In Maximus’s Sandals

 

The medieval and melancholy music starts while the title of Gladiator appears in the brown fog. Immediately we are shown an introductory text that helps us get into the winter of 180 A.D. where Emperor Marcus Aurelius is waging a twelve-year campaign against the barbarian tribes in Germany. A hand caressing what appears to be wheat fields is revealed without knowing who is the soldier that keeps on walking with no signs of stopping.

Suddenly we see Maximus looking to the ground with sadness, he obviously thinking on his family while a smile brightens his face after witnessing a bird flying with a freedom that he longs for to have in order to avoid the coming battle. The shot expands to reveal a burnt-out land followed by the arrival of the roman cavalry.

(I was so anxious and nervous the first time that I went to see it on the movie theater, my hands and feet were literally shaking because I was not prepare for the hell that was about to break loose).

War is inevitable and Maximus is aware of it, therefore he stands still and inspires strength and honor with is mere presence and tactical strategies to defeat the barbarian army. Quintus, one of Maximus’s officers translates the enemy statement: “People should know when they are conquered”. Maximus responds: "Would you, Quintus? Would I?".

(And this is only the beginning of a journey that it not only breaks our hero's heart but it also breaks ours because we are witnessing the legacy of the general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor".)

Maximus gets on his knees and holds some dirt with his hands to deepened his connection to the land and to his home and family. The battle is unleashed on the frontline while he and the cavalry surround the terrain to arrive from the rear, thus achieving a decisive and costly victory. Music plays in the background with sorrow and regret showing us the true sacrifice of warfare.

It is hard to believe that only 32 pages was written when Gladiator starting shooting, which meant a lot of improvisation from Russell Crowe’s part that ended up shaping not only his character but even his colleagues and director to whom he enjoyed a lot of conversations between sets breaks.

The scene where he sees the bird and smiles was actually his audition, the one that convinced Ridley to hired him for the role of Maximus and that same one that positioned him as the best of the industry at that time as it was backed by an Academy Award win for Leading Actor. A well deserved win after seeing him holding his wife and son's bloody legs. There is no doubt that Russell's emotions were undeniably pure due to his mucus bleeding.

I don’t believe that there is not a soul that hasn’t see Gladiator or aren't aware of his existence because for a time it was part of the essential material shown on Schools. Also, it became part of our culture, to say that even some of the phrases from Maximus still haunts Russell to date. Famous lines as: "Are You Not Entertained? Are You Not Entertained? Is This Not Why You Are Here?"

Russell followed Ridley’s direction of adopting a more brutal and violent approach when he engages what he likes to refer to as a six-man fight. The action escalates in a crescendo style that right in the end, he felt the need to suggest to decapitate the last fighter and then expressed that fury and awesome line to the crowd as a means of defiance after seeing their distress faces when this is something that they want it to see or why bother paying for it?

Ridley agreed as expected and asked one of his producers to bring one of the remaining and unused loose heads to film the scene. Other contributions, aside from the physical challenge and gaining muscle after his overweight in L.A. Confidential, was the famous line of Strength and Honor, which was based on his high school’s Latin motto of "Veritate et Virtute". Also, his approval to loosen the tiger’s rope thus putting his life at risk during one of his stunts.

There is no doubt that his performance was not easy at all after suffering serious injuries during his fight scenes. That and having to rewrite almost the entire script on spot after calling some parts as garbage due to an unhappiness to screenwriter William Nicholson’s dialogue.

Nevertheless, he was able to make that garbage sound so good thanks to his claim of being “the greatest actor in the world” and I have to agree with that because after 25 years of this epic history’s release, I am still quoting some of his famously lines and not only that, I tend to replicate with my hands the scene where he is caressing the wheat fields.

In my case, I have to imagine those surroundings because there is nothing to touched while I am walking on the streets in route to my home or workplace. Unconsciously, I tend to do this gesture once a week, don’t know why but it keeps me calm just to imagine that I am in Elysium, riding in the green fields with the sun on my face… really an amazing speech followed by an amazing performance.

With that said, the first ten minutes of Gladiator were enough to positioned Maximus Decimus Meridius as one of the greatest characters of all time and all thanks to a sensitive, charismatic and professional actor as Russell Crowe.

It is difficult to imagine that this role was offered first to Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas and Tom Cruise. Luckily, they all rejected the opportunity as they should have done because Russell was born to play this role, a role that many actors would love to have and fail to achieve it because they prefer to bet it all on superheroes.

Yes, Gladiator is considered a Roman Fantasy Medieval Tale, but it is still more grounded, bloodier and more real than what Marvel and DC throw at us each year. They key rely on Maximus's vulnerability, a vulnerability in which Russell fills his sands in a manner that we wish he would emerge alive from his final conflict with the Emperor.

Even Gladiator II is better in many ways, this alone makes it undepreciated just because is missing Maximus's presence. But in that absence is where his true strength relies for the reason that it forces us to remember how impactful and painful what to experience Maximus's journey from beginning to end.

I believe that if it wasn’t for Russell Crowe total commitment and best efforts, there is no way that the life of Maximus would have echoed into eternity. 25 years later and Gladiator remains essential for our growth and for everyone looking to make a career in the film industry. Either acting, screenwriting, directing… you name it.

Till this date, I still remember the confrontation between Maximus and Commodore, replaying the dialogue of:

"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the North. General of the Felix Legions. 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"

The toughness and determination in Russell's face and body gave me goosebumps and a lot of excitement after nailing his line of: “I knew a man once who said, Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back."

So let still smile for the general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor.

Striking story! I concord, but also what a striking and unforgettable portrayal by Russell Crowe.