Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8d/Gladiator_ver1.jpg
Movie #10: Gladiator (2000)
Oscar wins: 5- Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Crowe), Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects
Nominations: Best Directory (Scott), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Phoenix), Best Original Screenplay (Franzoni, Logan & Nicholson), Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction (Set Decoration), Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer)
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Written by: David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed
Length: 154 minutes
Budget: $103 million
My 10th film is the winner of the Best Picture award at the 73rd Academy Awards, The Gladiator. I have seen most of this film several times, however I think this may be the first time that I sat and watched it beginning to end.
The Gladiator tells the story of the Roman empire in 180 AD. Maximus Decimus Meridius (Crowe) is a Roman soldier, who leads his army to victory over a battling tribe (and to the promise of peace). He is then asked by Caesar Marcus Aurelius (Harris) to take over as the emperor of Rome, in the hopes that he'll keep the people together until the Senate can once again take control and return it to its original roots as a Republic. However, Commodus (Phoenix), Aurelius's son, is angered by this, hoping to be emperor himself, and he kills his father out of rage, thus not permitting him to name Maximus as his successor. As a result, Maximus is forced to flee, and eventually finds his way back to Rome as a gladiator.
This is a story about power, honor, corruption, and ultimately: revenge. At heart, it is truly an action film, but it is elevated to the next level by the amazing talents of Ridley Scott, the superb acting found throughout, and its visual effects and asthetic qualities. I am still a little surprised that this very main-stream film (which only received about 75% positive reviews from critics according to Rotten Tomatoes) was able to win Best Picture. Sure, it is a very entertaining film, with many strengths to put it above the ordinary; however, it is still, at heart, an action film, and one that can come off as rather cliche and corny at its roots.
I said it about A Beautiful Mind in my last post, and I think it applies to this film as well: it greatly benefited from a very weak year in film. Just look at the other best picture nominees: a foreign film (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), a Julia Roberts film (Erin Brockovich), and a Johnny Depp "romantic comedy," if it can even be called that (Chocolat). Therefore, it really came down to the two best-of-the-worst films that year in Gladiator and Traffic. Personally, I would have chosen Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, an incredibly deep, moving drama about the drug war that is amazingly well written and directed, but that's just me!
Actually, now that I am looking at the 73rd Oscars, I'm reminded of just how weak the year truly was. I mean, Julia Roberts won an Oscar for Best Lead Actress!!! But, seriously, all of the awards were basically pre-determined, which, looking back, seems kind of surprising, considering that there wasn't any real stand-out work or performances. My favorite performance of the year came from Marcia Gay Harden in Pollock-- and her Best Supporting Actress win could be considered an upset, based on pre-cursor awards!
Anyway, my dip into the films of 2000 is done. Onto American Beauty and the 1990s!
Rankings:
1. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
2. Chicago (2002)
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
4. The Departed (2006)
5. No Country for Old Men (2007)
6. The Hurt Locker (2009)
7. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
8. The Gladiator (2000)
9. Crash (2005)
10. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
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