ironic manner of renewing Roman legions.

We then have to go back in time to find memorable epics that conformed to the grand studio mold. First among the relics is Ben Hur, considered "the first film in the history of cinema. In 1959 it 12 Oscars, setting a record that was unmatched until Jim Cameron's Titanic. In 1959, Ben Hur won Best Picture, Best Director (William Tyler) and Best Actor (Charlton Heston) among others. Just 3 years earlier, Heston had established himself in The Ten Commandments from Cecil B. De Mille. That film was the last super-production from a master of the epic genre whose works included Cleopatra (1934) with Claudette Colbert and the silent film Samsom and Dalila (1949).

All this leads to one question: can we speak of the epic genre without once mentioning The Bible? And what of the people of Ancient Greece, Turkey, and Egypt, whose cultural differences don't loom quite so large when represented on the big screen?

From Ben Hur to Spartacus

Whether or not the tales are true, the stories of the Mediterranean have been woven onto the screen in memorable films, with at least one feature per Mediterranean country. Beginning with Egypt, we've seen The Egyptian from Curtiz (1954) and Land of Pharaohs from Howard Hawks (1955) with set decorations by Alexandre Trauner. Greece has been represented Alexander the Great (1956) from Robert Rossen and Helen of Troy (1955) from Robert Wise. Finally, to close the cycle in Rome, the beginning of Christianity is depicted in Quo Vadis (1951) from Mervin Leroy, The Robe (1953) from Henry Koster and its sequel Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) from Delmer Daves with Victor Mature (the actor who filmed the most epics).

The epic genre has also seen Biblical tales such as Esther and the King (1960) from Raoul Walsh, The King of Kings (1961) from Nicholas Ray and the late The Bible (1966) from John Huston.

We see that all the great works of Hollywood -- beginning with John Ford and Billy Wilder marked the beginnings of film. In a heavier category, there is Cleopatra (1963) with Elizabeth Taylor. Moreover, despite the brilliant directing from Joseph Mankiewicz who had already done Julius Caesar (1953), this film marked the end of an era. Spartacus (1960) had already marked the decline in the political genre. The screenplay was from the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo and it was directed by a then unknown young hotshot, Stanley Kubrick. These crew choices were political ones themselves. A film about the revolt of slaves could not enlighten the era in which it was created. Symbolically Spartacus gave viewers the most adult viewpoint in a decade out of an otherwise naïve and childlike Hollywood.

40 years later, will Gladiator renew the epic, or will it become just another ephemeral film in the firmament of the moviemaking?

FilmFestivals.com reporter
Jean Segura