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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Ridley Scott's Oscar winning
'Gladiator' (2000) effectively resurrects the
Roman epic from oblivion and to thunderous effect.
The film stars resident Aussie heartthrob Russell
Crowe as Maximus, a loyal General to the Emperor
Marcus Aurelius (the late and very great Richard
Harris). After a victorious campaign in Germania,
Marcus decides that Maximus will succeed him on
the throne; a move that does not bode well with
the Emperor's only son and legitimate heir,
Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Determined to secure
his birthright, Commodus murders his father before
he has a chance to tell Maximus of his placement,
and shortly thereafter frames Maximus for that
murder. And although Commodus' sister -- and
sometimes incestuous playmate, Lucilla (Connie
Nielson) is both enamored and loyal to her father
and Maximus there is little she can do but
acquiesce to Commodus' sycophantic desire to be
loved, in order to keep his psychotic wrath at
bay.
Escaping certain death, Maximus returns home to
discover that his wife and young son have been
slaughtered under Commodus' authority. From here
on, the story develops magnificently along the
lines of a revenge tragedy, sumptuously fleshed
out by a series of stunning digital visual
effects. And although this reviewer has never been
a fan of digital manipulation in cinema (for most
of it betrays total integration with elements of
the story), for once at least the thought-numbing
grandeur of ancient Rome seems to have been the
perfect compliment to the prowess of technical
wizardry. The screen is filled with gorgeous,
mesmerizing -- and for the most part -- realistic
renderings of the coliseum and senate, the byways
and winding streets of ancient Rome, and the
reinvented rustic countryside and battlefields
peppered with barbarism. Derek Jacobi, David
Schofield and the late Oliver Reed, round out the
cast with superb character performances.
The screenplay by David Franzoni, John Logan and
William Nicholson keeps every plot entanglement
sharp and moving in a linear fashion, culminating
in a series of climactic battles that ultimately
ensure a showdown between Commodus and Maximus and
seal their fates. If one complaint may be levied
at the production, it's at its sometimes heavy
handed use of camera panning and film editing that
generally makes a rabid coleslaw of the action
sequences -- never once allowing the viewer to
rest on an image but instead having to endure a
barrage of snippets wielded as though under the
disguise of being visually paint-balled. On
occasion these sequences grow more tiresome than
thrilling -- a quality tempered by the rest of the
movies attention to detail and formidable
direction. Ridley Scott, long overdue for the
Oscar as Best Director, was again overlooked for
the honors on this occasion -- a genuine shame.
Though, at least in this reviewer's mind, nothing
will ever rival the titanic and emotional swell of
William Wyler's Ben-Hur (1959), Gladiator is a
close second on both accounts; a vivid, powerful
and ultimately satisfying bit of escapism that
should continue to thrill as long as there are
fans of the sword and sandal quickie.
Gladiator has been re-released in a handsome
three-disc set from DreamWorks. This set includes
both the theatrical cut and a newly assembled
director's vision for the film that is 17 minutes
longer. In both cases DreamWorks has gone back to
the drawing board and remastered the image --
removing much of the heavy and distracting edge
enhancement that accompanied its first release on
DVD nearly four years ago. Though digital images
still tend to appear a tad harsher, or more finely
defined than the rest of the image -- thereby
betraying the fact that they are more blue screen
than actual set design, the muddy color scheme
that plagued the original DVD have been greatly
corrected on this reissue. Fine detail is superbly
rendered. Contrast and shadow levels are perfectly
realized. The stylized look of the film is more
finely rendered this time around. Truly, there is
nothing about the image to dissuade one from
indulging in the splendor of this epic
storytelling. The audio is 5.1 and appears to be
the same audio mix as the previously issued DVD.
It's sonically bombastic and a great compliment to
the image.
Extras on this occasion include all of the
previously issued material -- some slightly
fleshed out with added material that ably fleshes
out the production from start to finish. There's
also a new audio commentary and intro to the
extended edition from Ridley Scott, a trivia track
and snippets of Russell Crowe speaking on his
participation in the film. On disc 2 there are
seven featurettes -- which cumulatively add up to
one 3-hour and 20-minute documentary on the making
of the film. Disc 3 includes a visual effects reel
and insight into several abandoned sequences, as
well as trailers, television spots and previews. |
