Film Facts:

Cast:

Maximus - Russell Crowe
Commodus - Joaquin Phoenix
Lucilla - Connie Nielsen
Proximo - Oliver Reed
Marcus Aurelius - Richard Harris
Gracchus - Derek Jacobi
Juba - Djimon Hounsou
Falco - David Schofield
Gaius - John Shrapnel
Quintus - Toma Arana
Hagen - Ralf Moeller
Lucius - Spencer Treat Howard
Cassius - David Hemmings
Cicero - Tommy Flanagan
Tiger - Sven-Ole Thorsen

Directed by Ridley Scott
Screenplay - David Franzoni & John Logan & William Nicholson
Story by David Franzoni
Produced by Douglas Wick, David Franzoni, Branko Lustig
Executive Producers Walter E. Parkes, Laurie F. MacDonald
Dir. of Photography - John Mathieson
Production Designer - Arthur Max
Editor - Pietro Scalia
Costume Designer - Janty Yates
Visual Effects Supervisor - John Nelson
Music By Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard

Shooting Schedule - Feb. 1, 1999 - late May, 1999

Locations - Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate, Morocco; Bourne Woods, Farnham, Surrey, England, UK; Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA; Malta and Tuscany, Italy.

Awards:

ASCAP Award Top Box Office Films, 2001
Hans Zimmer
Lisa Gerrard

Academy Awards, 2001
Best Actor in a Leading Role Russell Crowe
Best Costume Design Janty Yates
Best Effects, Visual Effects John Nelson
Neil Corbould
Tim Burke
Rob Harvey
Best Picture Douglas Wick
David Franzoni
Branko Lustig
Best Sound Scott Millan
Bob Beemer
Ken Weston

American Cinema Editors, USA, 2001
Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic Pietro Scalia

Art Directors Guild
Excellence in Production Design Award Feature Film - Period or Fantasy Films, 2001
Arthur Max (production designer)
John King (supervising art director)
David Allday (supervising art director)
Benjamín Fernández (supervising art director)
Clifford Robson (art director)
Peter Russell (art director)
Keith Pain (art director)
Adam O'Neill (art director)
Jose Luis Del Barco (assistant art director)
Carlos Bodelón (assistant art director)

BAFTA Awards, 2001
Audience Award
Best Cinematography John Mathieson
Best Editing Pietro Scalia
Best Film Douglas Wick
David Franzoni
Branko Lustig
Best Production Design Arthur Max

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, 2001
Favorite Actor - Action Russell Crowe
Favorite Villain (Internet Only) Joaquin Phoenix

Cinema Audio Society, USA, 2001
C.A.S. Award Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Feature Film
Scott Millan (re-recording mixer)
Bob Beemer (re-recording mixer)
Ken Weston (production mixer)

Dallas-Forth Worth Film Critics Association Awards, 2001
Award Best Actor Russell Crowe

Empire Awards, UK, 2001
Best Actor Russell Crowe
Best Actress Connie Nielsen
Best Film

Golden Globes, USA, 2001
Golden Globe Best Motion Picture - Drama
Best Original Score - Motion Picture Hans Zimmer
Lisa Gerrard

Golden Satellite Awards , 2001
Best Cinematography John Mathieson
Best Original Score Hans Zimmer
Lisa Gerrard
Best Visual Effects John Nelson

Golden Screen, Germany, 2000
Golden Screen

Golden Trailer Awards, 2001
Best Drama - For the teaser.

Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards, 2000
Best Costume Design Janty Yates
Best DVD
Best Editing Pietro Scalia
Best Score Hans Zimmer
Lisa Gerrard
Best Visual Effects unknown

London Critics Circle Film Awards, 2001
Actor of the Year Russell Crowe
(Also for The Insider, 1999)
MTV Movie Awards, 2001
Movie Award Best Movie

Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA, 2001
Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects & Foley: Domestic Feature Film
Per Hallberg (supervising sound editor)
Craig S. Jaeger (supervising foley editor)
Christopher Assells (sound editor)
Dino Dimuro (sound editor)
Jon Title (sound editor)
Randy Kelley (sound editor)
Dan Hegeman (sound editor)
Richard Dwan Jr. (sound editor)
Lou Kleinman (sound editor)
Scott Martin Gershin (sound editor)
Mark P. Stoeckinger (sound editor)

National Board of Review, USA, 2000
Best Production Design/Art Direction Arthur Max (production desginer)
Peter Russell (art director)
Keith Pain (art director)
Crispian Sallis (set decorator)
Sonja Klaus (set decorator)
Jille Azis (set decorator)
Elli Griff (set decorator)

Best Supporting Actor Joaquin Phoenix
(Also for Quills and The Yards)

PGA Golden Laurel Awards, 2001
Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award Douglas Wick
Branko Lustig

San Diego Film Critics Society Awards, 2000
SDFCS Award Best Actor Russell Crowe
Best Cinematography John Mathieson

World Stunt Awards, 2001
Taurus Award Best Fight Stuart Clark
Sven-Ole Thorsen
Best Work with an Animal Randy Miller
Sven-Ole Thorsen
Stuart Clark

Russell's Weight: 190

Plot Summary:

Germany/Zuccabar/Rome; 180 A.D. Following his triumphant conquest of the Germanic hordes, Roman General Maximus is asked by Emperor Marcus Aurelius to take over his mantle of power. But before Aurelius can officially declare Maximus his successor, the emperor's son Commodus murders him and orders the death of the general and his wife and son. Barely escaping his own execution, Maximus swears revenge on Commodus but is sold into slavery and becomes a gladiator… Not since Ridley Scott himself brought a whole new dimension to sci-fi horror with Alien has a genre been redefined so magnificently. With the aid of digital technology and extraordinary imagination, Gladiator is a breathtaking head-spinning, adrenaline-pumping sword and sandal epic that is a dream come true for bloodthirsty, teenage film buffs. With its lavish sets, ingenious weaponry, heart arresting stunts, rousing score, the inspired casting of Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus and even the clutter of everyday Roman life (nobody does incidental clutter better than Scott), this is a film that astonishes and enthralls. And they'll be talking about that aerial shot of Rome for years to come. --James Cameron-Wilson, Film-Review

Trivia:

Russell Crowe began shooting for Gladiator a few months after The Insider (1999) wrapped. He had gained upwards of 40 pounds for his Oscar-nominated role in The Insider and yet lost it all before Gladiator began. He claims he did nothing special other than normal work on his farm in Australia.

Lou Ferrigno was original cast as Tigris of Gaul, but was replaced during production by Sven-Ole Thorsen who had been lobbying hard for the part.

Oliver Reed suffered a fatal heart attack during filming. Some of his sequences had to be re-edited and a double, photographed in the shadows and with a 3D CGI mask of Reed's face, was used as a stand-in. The film is dedicated to his memory.

Connie Nielsen found the 2000-year-old signet ring which she wears in the movie, in an antique store.

The wounds on Russell's face after the opening battle scene are real, caused when his horse startled and backed him into tree branches. The stitches in his cheek are clearly visible when he is telling Commodus he intends to return home.

Maximus' description of his home (specifically how the kitchen is arranged and smells in the morning and at night) was ad-libbed - it's a description of Russell's own home at Nana Glen.

Over the course of the filming, Russell broke bones in his foot and his hip, and injured both bicep tendons.

Maximus' Spanish heritage meshes interestingly with his choice of arms - as a General riding with the cavalry of the Felix Legion, (in the opening battle) he wields a sword known as a "Spatha", popular among the continental tribes especially in Spain and southern Gaul. As a Gladiator, he uses a sword similar to the spatha in appearance but shorter and broader. This weapon is known as the "Gladius Hispaniensis", and was adopted by the Roman infantry after Julius Caesar's invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. Roman infantry wore the gladius on the right side - this, facilitated by the short blade length, allowed the legionary to draw his weapon on the same side as his sword arm; cross-drawing would be hindered by the scutum (the large rectangular shield) while in formation.

We still don't know how far it is from Ostia to Trujillo and how long it took Max to get there.

Favorite Scenes:

Before the fight in Zuccabar Proximo gives his pep talk. "Ultimately, we're all dead men, sadly, we cannot choose how, BUT we can decide how we meet that end in order that we are remembered as men." Maximus listens intently. Proximo's words are reminiscent of Marcus' words following the battle in Germania. "When a man sees his end he wants to know that there has been a purpose to his life. How will the world speak my name..?" Maximus reaches down, picks up a handful of dirt and lets it fall from one hand to the other and then rubs the dirt into his hands. He has decided to fight. He will not give up the honor of dying like a man. It is only after the fight that he realizes "if he's good enough", as Russell's states in "The Making of Gladiator", he can meet Commodus in the arena and exact his revenge.

Favorite Lines:

"A hero will rise."
"At my signal, unleash hell."
"What we do in life… echoes in eternity."
"Strength and honor."
"I will win the crowd. I will give them something they've never seen before."

Comments by Russell:

(in response to question regarding injuries on the set of Gladiator): Yep, yep. Lot of blood, lot of blood, lot of grazes, you know, I mean, I've still got, a lot of little scar here and one under here on this elbow, a discoloration of the skin that is directly to Gladiator. But there's a lot of internal stuff, as well, that comes up the older I get, you know. I've had Achilles tendons go out, knees go out, both shoulders, this shoulder's actually had an operation on it. Um, you know, I've got a lower back thing that just won't go away, and that's from a couple, sort of, fall impacts during fight sequences or whatever. I've got a rib up here that pops out every now and then which is not very comfortable. Um, I've got two, two really bad hips. You know, I've got some kind of bone that's wonky in my foot, too, cause every now and then, if I, if, if I do the wrong thing it'll give me grief for a couple of weeks. You know, I'm sure there's better ways of getting the job done, but they haven't become apparent to me, so. (Inside the Actors Studio)

Crowe said the written "Meditations" of emperor Marcus Aurelius… served as "a touchstone for who Max was." … "When I discovered the book it was like one of those 'Eureka!' moments." -- --Candace Hughes, AP. May 9, 2000.

"We have a massive fight sequence at the beginning of the film which leads to a series of massive fight sequences so we can end on a fight sequence that is what I would consider to be massive."—The Making of Gladiator.

"Well, Max goes on a very strange journey. From being a General who's in control of 10,000 troops in the immediate and 20 or 30,000 in the broader scale, is now shackled being sold off as a slave in a market in Morocco… A slightly different change in lifestyle folks."—The Making of Gladiator.

CROWE: Uh-huh. I went to Ridley, 'cause I was [snort!] I was looking for something, you know, instead of just saying, "goodbye". [giggle] Something that felt gladiatorial… military… you know, something that sort of, and felt part of the time. And so I uh, I uh, I remembered that, that um, school motto and I converted it, and I said it to him in Latin. And um… he sort of raised an eyebrow, and he took his cigar out of his mouth and goes, "what's that mean, then?" I said, uh, I said, "Strength and Honor," and he goes, "Say THAT." [Russell mimicked Ridley's movements while describing this scene. The cigar, raising the eyebrow, inhaling the cigar smoke, blowing it out, Ridley pointing at him and telling him to, "say that."] - Inside the Actors Studio

"Ridley has an amazing visual imagination anyway, but he was able to explain to me the visual process as we were going along. But still, nothing prepared me for the visual grandeur of the film when I first saw it. It was just an amazing experience. I kept looking back at Ridley through the screening—hooting and hollering like a 14-year old. Because I was there on the battlefields, I was there in Rome, I was there in Melbourne, and what I was seeing (on the screen) was slightly different."—Russell speaking at the DVD Release Celebration, November 30, 2000.

Russell Crowe, Academy Award for Best Actor, 2000:

"My grandfather's name was Stan Wemyss. He was a cinematographer in the Second World War. My uncle David, David William Crowe, he died last year at the age of 66. I'd like to thank the Academy for something which is pretty surprising and dedicate it to two men who still continue to inspire me. I'd also like to thank my Mum and Dad, who I just don't thank enough I suppose. And an incredible cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, Ralf Moeller, Spencer Treat Clark, the magnificent Richard Harris, the late Oliver Reed, Tomas Arana, Tommy Flanagan, Derek Jacobi and everybody else. DreamWorks—a great company and a vital and adrenalized contributor to the art form. To Doug Wick, David Franzoni, Bruno Lustig and Terry Needham and a very brave crew collected from 22 different countries around the world. To the people that work for me, who work with me, my personal cavalry—George Freeman, alan Hergott, Larry Witzer, Shirley Pearce, Robin Baum, Mark Dumbrell.

But really folks, you know, I owe this to one bloke and his name is Ridley Scott. You know, when you grow up in the suburbs of Sydney or Auckland, or Newcastle like Ridley or Jamie Bell… or the suburbs of anywhere, you know a dream like this seems kind of vaguely ludicrous and completely unobtainable. But this moment is directly connected to those childhood imaginings. And for anybody who's on the downside of advantage and relying purely on courage… it's possible. Thanks very much.

Comments about Russell:

"You know how they say an actor is the custodian of his role? Russell, well Russell is the bodyguard of his character. And he's on duty 24 hours a day!" … "He would kill for his character and Ridley would kill for the movie. So you have two very willful people who are sometimes in agreement." ("He's worth it."—Ridley Scott) – Douglas Wick, Producer.
--Candace Hughes, AP. May 9, 2000.

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The following from: "The Making of Gladiator" featurette.

"The soul of the movie was always going to be Maximus. Maximus as a Roman general at the heights of power who is thrown from power and how to cast Maximus was very challenging because you had to completely believe his ferocity of a warrior but you also had to believe he was a man of great principle, of great character." Douglas Wick.

"I just thought Russell was fresh, new generation…" Ridley Scott.

"I don't mix with people in my business and their probably delighted that I don't. I'm not comfortable with them. With this guy… I love him because he's grounded, he doesn't carry that Hollywood star crap with him. 'As I am kind of Russell Crowe. Did you not see L.A. Confidential? Wasn't I brilliant in it?'" Richard Harris.

"I would say he is definitely on fire." Connie Nielsen.

"…Russ I'm so nervous. He just took me aside and he gave me words of support." Joaquin Phoenix.

"Anyway, that's enough about me, let's talk about me." Russell Crowe.

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"When I met Russell, I didn't really know who he was, and I got such a shock," says Gerrard, who still imagined Crowe as Jeffrey Wigand, The Insider's troubled, tobacco-industry whistleblower. "He was so different – younger, thinner, but a completely different person. It confused me. I didn't really want to know him. I think it's very dangerous to come in contact with the actor when you're used to seeing his face as a character. I tried to get away from that.
"I almost grieved for the memory of Jeffrey Wigand as I'd come to know him." The experience, while testament to Crowe's acting abilities, was the first of Gerrard's many difficulties when Ridley Scott asked her to write music for Gladiator. "I didn't want to do Gladiator at first, because I'd done something getting very close to Russell Crowe as the Jeffrey Wigand character. But his understanding of the spiritual, the soul journey of the character, was overwhelming – and they'd decided to give those highly emotion scenes to me. To make that work is the trick. You don't realize how remarkable someone is as an actor until you try to put music up against them. Russell Crowe is exactly what he is – clear and sharp – so Maximus had a definite shape. When you write music for pictures, you can reflect different angles of that shape – you can't turn it into something it isn't – but, with Russell, his work is incredibly powerful, even without music, so I felt that I had to do it." –Lisa Gerrard, exerpt from What's the Score?, Sydney Morning Herald. March 10, 2001.

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The Mirror
MY GRAND GRANDSON
26 March 2001 (excerpt)
Russell Crowe's proud gran told last night how she shouted at the screen when she thought his Gladiator character was about to die. Speaking of her pride at her grandson's Oscar triumph, Joy Wemyss said she couldn't handle seeing him hurt, even if it was only make-believe. Joy was watching the movie at a private showing for family and friends in her home town of Auckland, New Zealand, when hero Maximus was facing death in a fight.
"It was a wonderful movie but I couldn't take it when I thought he was going to be killed. I stood up and shouted, 'No, no, leave him alone, don't hurt him'. "People were laughing and I heard Russell say, 'Joy, sit down'."

Joy also told of the pride her war hero husband Stan would have felt if he had been alive to see 36-year-old Russell pick up his Best Actor Oscar on Sunday wearing his grandad's MBE. She was convinced she could feel his presence as she sat and watched the awards ceremony on TV. "I've never been a believer in ghosts but when I saw the medal on Russell's chest I knew Stan was with me here. I felt his presence so strongly in the room with me. Stan would have sat here crying, as I was, with pride. He thought the world of Russell and he was really soft hearted."

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"… Russell Crowe, you filled a whole arena with the force of your face and put the human back in the hero." Excerpt from Academy Award, Best Picture acceptance speech by Douglas Wick.

Reviews:

An intensely masculine actor with the ability to be as thoroughly convincing in a tailored suit (The Insider) as in a suit of armor here, Crowe has a patent on heroic plausibility. Whether it's a commanding general Maximus, adored by the armed multitudes, or a friendless man fighting for his life in a "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" plot, Crowe brings essential physical and psychological reality to the role. Even Spartacus himself might want to echo Billy Crystal's Oscar night wail of "I am not Spartacus" after seeing what Crowe is up to here. --Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times. May 5, 2000.

"Crowe is simply splendid, every inch the warrior with his image of a tranquil domestic life an emblazoned but irretrievable memory." – Toddy McCarthy, Variety.

Web Related Links:

Gladiator - History