Unsolicited Thoughts on Gladiator (One)

 In preparation to see Gladiator II, my husband and I decided to rewatch Gladiator (Not Called One 24 Years Ago).  I tried to recall the movie from when I saw it "back in the day," and all I could really come up with was --

So, not much. 

The film opens in media res, a battle ongoing. Maximus (AKA Russell Crowe) gives a rallying speech before the fight with the Barbarians, concluding with "What we do in life, echoes in eternity."

(This is the part where you wonder how I'm directly quoting the movie. Did this freak take notes as she watched it? you wonder. Yes, yes I did.)

As the swords flew and the heads literally rolled, I found myself thinking about the term "Barbarian," about how we still use this term to indicate an uncultured person. Who knew -- it basically meant, "anyone who isn't Roman, like us" back in the day -- and now. 

Maximus has this thing he does that follows him throughout the movie. Before he fights, on the battlefield or later in the arena, he scoops up some of the soil and smells it. When questioned about his affinity for soil, he says, "Dirt cleans off a lot easier than blood." But the reality is, despite his name (Maximus was also just a name given to Roman generals who had the "greatest" victory stats), Maximus is a simple guy, with a simple life, with a wife and son he wants to get home to. His main goal is to finish up this pesky little war before harvest. 

But of course he doesn't get home in time, or else we wouldn't have much of a movie, now would we? The caesar, Marcus Aurelius, wants to name Maximus the next ruler of Rome because he knows Maximus is the kind of guy who will actually give Roman back to the people, unlike his ambitious, egomaniac son. 

("If only you were born a man, what a caesar you would have been," he tells his daughter, seemingly oblivious to the fact that as the most powerful man in the world, he could have changed a rule like, "Thou must have a penis in order to be a leader.") 

The son, not surprisingly, is not happy with being skipped over in the line of succession for a farmer with dirt under his nails, so he smothers his ailing father with a pillow before the news of his intended successor can spread. He kills Maximus's wife and son (well, orders other people to kill them, lest his own nails get dirty and all), not realizing that he's turned Maximus into man with nothing more to lose. Maximus is sold into slavery as a gladiator, a competitor known as The Spaniard in the bloodsport. 

Today, we tend to be a bit judgy of the Colosseum and the bloodlust of the Romans, as if we are somehow above the public spectacle of fighting and death, while we spend hours playing Call of Duty, listening to Crime Junkie, and eagerly watch documentaries about Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy. 

In the movie, the Colosseum's games are a distraction from the reality that Rome doesn't belong to the Romans, even as a supposed democracy. It's a vision of death, of "greatness," (what a dangerous word), and the agent of the gladiators remarks of the new caesar, "He will bring them death, and they will love him for it."

Memes aside, this is why Maximus shouts, "Are you not entertained?" as he slaughters another competitor. "Is this not why you are here?" he demands. He wants the crowd to re-examine their part in the system of violence, slavery, and injustice. 

But, for a gladiator who wants to win his freedom at the big event, antagonizing the crowd (or otherwise not playing the game) is a losing move, even if the battles belong to him. The man who coordinates the gladiators was himself once a gladiator who won his freedom. Despite this, he returned to perpetuate the cycle, to make money, to buy into the same system that once sold him. 

Maximus, despite asking, "I am a slave. What possible difference can I make?" goes on to learn that if he wants to change he system, he must work the system. The gladiators throw loaves of bread to the crowds at the games, much like our t-shirt guns and freebies at football games. The Emperor doesn't like his newfound popularity, of course. 

(The Emperor is the kind of guy who corrupts power to the point of incest, threatening his own sister with the death of her son if she doesn't comply with his desire. What a leader, right? Good thing he's not a woman, or we'd be in a total mess right now.)

The movie comes to a peak as the people demand that their Emperor defeat The Spaniard in order to stay in power. The Emperor, knowing that he is not going to win, stops by Maximus's cell for a little chat and a stab in the ribs before the public fight. Maximus, being the badass that he is, still manages to beat him. And true to his word, as he lay dying, he says, "There was a dream that is Rome. Free my men," and he delivers Rome back to the people. 

As he fights to live or die, the sister of the Emperor, once fond of Maximus back in the day, knows that he's envisioning his wife and son. "Go to them," she says, and as they carry Maximus's body out, the rose petals fly from the people, though it's hard to distinguish them from the blood. 

It's just the kind of story we love, right? We want the reluctant leader, the one that seeks the counsel of his gods and his ancestors. The one who doesn't seek fame or notoriety. The one who just wants what's best for the people. 

Of course, those who seek power and status are threatened by the idea of distributive leadership -- Wooooaaah, there, Nelly. Are you actually talking about asking the PEOPLE how they want to live their lives? What kind of insanity is this?

Thus, the conflict arises. But, in the end -- we hope, we pray -- the humble leader who puts the people ahead of himself will prevail. 

(Oddly enough, we love this leader and this story in the movie box offices, but not in the voter polls.) 

We want to believe that the sacrifice of one for the many will make some sort of difference, that freedom will be restored to those in bondage, that life will improve for the average person just trying to find their way. After all, if it doesn't make a difference, doesn't that mean that the sacrifice is in vain?

Before his first gladiator fight, in stark juxtaposition of his inspiring speech before the battle of the Barbarians, Maximus was told, "Ultimately, we are all dead men. We can decide how we meet that end." To an extent, that is really all we have, isn't it? Even if our life is taken from us without our consent, we can only hope for a fraction of a moment to decide how we meet our end, with what mindset. As for Maximus, his mindset was, "I will always serve Rome."