Subsequently the text slowly fades away to a black screen. There’s a change in music to a soothing, relaxing sound that engages the audience, luring them in. Meanwhile the audience trail a tracking shot, following a hand through the cornfield in extreme close up. Also natural colours have been introduced such as the colour of the clear blue sky to emphasise the tranquil atmosphere of the cornfield. The audience catch a glimpse of armour as Maximus delicately pets the grass as if it were his cherished pet. The audience realise it is a flashback because in the short moment of happiness and serenity the armour is out of place as it is belongs to a place of warfare and no sympathy for human-life. The audience identify with the character, as he is yearning to be at the heart of his thoughts and his longing to be home. Maximus face is discontent and his strong desire to be at the place of his dreams is indisputable.
Suddenly the audience are transported back more than 900 years to the winter of 180AD, to the Roman Empire. The music has changed once again to adapt to the dramatic change of colour from warm comforting colours to a cold- blue mise en scene. This creates a callous atmosphere because the colour blue symbolises something to be emotionless and bitter where all the love has been taken out, as this is a war and love and warmth is a sign of femininity and weakness which are prohibited. The Drastic change of colour is a contrast of mood and culture; the music was subtle and gentle to create the full effects of the warm and softness mood of the cornfield. Now the music has altered to ensure the full effects of the cold and bitter atmosphere of army life. However the contrast of the joyful echoes of children’s laughter of the cornfield to daily noises of army life: the casual honing of the very swords that will send countless to their death is disturbing. The emphases of the light pleasant colours of the cornfield to the dark and bitter colours of reality, on the eve of the battle are distinctions between the two worlds. These all make the difference of the dream world and reality so effective, as Ridley Scott successfully creates a contrast of the two.
We see Maximus surrounded by all the preparation of war, and suddenly the brisk sound of wind is introduced. Maximus unexpectedly Looks up, sees a robin and smiles to himself, as the bird reminds him of the time when there were no wars and hunger for power, a time where happiness and love overpowered all factors. He is suddenly filled with determination; it was as if the bird filled him with hope and assured him of freedom. Specks of brown and red were on the robin a residual from the cornfield. The camera then goes to a long shot to highlight the total devastation of Germania with the burnt out landscapes with no remains of life, physically showing the audience the height of the Romans power. Then the camera moves to the side to show the viewers the sheer numbers of Roman soldiers. The first impressions of Romans are that they are well-oiled fighting machines; their traditional Roman armour is very potent and grand. The soldiers are very confident- from their previous victories. The Roman army are well structured and their formation is very tactical. This shows the audience the sophistication of the Roman army making it easier for the audience to trust them and believe they are truly good.
The music shifts to a string instrument- a solo flute and the camera then moves from a long shot to a medium shot to see hooded and cloaked man being guarded by emotionless soldiers in such a way where the aged man is at the centre watching down on Maximus and his men. We assume him to the emperor – Marcus Aurelius Caesar, as he is a man of high importance and prestige. The aged man has big bags under his eyes due to loss of sleep, wrinkles overlapping wrinkles; he is so frightened and vulnerable. Ridley Scott created such a character because the audience are more compassionate to a character who is frightened than one consumed with power and greed. Therefore the audience want the Romans to succeed so they can protect the Emperor. Consequently, the audience are convinced that the Romans are the side of good before the storyline has commenced. Hence Ridley’s handiwork has already taken place.
The audience’s first impression of Maximus is a man trapped in a world full of allegiance, loyalty and strong cultural belief. He is living in a world full of solidarity, as the soldiers become his surrogate family. The audience are aware of this because as the General goes past his soldiers to his position on the frontline, he fills his comrades with determination and physically shows his camaraderie and allegiance by giving manly hugs, eye contact and consoling smiles. Maximus shows brilliant military strategies, he can be compared to a chess player, having to take risks and make sacrifices however they are acceptable in the rules of warfare. The audience are intrigued by this, and eager to learn more about Maximus, and analyse his every movement and speech. Maximus is wearing traditional Roman armour of high authority and status. We know this because on shoulders his is fur trim that signifies power and leadership, the same texture of his dog. This makes the dog apart of Maximus, they share the same qualities: loyalty, bravery, strong hearted. The dog is sexy and cool canine making Maximus look sexy. The dog is physical imitation of Maximus’ personality. The canine is not a pathetic squeamish puppy; it is worthy to accompany a strong man in battle.
The Romans serenely await a crucial decision from the opposition. ‘Will they fight sir,’ a soldier addresses his General, ‘we’ll find out soon enough,’ Maximus replies coolly. The Emperor says ‘people should know when they are conquered’. This is, an only real sign that the Romans are indeed the invaders and not the side heroically defending their beloved people, however this merely is not enough to change the mind of the swayed audience. Followed by a long shot as a horse rides out of the mist, the camera then goes to a medium shot, to a German who shouts with such rage and hatred, at this point the German seem savage and inhumane. The audience consider this man to be a strange alien because there are no translations to the bizarre words. As the camera zooms in we see a man with a raggedy beard and drunk on violence, then the camera goes to a long shot concealing the numbers of the Germanians by the distance of the camera. There is another long shot as a horse rides out with decapitated Roman, the same Roman that was sent to negotiate with the barbarian tribes. Consequently, triggering the audiences emotions, wanting the Romans to seek revenge for their comrade. Now the war has become personal to the Romans, as their comrade died a vindictive death.
The audience’s first impression of the germanians is they are barbaric and uncivilised. The Germans have clubs instead of swords proving they are still in the caveman era and haven’t developed modern ways of living and fighting. Ridley Scott emphasises the creature- like behaviour of the German by not translating his speech. The Germanians seem strange and frightening because the audience are intimidated, as they do not comprehend their means of conduct, seeming even more barbaric then they really are. However the Romans are translated from their traditional Latin-tongue thus the audience are familiar and relate to the Romans. Hence the audience believe the Romans to be good. The Germanians are concealed once again. We see a canine sniffing the earth analysing the German soil. Maximus is being helped on to his horse and his gallant canine follows behind. The camera then goes to reveal the numbers of the Germans; they are anxious as the battle decides their fate. This is shown in a long shot to emphasize the insignificance of the Germans and how massively they are outnumbered. There is lots of cutting in shots and camera movement building up tension and confusion before the final battle. This jerking of the camera is effectively done so that the audience are physically apart of the battle.
Maximus then goes on to giving the predicted pre-war speech ‘...you are an Elysium and you are already dead.’ His irony and mockery acts as a contrast to his serious nature towards the battle. ‘On my command unleash hell’. This stresses to the audience the power that Maximus holds, controls even the immoralities of hell. On his word a single fire arrow is unleashed to the Germans, this being a physicality and literal of hell. A fire arrow rises like the sun as it slowly arches through the air; the only thing that is not blue in the mise en scene is fire because the colour red signifies victory for the Romans. The fire is also symbolises a new dawn, foretelling a new beginning for Germany. The camera yaws in the air to follow the path of fire. Then there’s a tracking shot of burning trees this emphasises the damage cause by the Romans in mere minutes. An additional arrow goes into the air it shows off how skilful the Romans are by killing two Germans with one arrow. At this point the Germanians seem embarrassing and illogically stampede chaotically towards the Romans– who are holding their strategic positions on the battlefield. A sudden introduction of red increases the chances of the Romans conquering Germania. An outside view of the battle gives a more realistic analysis of the battle. The music is at a fast pace building up tension and curiosity on who will succeed. Also brass instruments have been introduced, brass instruments are associated with victory, and the audience realise the battle has been won and sense of relief is let out, as the last minutes of the battle are seen in slow motion another indication of victory for Rome. As every soldier fights for his life, yet for some it is the last breaths they’ll ever take. Each swing of the sword is an extra few seconds for hope for survival. Maximus shows great determination and fights till the end, while down he is still fighting. His devoted canine leaps through two burning trees creating the image of jumping through the fires of hell a gold mark is left on his neck as it ferociously ambush the Germans, saving Maximus from a heartbreaking death. The audience are engulfed in the atmosphere of war. The last few seconds of the battle are frantic: the germanians are confused running back and forth, the camera is all over the place. Finally the battle is over as the Roman soldiers glance over the high body count. They raise their swords to celebrate victory. The music slowly fades to a slow string melody as the red creeps in, becoming the dominant colour, washing away the blue, authenticating the defeat over Germany. The camera then zooms in to, Emperor Caesar who is still guarded and hooded, however the recent victory over Germany proves no difference as his face is still frightened and he is still vulnerable, Marcus Aurelius Caesar is still blue still part of the old way of life and excluded from the victory. His mind ponders on to, what is to happen to Rome now?
Gladiator is directed in such a brilliant style and unique approach that manipulates worldwide audiences. Before the launch of the media coursework I was deceived into believing the Romans were good. Gladiator was one of my favourite films and still is today, as I can appreciate the intensity and skill that went into the production of Gladiator that I never acknowledged before. During the course of this coursework I have gained much needed skills that I can use throughout my life to come. I have learnt to recognize and identify when I am trying to be mislead to believing false information, this cannot only be used in films but in adverts and programmes. I can use my newfound skills to enter adulthood prepared. The way director’s influence your judgement is very intellectual, the use of lighting, sound, characters, speech and special effects all combined successfully convinces viewers what is wanted of them to believe. Film addicts and shoppers are all example of puppets where directors and mangers pull our strings to make us believe what is wanted to benefit them.
Therefore Ridley Scott is a master at being cunning and deceitful but we admire and praise him for it.
