FIRST TIME WATCHING **GLADIATOR** (One of the BEST movies I've EVER seen)

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Hey guys!!
This time we threw it back to Gladiator from 9th grade history class! LOL for some reason everyone I know who had gone to high school in the US has seen parts of if not the entirety of Gladiator in class and I remember just seeing a fighting scene so this isn't really a rewatch!! I liked Gladiator a lot, it was a tear jerker, it was written wonderfully and I LOVED the twisting and turning plot. I hope you guys feel the same!! Thank you so much and Episode 8 comin RIGHT UP ❤❤
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Original Movie: Gladiator

[@tsogobauggi8721]

"What we do in life, echoes in eternity."

[@B355Y]

"At my signal, unleash hell" This movie is quite quotable

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

​@@B355Y Including that butchered german attempt that the english actor playing the enemy general makes. He says, quite famously in german "You are cursed dogs!" (Ihr seid verfluchte Hunde). But because obviously no one made sure that his phonetical reading of his lines were correct he uses the incorrect english pronouciation rules and out comes: "Ihr sied verfluchte Hunde." Screamed at the top of his lungs it couldn't be more obvious to anyone who speaks german, that this guy isn't one. ;)

[@shanedonohue821]

@@Quotenwagnerianer I mean, Maximus isn't speaking Latin either lol. That was the standard language for Roman soldiers around that time. Can you imagine how badly that would have been butchered?

[@orangewarm1]

Does it?

[@acdragonrider]

ROMA VICTA!

[@RegularGamer392]

The "am I not merciful?" Scream was unplanned so her reaction to it was genuine.

[@robertlayne1815]

Never knew that. That’s awesome!!

[@mc_rysiek5277]

Wait, really?

[@Supes97]

@@mc_rysiek5277 Yeah, method acting... Just like when Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) kicked the Orc's helmet in LOTR and started yelling (they also said he broke his toe doing that 😆) only goat tier actors like these can improvise mad dope off-script stunts like that and make them amazing additions to the movie.

[@smoothALOE]

I love shit like that. It reminds me of when Daniel Day-Lewis screamed “Drainage!” at Paul Dano in There Will be Blood and you can see him flinch like it was totally unexpected.

[@vanillasnowx]

@@Supes97 also in the fight with boromirs killer. he actually did block the dagger throw with his sword

[@dontworry5696]

Headless guy on horse gallops by: That poor horse! Headless guy: Am I a joke to you?!?

[@redmoonbloodmoon3161]

if you love horses... don't watch... Berserk... Guts love chopping poor horses in half, it's not just people and monsters he chops in half, he chops anything in half that's in his way, be it a human, a horse (the human is on the horse, who also gets chopped in half, along with the horse), or monster, or whatever, laughs :D

[@bradleyd6000]

Sadly for far too many people, yes.

[@theawesomeman9821]

"Are you not entertained?"

[@K-wars]

When I heard that my immediate thought was the headless horseman

[@scythianking7315]

Its the exact same in EVERY movie with EVERY Female reactor. They have ZERO empathy for men, absolutely ZERO.

[@jackrussell1232]

Also the real Marcus Aurelius was a fascinating person. His book "Meditations" was never intended to be published. It was basically his notes to self about how to be a just and virtuous emperor. Morality was extremely important to him and he made a point of incorporating moral philosophy into every aspect of his life. He believed that there is no difference in morality or wisdom between an emperor and a slave and he lived accordingly. He is one of the only exceptions to the maxim that absolute power corrupts absolutely who has ever lived. It's sad that his son was such a brat.

[@samuelculper7125]

Near the end of his reign he was co-emperors with his son Commodus. Commodus may not have been a good emperor but he wasn't as craven as this depiction of him.

[@michaelwoods3651]

I have a copy. That’s how he should be remembered, as the philosopher.

[@jackrussell1232]

@@samuelculper7125 Yeah his actual death was a lot less dignified too.

[@charlesmills8712]

There was also Cincinnatus. I've heard he was an inspiration to George Washington.

[@charlesmills8712]

@Gerald H Thanks! I knew he was earlier, but I didn't know it was 600 years earlier!

[@jmsmys13ify]

"Who is he?" Richard Harris. Great actor. Known mostly these days for his late role as Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potters. But was also great in Unforgiven, Camelot, To Walk With Lions, and even cheesy B-Movies like Orca.

[@thereturningshadow]

And The Wild Geese and A Man Called Horse

[@derianjones1730]

Orca!! Damn I'd forgotten all about that movie. Superb actor. He was great in a small role in "Patriot Games", as the IRA sympathizer.

[@danhelphrey6260]

And, going back even further, as King Arthur in the musical "Camelot".

[@VKunia]

oh! Dumbledore! I vaguely remember what he looks like but I will remember once I start watching the Harry Potters :)

[@Mortismors]

He's also in The Count of Monte Cristo

[@cloudcity77]

When Lucilla says, "Go to them," as Maximus is dying.... WOW, all these years later, STILL gets me. If I had to describe what the "perfect movie" looks like, this would be an EXAMPLE. Shawshank and Few Good Men would be other examples.

[@popularopinion1]

That line always had impact, but now that I have a wife and daughter, that part hits me MUCH harder.

[@chrisfreeman4687]

I feel like the line "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH" and the meme it created, even back when it came out really took away from the recognition A Few Good Men deserves.

[@cloudcity77]

@@chrisfreeman4687 You are probably right. haha Funny meme though at the time, but yeah... took the seriousness and brilliance right out of it. It also depends on what qualifies as the "perfect movie." Most probably have different standards. I am old school... good story, script, character development, and INVESTMENT in the characters. Thank you for the reply.

[@dirkbsilver9260]

It, Dances With Wolves, and Braveheart sit beside each other in my DVD collection as amazing rollercoaster rides of movies.

[@SC457A]

I loved the scene he reveals his identity. The way he delivers the line was soooo good. My name is Inigo Montoya... oh wait wrong movie...

[@ronb8500]

And there is no six fingered man here either. Good one though.

[@chadfalardeau5396]

Same level of emotional impact

[@seekfirst817]

lol

[@neurosp]

And you kill my father

[@theaterofsouls]

hahahaha

[@xadrach]

"What we do in life echoes in eternity" This quote gets truer and truer the older I get

[@hadoken95]

hah not the way he meant it but I totally feel that too

[@staggeredpotato6941]

i just left the bathroom...and i can confirm echoes still persist.

[@tekkris]

Favorite part was "Its okay, the cats just acting. See its such a beautiful cat just acting. Such a good actor. Why did you not get an Oscar beautiful cat?"

[@nickthepeasant]

"Shadows and dust" - great last words for Oliver Reed's last screen appearance. That Ridley Scott sure knows how to direct a tear-jerker semi-historic epic, just needs the right material.

[@eatsmylifeYT]

Kinda like "tears in rain".

[@TheRiehlThing42]

HIs last line, "shadows and dust," just before he is killed, was actually an outtake from when he said it earlier in the movie. He had said the line, and said it again subdued, almost under his breath. Ridley Scott took that footage, touched it up digitally to match the location for his death. I also remember the first time watching Gladiator, wondering why the hell he scared me, and made me uneasy. I couldn't figure it out for a long time. Then I was watching Oliver Twist again, and I remembered that he terrified me when I was a kid when I watched Oliver Twist.

[@TylerFromKansas]

"Sometimes the frost makes the blade stick." This is my favorite historical line in cinema. Praetorian guards (The soldiers guarding the emperor, like the secret servic, were elite soldiers, but with limited field and combat experience). That word of advice he gives the soldier before killing him is advice even the lowest soldier in the ranks in that campaign wouldn't need. They would know.....the frost on the blade would make it stick to the sheath, so best to at least prep it for utilization beforehand (like drawing it before intended use). He is challenging the soldier with a direct call to his lack of skill and expertise in true combat.............

[@grunt9950]

Exactly. One of my favorite moment of this moment, very underrated.

[@vodrake]

Gladiators typically didn't fight to the death. They did sometimes but it was mostly a show for the crowd.

[@corruptangel6793]

They did in the early days, but in later years it changed and death became a rarity.

[@Eryomis]

Often it was to First Blood. The first one to draw blood from the opponent would win.

[@gluuuuue]

Gladiators invented kayfabe.

[@josephsmith590]

The other thing is that really only prisoners sentenced to death dies, but most gladiators weren't actually slaves as they were essentially the movie stars of their time.

[@mrs7195]

Gladiators were usually on the plumpy side so to speak - because they had so much fat, the possible cut wounds were not so dangerous, but still bled a lot to give the audience what they wanted. The gladiators also cared for the families of their deceased comrades and provided for their funerals and related costs.

[@zacharyjamesdixon]

“To my son - I tell him I will see him again soon. To keep his heels down while riding his horse. To my wife... that is not your business.” Love this movie.

[@jaydog101st]

"The fact that this is entertainment for people, is mind boggling. I guess this was just a different time" and a little later "It's going to be so nice to blood on those white robes" and "it must be super exciting to see the Emperor in a sword fight, I know i would want to see that". I imagine these gladiator events were like the super bowl.

[@corruptangel6793]

Think MMA but on the scale of the superbowl. Crowds still love watching people beat each other bloody to this day.

[@harryzimmerman7991]

Same amount of people watching though, i believe the Coliseum held at least 50,000, probably more, they really packed 'em in for these Gladiator fights, even had concessions

[@styot]

I think it was much rarer for them to fight to the death than is depicted in the movie. It was more like a boxing match or MMA match.

[@LinksPB]

@@styot There were many more gruesome injuries than even in the bloodiest of modern sports, but yes, fights to the deaths were rare

[@DaDunge]

​@@styot Yeah less than 1/10 bouts ended in the death of any of the participants.

[@whereami2477]

The music at the end is goddamn beautiful omg

[@shugaroony]

And Lisa Gerrard's haunting voice.

[@nitelite78]

It's amazing the music for the last 15 mimutes. Surprised she didn't even mention it.

[@alexman378]

What I love about the Colosseum Carthage recreation, is that you can see how Maximus ended up in his position in the military, without an origin story. None of those people are soldiers (except for one), and they’d all be killed, but because he’s able to keep it together and guide them efficiently, they end up forming a warband and win. Gives more weight to the adage, “I don’t fear an army of lions led by a sheep, but an army of sheep led by one lion”.

[@coadacatalin4510]

Joaquin improvised the AM I NOT MERCIFUL, and she went with it. Top class acting.

[@blindlobster]

There was a lot of improvising when "Gladiator" was made. From Crowe's "At my word, unleash Hell," Harris's "your faults as a son are my failures as a father," the later scenes of Proximo and the final scene of the movie. (Oliver Reed died in the middle of the film). In all honesty, Gladiator was shambles to make but resulted with a brilliant movie (the non-extended version anyway,). A bit like "Team America: World Police," although I doubt that any-one would pair the two films.

[@aeacus5083]

You should try and check out 'Rome' from HBO, even if it's not for a reaction. One of the main things it gets right that so many movies gets wrong about ancient Rome was that it wasn't the pure white marble ruins of today but was full of brightly colored painted buildings. It sounds like it wouldn't make that much of a difference but it really does.

[@DragonIsNotASlave]

You beat me to it. I just commented on this. Love HBO’s “Rome”!!!

[@TheHulk2008]

Spartacus is pretty awesome to.

[@CloneByDesign]

Rome was great. Fairly historically accurate, great script, complex characters, etc. Too bad it was cancelled well before it’s time.

[@Iceose]

Fair warning before watching 'Rome' even though it is very good. It has a lot of adult material in it, since that's just how things were in ancient Rome.

[@saberstrike000]

I had it recommended to me by my college Latin professor. His words "It is historically authentic, culturally accurate and it has all that sex, violence and swearing you young people love so much."

[@OldboySamurai]

"Am I Not Merciful!?!?" - That is when Joaquin Phoenix' Commodus becomes one of the terrifying screen villains.

[@micromachinist3419]

The actor that played the Emperor was Richard Harris, one of the most amazing actors of his time. I think he even played the original Dumbledore in the first Harry Potter movie.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

@Mason You are most definately correct. That was his last performance before he died.

[@shugaroony]

He's sensational in the Molly McGuires with Sean Connery, and in Cromwell alongside Alec Guinness.

[@burrichgrrl57]

His son, Jared Harris, is a fantastic actor also.

[@danielbautista9062]

When Commodus yelled “AM I NOT MERCIFUL?!” That part was improvised and the actresses reaction was genuine.

[@docsavage8640]

Slavery has been the norm, not the exception, for more than 99% of history, and still is in many parts of the world.

[@ottowillekuusinen216]

There wasn't much slavery in mobile hunter gatherer societies which made up most of humanitys history. At least like in the later forms of slavery.

[@ElvenPrince]

@@ottowillekuusinen216 dont really have a use for slaves when you're just gunne be packing up and moving in a few weeks

[@imperius88]

@@ottowillekuusinen216 how could you possibly know that

[@michaelw8262]

​@@ElvenPrince So you're not the one packing and carrying things.

[@wiseguy01]

@Gerald H you forgot the American Prison Industrial Complex and the regular use on forced prison labor.

[@Glockler]

The actor playing Proximo (Oliver Reed) died during production, if you rewatch the movie with that in mind you can tell that some scenes were altered to use the remaining footage they had of him, that probably explains this scene. Also, look when they actually stab Proximo, they filmed it so you just see his outline, concealing their use of a stand-in.

[@tarnim80]

and I belive that Proximo was originally supposed to fight back and survive the movie but when the actor died they rewrote it since they hadn't filmed all the necessary scenes.

[@Glockler]

@@tarnim80 I would have loved to see him go out like a boss, he was a Gladiator after all.

[@harish123az]

@@tarnim80 Yep and he was the one who was supposed to have that last scene

[@TheRiehlThing42]

He was a notorious drinker, and had promised Ridley Scott he wouldn't drink during the filming. They were near the end of filming, and a British Navy ship came to the port city they were in. He drank a large amount of alcohol, and died of a heart attack.

[@kingscorpion7346]

"How is Joaquin so good in this?" that's the mark of a great actor.

[@deathsticks1776]

Fun fact, Italy is currently renovating the Coliseum in Rome, they’re gonna have a rotating platform on the floor in the center and open it up to the public when it’s finished so you can see the Coliseum from the center, which wasn’t possible on tours before. Great video as always!

[@burrichgrrl57]

The holding areas underneath the coliseum floor where the gladiators and animals would be kept before entering the arena are being opened to the public for the first time also. So cool.

[@danh8804]

It's such a beautiful finale - Commodus sets everything up in his favor but doesn't account for one detail: that he is *no match* for Maximus whatsoever. Maximus not only kills him but kills him pretty handily while bleeding to death. Phoenix's best moment is when he's disarmed and *realizes* how far in over his head he is

[@burrichgrrl57]

Deluded. He didn't have a chance once Maximus got a hold of him.

[@DaDunge]

Sort of sad the real Commodus was an extremely skilled Gladiator and claims to have fought and won 12000 times in the arena. While that is very likely an exxageration it is well supported he fought in the arena, a lot. He was eventually strangled by his personal trained at the orders of the senate.

[@simulacrae]

The music is really similar to pirates because Hans Zimmer reused a lot of the core themes from Gladiator in potc.

[@nathanhall9345]

Pirates retroactively made this movie worse for me. I love this movie. I love Pirates. But now whenever I hear the music in Gladiator, I'm not thinking about Gladiator.

[@chrishibbert3225]

I love the Gladiator score. My favorite of Hans Zimmer's. Yes, similarities to POTC, but with the haunting, goosebump-inducing vocals of Lisa Gerrard it has the edge for me.

[@DerekHamby]

Actually, Klaus Badelt did the original music for POTC: The Curse of the Black Pearl which he also had a hand in the music for Gladiator.

[@simulacrae]

@@DerekHamby Yeah, I know, I was going to edit my comment but I couldn't. But Badelt was at Mediaventures at the time and that company is more or less a Hans Zimmer front :)

[@DerekHamby]

@@simulacrae Of course. This was Zimmer's score for sure.

[@comicbookman44]

‘At my signal, unleash hell’ “I think the barbarians are going to be ready for that” Narrator: they weren’t

[@SandiskCruzer]

I read that last line in Morgan Freeman's voice.

[@stephenfitzgerald9769]

“This sounds a lot like ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’” Hans Zimmern did do the soundtracks for both, so... good musical ear, V!

[@dylprof]

“Pocket sand!” Maximus pulling out the Rusty Shackelford 😊

[@Grimfaxe]

This movie is the reason why I can't watch Joaquin phoenix in other movies without wanting to punch him in the face! He did a brilliant job in this role!

[@chadfalardeau5396]

Watch Joker, it might change your mind

[@Grimfaxe]

@@chadfalardeau5396 saw it, brilliant movie and preformence! Still remember him as the emperor tho, it was the first time I saw him act in (please don't confuse me wanting to punch him, I love him as an actor, he like Jack Gleeson, just did a too good of a job portraying the character 👌)

[@chadfalardeau5396]

@@Grimfaxe I knew what you meant

[@neddhu]

I hated him in maquis de sade i think... he left that girl to die and then raped her body.... 🤦‍♀️

[@mattmason8474]

Similar thing for me with Danny Devito after Batman Returns. He grossed me out for so long. IASIP is the only thing that brought him back for me.

[@danholmesfilm]

“I can’t imagine having that much anger.” Try living under tyranny.

[@rxhawk75]

“Is that his sister or his wife? I don’t understand.” - Vkunia I can’t wait for Vkunia to watch Game of Thrones.

[@JBWinter]

"Is that his sister or his wife?" "Yes"

[@Gauchox77]

Or Dark

[@mrs7195]

@@Gauchox77 oh yes. Family trees in Dark are more like those hair balls that cats cough up occasionally.

[@zahrans]

@@Gauchox77 I fear that will be too much for her LOL

[@xenomorph2056]

22:25 honestly hits hardest for me. As much as she and Rome loved him, her saying "you're home" just shows how much she wished it for him after what Commodus did. Finally, after years of servitude and fielty, his mission is accomplished, and he is TRULY home.

[@darwinsmonkeybutler2113]

My dad's favorite movie. Evey time I see it I remember him. Royal Navy 1942-1945, Imperial College 1960's, tested the Concorde Turbine blades, UWIST 1970's, tested the first Apple Mac computerised lathes, 1924-2010 RIP

[@robertlayne1815]

Phoenix was on a whole other level here. Perfect villain.

[@sammylane21]

After watching this as kid, I so wanted Ridley Scott to write and Direct a GOD OF WAR movie. So that's what I wanted at the time.

[@ericjanssen394]

EVERYBODY did. Brett Ratner spent years claiming he was going to do one. That's one reason why we got the flood of sword-and-sandal pictures in the early 10's (including the Clash of the Titans remake, since the original was out-of-copyright) hoping to beat him to it.

[@bdleo300]

The best opening scene in cinematic history... still remember when I watched for the first time in cinema, 20+ years ago.

[@reedlarson3153]

This movie is based off of a painting of a gladiator standing over another, looking up at the emperor, who had an outstretched hand his thumb in the neutral position.

[@jasonkyler]

Indeed. Pollice Verso by Jean-Léon Gérôme. Fantastic painting.

[@HaganeNoGijutsushi]

After watching it, I think this movie is also heavily based on "The Fall of the Roman Empire", a movie from 1964 that hits a lot of the same plot beats. There's Marcus Aurelius, a faithful general he wishes to pass the throne to, Commodus assassinating him to get it for himself instead, and while the general doesn't become a gladiator, at the very end the movie is resolved the same way: a one-on-one gladiatorial combat between him and Commodus. It's actually a really amazing fight scene. At the end of it, the general could get the throne, but ends up leaving and retiring on his own as he's disgusted by the corruption in Rome, where the senators start fighting over the scraps of power they can get. The movie's title comes from the implication that Commodus' reign marked the beginning of unstoppable decline for the Empire.

[@DaDunge]

Romantic BS. Gladiators generally were not killed.

[@DaDunge]

@@HaganeNoGijutsushi While in reality it was the murder of Commodus which messed up the empire not his reign. Though his fiscal policy wasn't great.

[@jasonkyler]

@@DaDunge ergo the painting from the romantic period.

[@michaelanderson1476]

Oliver Reed was known for doing a lot of fight scenes in his films when he was younger and he was actually supposed to do the fight scene instead of just standing there waiting for them to just stab him when he sadly died. In other words he was supposed to kill all of them and ride off into the sunset at the end of the film!!!!

[@arthurcamargo8416]

I think it is ironic (and funny) that we sit and watch a movie where people kill each other for entertainment and wonder how watching people kill each other could be entertaining! Geat video, although, if you really want us to share the eating experience, let us know ahead of time so we can have snacks ready! I really enjoyed your reactions to this film and the comments at the end too! Thank you!

[@michaelbriefs9764]

This is a Ridley Scott film, the man who directed "Alien" and "Blade Runner". He's also done another great film with Russell Crowe, called "Robin Hood". Ridley Scott has done so many great movies.

[@chasescanlon6488]

“How soon do you think the men will be ready to fight?” “For you. Tomorrow.” I loved that particular line of dialogue as well. Notice how when he tells him he subtly grips tighter on his hand.

[@MrRedd-rp2uk]

In 9th grade history we watched Schindler’s List. I feel like that makes more sense than Gladiator

[@DaDunge]

Yeah, Schindler's list is a fairly historical movie while Gladiator is about as historical as Conan.

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

Totally different subject matter and time. Can't really compare them.

[@derworfnet]

RIP Richard Harris (Marcus Aurelius) RIP Oliver Reed (Proximo). He died before all of his scenes were filmed and the first time I watched this movie, I didn't notice they used Stand-ins and CGI to 'fill the blanks'.

[@jeeshadow1]

If you are in for a 3 hour epic, I recommend Kingdom of Heaven extended cut. Made by the same director and also so good! Extended not theatrical though, the theatrical cut the emotional heart of the movie out.

[@GhostEye31]

The theatrical cut of that movie really is a crime.

[@Sindraug25]

Maybe I'll have to give that a try. I only saw it in the theater, and thought it was just ok.

[@jeeshadow1]

@@Sindraug25 I encourage you to check out the extended cut then! If you thought the theatrical was ok you should enjoy the extended cut

[@adams2956]

Love the movie, but always felt it would've benefitted from a better lead actor - I could never buy bloom in that role

[@jeeshadow1]

@@adams2956 He does a decent enough job but he is really lacking comparing to the extremely stacked cast

[@calanor4130]

_"Is that his sister or his wife?"_ In the good ol' days, the two were not necessarily mutually exclusive 😁

[@YouOnlyIiveTwice]

"Is that his sister or his wife?" *YES*

[@william_santiago]

Don't worry about your eating, I'm having breakfast. "Is that his sister, or his wife?" Yes. _hides history books_

[@chadfalardeau5396]

No, it was one of his other sisters that he attempted to procreate with

[@DaDunge]

Eh.. there are rumors of emperors sleeping with their sisters but Commodus is not one of those emperors as far as I know.

[@lawrencewestby9229]

"So, Joey, do you like movies about Gladiators?" R.O.

[@Gray-soul_81]

"You ever been in a Turkish prison."

[@McPh1741]

“Do you ever, hang around the gymnasium?”

[@ericjanssen394]

"Well, my goodness, Scraps is a BOY dog, isn't he?...So, Joey, did you ever wonder why dogs sniff each other?" (Yes. I will continue to defend Airplane II: the Sequel to the last man.)

[@Timeisaflat_O]

💀💀💀

[@John57945]

The Airplane references, so funny. But you forgot, Joey, have you ever seen a grown man naked?

[@singlechristiancowboy]

The most dangerous man is the one with nothin to lose.

[@PACR66]

This was my grandmother's favourite movie, she would watch it every day, RIP.

[@tracystephens5005]

Definitely one of my favorite movies of all time, glad you got around to watching it! One of the last great period movies imo. Fun fact: I read somewhere, the actor who played Joffrey in Game of Thrones modeled the character and his performance after Joaquin Phoenix in this movie.

[@jainelson8840]

I’ve heard that too. Joffrey did remind me of him pretty instantly.

[@RossIsFine]

The actor playing the Emperor at the beginning died on set during filming. Also the actor playing the owner of the gladiators also died during filming. The actor Richard Harris is the Emperor and his son is also a great actor and hes in the 2nd sherlock Holmes movie as the villain opposite Robert Downey jr.

[@THEvagabond29]

I had a collapsed lung from a horse kicking me off and my rib puncturing through. It was excruciating the 30 min it took to drive to the hospital. It felt like i was exploding inside and i couldnt breath. I felt Maximus's pain during the fight 20:00 as you must WILL YOURSELF through that wall of pain and to feel yourself dying from not breathing... so hard to walk... more so to fight.

[@erinhaury5773]

This! I collapsed a lung and thought it was just broken ribs. I waited two days before going to the hospital, and boy were those two days miserable! I could barely stand and carrying a backpack was painful as all get-out. Maximus' ability to not only fight, but WIN, is incredible.

[@THEvagabond29]

@@erinhaury5773 yes, i think those of us who had a collapsed lung feel that terror, the pain just increases and is so unbearable... and you get light headed to the point you panic an realize your on the edge of death!!! SCARY

[@isaiahwelch8066]

My favorite quote from Gladiator: "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."

[@shainewhite2781]

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED, ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED NOW!?! winner of 5 Oscars including Best Picture.

[@sspdirect02]

Sucks that Ridley Scott didn’t win Best Director.

[@kathyastrom1315]

Derek Jacobi, who played the senator who allied with Maximus, starred in what is widely considered to be one of the best tv miniseries ever, “I, Claudius,” where he played the Roman emperor Claudius. It’s from the mid-‘70s, so it is very old school and done on the cheap, with all studio sets and rather cheesy music. However, the writing and especially the acting is top-notch! It’s filled with actors who are at the beginning of their careers-Jacobi, John Hurt as Caligula, Patrick Stewart (with a hairpiece) as the evil henchman, John Rhys-Davies as another evil henchman, and the terrific BRIAN BLESSED (whose name should always be in all-caps, like the man himself). And then there is Sian Phillips as the amazing Livia, a character so iconic that the creator of The Sopranos named Tony’s mom after her.

[@shugaroony]

The first few episodes of I, Claudius are very ropey, however it does become something else. John Hurt is superb in it as Caligula.

[@McPh1741]

I’d love your opinion of the Charleston Heston movie “Ben-Hur” and how you think it compares to Gladiator. Ben-Hur was made in 1959 and is hailed as one of the most epic movie productions ever. It’s easily one of the best movies ever made in terms of story, acting, production, and direction.

[@pablom-f8762]

I have a soft spot for "El Cid" cuz I'm a Spaniard myself, but "Ben-Hur" it's a must-watch. Those MGM productions...

[@shugaroony]

Yeah Ben-Hur is an absolute masterpiece.

[@brettcoster4781]

The1925 Ben Hur was a better (and shorter) film, so maybe Vicky should give that one a go as well.

[@robertlowe1454]

Sees that a man has had his head cut from his body. "That poor horse!" 😂😂😂😂 Subscribed

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

Well, the man has all his worries behind him. The horse however does not. ;)

[@RobTheWatcher]

*gasps* "He is headless and they sent him back? That poor horse!" Vee being Vee.

[@123evilwolf]

A damn fine movie this is, my dad introduced it to us and whenever we got the chance to sit down and chill, we watch "the gladiator"

[@davida7153]

Watch the HBO series "Rome" if you want to watch more about slavery and slaves in the old republic of Rome, 250 years before the events of this movie happened. I think you will enjoy it but its pretty hars to watch sometimes cause violence.And Joaquin is such an intense actor.

[@flatebo1]

And on another note - gladiators were entertainers. Most gladiator movies/shows don't bother getting into the specifics, but trained gladiators were specialists. They used very standardized equipment and fought in a particular style. The net/trident guys would be paired against a guy wearing a full helmet with small eye holes set just far enough apart that the tines of the trident could not fit through 2 holes at once, thereby ensuring that the helmet guy couldn't be killed by a thrust to the face. Gladatorial bouts were published in advance, so people could bet on them, and just like in modern horse racing, they'd have published stats on individual gladiators. So everyone knew each gladiator's track record. Most injuries weren't fatal (because the purpose is to entertain the crown, not to kill an opponent). That's why the crowd got to vote on whether to kill a defeated gladiator. They'd typically give a newbie a break and spare his life. But if a gladiator kept putting on a shitty show, they'd get tired of him wasting everyone's time and just vote to off the guy. If you put on a really good show, fame and fortune, including freedom, could be yours. The fame and fortune part is why even some free men fought as gladiators. Desperate times and all that. And then there were the gladiatorial bouts that were all about executing criminals. Those were just straight-up slaughter-fests. Beheading or crucifying is fine and all, but watching some poor sod get mauled by a tiger is a lot more "fun". But if you managed to kill your tiger with the pocket knife they gave you, obviously the gods favor you, so you'd likely be pardoned. Or die later of your wounds.

[@BratBond1]

6:09 Yes, VKunia, we feel your anger. It gives you focus.....makes you stronger. Great reaction.

[@jeremyfrost2636]

Good, good. Let the hate flow through you.

[@acheronnchase6220]

In Ancient Rome, generals had so much power because their legions would die for them …the generals gave them wealth and land and slaves and they were loyal to the end for most of the cases

[@DaDunge]

Mostly just gold actually. Land grants were used early in the empire but after the Antonine plague it fell out of practice and as for slaves roman soldiers would take prisoners and sell them as slaves but they didn't keep slaves of their own.

[@jahrolo]

Oliver Reed died while filming this movie... seeing him always makes me wanna watch "Condorman" again :)

[@_vinterthorn]

Or the cheesy musketeer movies that featured him, Frank Finlay, Richard Chamberlain and Michael York.

[@jahrolo]

@@_vinterthorn yeah, haven't seen them in a while... Time for a re-watch

[@Bazzkorg]

Funny thing, not many gladiators were killing each other in fights. And as a matter of fact, emperors were known to fight in the arena at times too!

[@Taliesyn42]

Gladiator was long after I graduated high school. We had to watch the entire Shogun miniseries.

[@sld1776]

Damn good stuff.

[@master-of-many-fandoms2020]

“This music sounds so similar to Pirates of the Caribbean.” The composer for this film is the same one who composed the music for Pirates.

[@Bezzell_Rocket]

Life through 99.9% of human existence was hard, short and littered with violence. We forget how easy and soft the world is now in comparison for most.

[@onebadmonkee2540]

You'd be surprised for how large a percentage of humans life is still that way.

[@Krisburturion]

Richard Harris gets justified props for his performance here, as do Crowe and Phoenix. Someone who gets overlooked a bit nowadays though is Oliver Reed. He was Proximo. His character is written out so quickly because he passed away during filming. He apparently got in a drinking competition with Royal Navy sailors and got in arm wrestling competiitions with them when he died. He was a very well known actor in his day and this is what modern audiences will always remember him for.

[@evertspojken]

Did you notice that "old man" is the true Dumbledore? RIP Richard Harris

[@becauseimbatman1391]

"True"

[@jmsmys13ify]

@@becauseimbatman1391 Well, he was better than Gambon, who came off as erratic and unstable as Dumbledore, as opposed to the calm and fatherly characterization of the novels.

[@Сайтамен]

@@jmsmys13ify Calm down lready. It's adaptation. He was really good overall aside from some lines.

[@shugaroony]

@@jmsmys13ify Nonsense.

[@malarkey2217]

I agree about the lighting, Ridley Scott's films are often very atmospheric, Alien, Blade Runner, Hannibal, Someone to Watch Over Me, etc. etc. He's one of my 3 favourite directors of all time.

[@mauriceedwards6759]

Your so right about this film so well acted by all the cast, the old Emperor was played by Richard Harris he was a great actor his son Jared Harris is in a lot of Movies and TV shows now

[@dgillphotos]

"And we'll see you again, but not yet." Best ever!

[@tehdipstick]

Her: Is that his sister or his wife? Commodus: Yes. Also, you were shown this in history class? I mean... It's a great movie, and it does do a god job of showing and contextualizing certain aspects of ancient Roman culture, but the events and characters are far from historically accurate. It was possible for gladiators to win their freedom, though it wasn't as if they could earn it as a prize by winning a certain fight. Basically a gladiator could earn his freedom by earning enough of a profit to buy his freedom. You have to remember that slavery was incredibly common in this time. Chances were that if you didn't own a slave that meant you were a slave, or at the very least poor. The slaver/gladiator school-owner played by Laurence Olivier would not have been considered a terrible person for dealing in slaves at the time, not even by Maximus, who, judging by the size of his farm/estate, was a prosperous land-owner. He would've owned many slaves himself.

[@DaDunge]

You vastly overestimate slave ownership in the imperial period. Something like half of the population of the city of Rome lived on the grain dole.

[@tehdipstick]

@@DaDunge In my comment I wrote that those who could afford slaves had them, and that if you didn't you were either too poor or a slave yourself. I never said that most people owned slaves, just that a land owner like Maximus most likely would have owned some.

[@DaDunge]

@@tehdipstick Maybe maybe not the golden age of labour slavery was in the waning days of the republic. It waved after that, Marcus Aurellius ruled during the Antonine Plague so that may have affected things to some extent but no idea in what direction. But Maximus would likely have had hosuehold slaves, his son's teacher was almost certainly a slave for an example.

[@rydelldownward7808]

“Tell me what you’ve been doing, busy little bee.” That scene!

[@lawrencedockery9032]

This is the first over several movies that Ridley Scott filmed in Morocco along with Black Hawk Down in 2001 and Kingdom of Heaven in 2005. Highly recommend both of them.

[@Curraghmore]

The actor that you liked who played Emperor Marcus Aurelius was the legendary Irish actor Richard Harris who has been in films since the late 1950s. He was also the first actor to play Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films. The second Dumbledore (after Richard Harris died in 2002) was also an Irish actor, Michael Gambon.

[@stevegoldy2196]

I loved joaquin's performance in this film. One of the greatest movie villains of all time for me and i'm so glad you recognised the power of his performance. Glad you enjoyed it and another epic movie i would recommend is "300"

[@Cobrass67]

one of the greatest films ever made. also, the 'pocket sand' thing goes bk to him being a farmer at heart & gettin a feel for the land he's about to fight on

[@BerishStarr]

One of the best movies ever! I love it so much. I'm also a major history nerd :3

[@Mirikal]

2:55 That extra bumped into Russel by accident, totally unplanned in all the chaos. Russel's reaction was indeed, "So in the zone.", hence that little grin.

[@TheAcheronblues]

Another two great Russel Crowe movies are “Master and Commander” and “LA Confidential”.

[@JordanJMyers]

The Nice Guys is great too lol so funny

[@burrichgrrl57]

YES! YES!

[@DaDunge]

Master and commander... Crowe really likes movies that are terrible history.

[@JordanJMyers]

@@DaDunge Its a good movie so idc what his preference is lol

[@JoeBlow_4]

"He's doing one last crowd surf" sealed the deal. subbed

[@Jackson-xl7sv]

Gladiator has awesome production design with beautiful and gritty attention to detail, but historically it’s kind of a joke. Literally nothing in this movie happened except for Commodus fighting as a gladiator. Maximus wasn’t a real person, Marcus Aurelius was not killed by Commodus and he explicitly declared Commodus as his successor, even co-ruling with him in the years leading to his death. Lucilla and Commodus never married and Rome never returned to its Republican origin.

[@eatsmylifeYT]

That's why it's a movie and not a lesson in history class.

[@Jackson-xl7sv]

@@eatsmylifeYT There’s a difference between being a pedantically historically accurate movie and being a work of total fiction where nothing in it actually happened. It coopt the veneer of History to give itself legitimacy. You think you’re watching a story about a certain time in history, reflecting reality in some way, but it’s actually complete and total fiction, and directly counter to what we understand of history’s overarching themes. Look at HBO’s Rome. It’s a very entertaining show, yet it still works as a mostly faithful account of the fall of the republic. Gladiator is just... a pure lie. The main character who would be an incredibly pivotal figure in history isn’t even real.

[@eatsmylifeYT]

@@Jackson-xl7sv Like I said, that's why it's a movie and not a lesson in history class. Or are you too stupid to understand the context of my statement?

[@Jackson-xl7sv]

@@eatsmylifeYT I understand your statement, but I’m not criticizing it for not being historically accurate. I’m criticizing it for not being historical at all. Learn how to read.

[@eatsmylifeYT]

@@Jackson-xl7sv Nope. You obviously didn't understand what I wrote and now you're just making excuses.

[@richieb7692]

Your review was fantastic.... As they picked up Maximus's dead body, and you said he was on ' one last crowd surf ' Was just a fantastic comment. I will be borrowing this, next time I have to attend a Last Ride / Funeral

[@1Poxxxx]

2:45 Actually they didnt fight like this. Well, getting the cavalry behind enemy lines was something they actually tried. But besides that, a battle was not as unorganized as it seems in this scene. Armies met in Lines.

[@Atreadis]

" Is that his sister, or his wife? " Well... In the ancient world... Sometimes it was a bit of both!

[@JohnWick-yu6je]

If you liked this one, you will proberbly love "Braveheart" 1995

[@jbo4547]

Gladiator is a vastly superior movie

[@jackthenarrator4735]

Judging by how she responded to the horses being hurt in this movie, I don't think she's gonna like Braveheart.

[@user-vc5rp7nf8f]

this one's better

[@venerac2759]

Your comment of "one long crowd surf" when they picked up his body was amazing :)

[@chrisleebowers]

You should see "Spartacus" - the movie AND the show. And you should see HBO's "Rome" "Gladiator" was heavily fictionalized, Maximus was not a real guy. (Commodus was a real emperor and he was almost as bad as portrayed, but was not killed in the ring. The conspiracy got his training partner to strangle him in his bath) Spartacus was the real Gladiator who escaped and lead a slave revolt that destabilized The Republic. "Rome" is the story of how, a few decades after the slave revolt, The Caesars seized power from The Republic and declared Rome an Empire.

[@TenTonNuke]

That show has soooo many shaved and oiled dongs. I'd be getting into it (and I've seen all the seasons) when suddenly Crixus would walk into view stage left with a half chub and get into a nude wrestling match.

[@AndrewHoweywtwp]

Movie first... then wait a few months and watch the series... both are great, but you don't want to ruin the experience doing both back to back (IMO)

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

Are we talking the Kubrick movie? Still haven't seen it, even though it is probably one of Kirk Douglas' most iconic roles.

[@chrisleebowers]

@@TenTonNukeCrixus was just glad he ate her ;)

[@Pearleace]

the music at the end, one of the best pieces ever.

[@DoremiFasolatido1979]

Also, "Her" is an incredible movie. It is, to date, the ONLY movie that has ever given an even vaguely accurate treatment of AI behavior.

[@daemonip83]

For a Side note, the Farm of Maximus is a Farm in Tuscany, Italy, Orciano Hills. Take a peek of this gougeous scenery, you' ll love it. Feel free to come to visit us any time! Hugs from italy!

[@juanbernando]

I was told by a history professor that Gladiator does a good job reflecting how twisted rulers were back then...Joaquin nailed it! 👌

[@theawesomeman9821]

Out of the historical films based on Rome, Gladiator has the most historic flaws. For instance, the scene where smoke is coming out of a pipe under a chariot.

[@DaDunge]

... Your professor should probably stay away from value judgements. The people loved Commodus as did the army, the praetorians were on the verge of tearing rome to shreds when he was murdered and only promises of bribes kept them from doing so, when those bribes didn't show up they murdered his successor Pertinax and auctioned of the imperial throne to the highest bidder. The murder of Commodus sparked the crisis of the third century.

[@gingerbill128]

Their where rulers who oversaw peace and prosperity their entire reign. You can read their writings now , not all fought endless wars , very few really . We just see the wars because that's what's interesting to us. A nutter like this was the exception not the rule.

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

@@DaDunge History has not looked on Commodus favorably. Especially so given that he was the son of Marcus Aurelius. Commodus was a pretty crappy and cruel emperor. Your characterization of him as "loved" by the people doesn't mean he was good. He was inept and a hedonist, the opposite of his father.

[@DaDunge]

@@ericsierra-franco7802 History was written by the men who had him murdered. Yeah the man had soem delusions of grandeur but he's far from alone in that respect among the ranks of the emperors of Rome.

[@Rob_Fordd]

Gladiator matches usually weren't quite as deadly as shown here. Many died, but the life of a fighting capable person was generally considered worth more than just a single match, and people in the crowds loved seeing people come back and do better than they had before. There were even semi-choreographed historical battle reenactments (which is what the fight with the chariots was) with predetermined winning and losing sides. It was kind of like professional wrestling taken to its most imaginable extreme. The most famous gladiators would literally get paid by establishments for their endorsements, which would be featured on proto Billboards (they though about including a bit of that in this movie but thought general audiences wouldn't believe it).

[@ItsTotallyCody]

OMG this was such an emotional movie!

[@Jason-ir5ig]

The way Marcus Aurelius spoke softly at 5:02 made me do some research, and sure enough, it's Richard Harris speaking just like he did as Dumbledore