Video from Like Stories of Old
Stoicism in Gladiator
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Gladiator is a 2000 epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott, written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson. It stars Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed (in his final role), Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel, and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, is betrayed when Commodus, the ambitious son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, murders his father and seizes the throne. Reduced to slavery, Maximus becomes a gladiator and rises through the ranks of the arena to avenge the murders of his family and his emperor.
Taken from Daniel P. Mannix's 1958 book Those About to Die (formerly titled The Way of the Gladiator).
Gladiator — The Birth of the Modern Epic
Video from A Matter of Film
"A Matter of film discusses the themes, characters and influence of Ridley Scott's Gladiator in this analysis/review/essay. There was a time when Hollywood made movies as big as the Roman Empire: Monumental in scope, the types of films that would swallow an entire afternoon. The era of the Hollywood period epic was indeed out of style for about 40 years. This was the time that came before the birth of the modern blockbuster, and the imminent age of Spielberg, the blazing skyscrapers and sunken ships that ruled movie theaters from the 70’s to the early 2000’s. The “sword and sandal” genre disappeared to favour the sci-fi and visual effects revolution of modern cinema." from video introduction