Gladiator is the story of a Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius who finds himself embroiled in aftermath of a betrayal of an ambitious emperor’s son. Through a series of events he finds his family killed, himself caught in slavery and then finally him raising through the ranks of the gladiators. The film is the winner of five Academy Awards including Best Actor and Best Picture. It won a Golden Globe award for Best Musical Score.

Mind Stars – Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed

What we like

• We all love the underdog story of those who have been held back and come back fighting, overcoming overwhelming obstacles being the bearers of truth and justice. Russell Crowe brings the character Maximus to life and even certain explosive lines are a result of his input into the script. An example of this is the line “At my signal, unleash hell”
• The movie visually explodes and once you understand the work behind the scenes it becomes even more amazing. One example of this was the building of one third of the Colosseum in Malta at the cost of an estimated $1 million. The reverse side had an assortment of Ancient Roman furniture, buildings, facades and marketplaces for the filming. The rest of the Colosseum was computer generated. Another example is the computer generation of Oliver Reed whom suffers a heart attack during filming. The Mill created a digital body double for the remaining scenes where Reed appears

Mind experience

• We attended a performance of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra playing the score of Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard while the movie was played in high definition live on the giant screen in the Sydney Opera House. It was an amazing experience to hear that dramatic and powerful score live. This performance successfully marries modern day experience with that of classical music and attracted a variety of people into the audience

To think about

• Maximus: Three weeks from now, I will be harvesting my crops. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so.
  
• Maximus: Brothers, what we do in life… echoes in eternity.

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