Gladiator: A Film Clip Analysis

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Gladiator (2000)
Directed by Ridley Scott
A Film Clip Analysis
by Eric M. Lachs

Part One: Brief Description of Film Clip

Total Length	3:20 (Three minutes and twenty seconds)	41 shots
Beginning	2:15:46	DVD Chapter 25
Ending	2:19:06	DVD Chapter 26
Time code, chapter information, and screen shots were taken from the Signature Selection DVD edition produced by Dreamworks Home Entertainment.

The following portion of the film is composed of two sections that summarize the film and allegorize cinematic spectatorship. The main sequence (shots 3 through 31) shows Commodus challenging Maximus and preparing to fight in the Colosseum. The main shots are book-ended by an exterior Colosseum sequence (shots 1, 2, and 32 through 41) showing the crowds awaiting the show as the fighters' platform ascends to the arena floor.

Part Two: Shot Description & Annotation

Shot #	Image Capture	Shot Description	Annotation
Time Code
Shot Length
Shot 1 2:15:46 5 seconds		The crowds chant "Maximus!" repeatedly. Non-diegetic orchestral music, composed mainly of string instruments, plays at a low volume. The camera starts in a high-angle medium shot of the crowd, pans right, and then tilts left for a long shot of the extended Colosseum crowd echoing the chant.	The camera starts with one of the most popular and common figures in the epic, the mass. The film's viewer is placed as an ideological equal of the Roman spectator, who, throughout many epics, is depicted as part of a body rather than a singularity. In a sense, the film is drawing from the cineplex aesthetic, where the viewer is most likely to be in a tiered column of seats waiting for the action to begin. The crowds yearn for the protagonist, Maximus, through their chants. The camera's movement's are motivated solely by the consideration of showing the great extent of the Colosseum, and by extension the decadence and expense of epic filmmaking and Roman grandeur.
Shot 2 2:15:51 11 seconds		Cut to an eye-level medium shot of the aristocratic group sitting on a balcony and talking. The camera pans left and tracks backward to show the crowds in the background on the opposite side of the stadium. The music continues in the same style through the entire scene. The chanting continues, at a decreased volume until shot 7.	This group is differentiated from the mass by class division. They do not engage in the chant, however their attendance suggests involvement and acceptance of the Roman spectacle. The orchestral feature-length score unites the film with the classic epics of Wyler and Mann and connects the remainder of the scene. Continuous extra-diegetic music is frequently used to bridge themes in the film that would ordinarily seem disparate.
Shot 3 2:16:02 5 seconds		Cut to an overhead medium tracking shot of Maximus in chains, viewed through the rafters that seem to lead up to the stadium, the source of the crowds that chant his name.	This is the first shot of Maximus in the scene, and the first he has been shown since being captured during an escape attempt. His positioning is an obvious attempt to advance the character as the christ figure. This is a distinguishable characterization in a film with much fewer religious references than the average epic. It is potentially a dual-reference to both Ben Hur (which actually advertises the tagline "A Tale of the Christ" and syncs Jesus with the protagonist at several moments in the film) and Braveheart (arguably the best-known recent epic, which shows William Wallace meet his end in this exact position). Although Mel Gibson was considered to play Maximus, it is unclear whether this shot is just an allusion or a deeper allegory.
Shot 4 2:16:07 3 seconds		Cut to a medium shot of Commodus, who enters through the gates as the camera zooms out slowly to accomodate him in the frame.	The antagonist enters the scene wearing all white, a reversal of the typical visual cue. The symmetry of the entrance shot is concomitant with the typical Roman procession and the oft-cited Triumph of the Will, which aesthetically contributes to the coordinated arrangement and movement in many epic film battles and mass gatherings.
Shot 5 2:16:10 7 seconds		Cut to the other gladiators, with which Maximus has shared battles, shot in close-up behind bars. Their eyes follow Commodus as he walks by them. The camera pans right, and stops on Juba, the man that was partnered with Maximus since he became a gladiator.	The prison bars are the physical and metaphoric resistance posed to the supporting characters. Thus far in the film their lives have been dependent on Maximus, and his capture affects them similarly. As with many epic films, the protagonist must instantiate action and rebellion for the others to be freed. Maximus's failure is theirs also.
Shot 6 2:16:17 3 seconds		Cut to Gracchus, who also looks at Commodus, as the camera continues to slowly pan right.	This successive shot operates similarly to the previous one, with the addition of suggesting the impermanence of identity. The film's tagline, which Commodus recites in shot 10, summarizes Maximus's path from general to slave. By the same means, Gracchus goes from a senator to a prisoner and his redemption relies on the protagonist.
Shot 7 2:16:20 15 seconds		Cut to Commodus, who glances up at the "Maximus" chants and looks at him, still chained to the walls. The camera tilts up and frames Commodus over his left shoulder. Commodus repeats the crowd's chant in a near-whisper.	Commodus's entrance and identification with the "Maximus" chants recalls a previous scene where Maximus succeeds in the arena as a gladiator and is able to reveal his identity to the emperor. The combination of these two key scenes is a distinct re-writing of the famous scene in Ben Hur where Judah walks out from an obscuring darkness. Both films generate this turning point to reveal to the antagonist that his friend-turned-enemy is alive and seeking vengeance. Maximus picks up an arrow tip in the sand as Commodus first approaches him, subtly alluding to Judah's presentation of a knife to Messala.
Shot 8 2:16:35 10 seconds		Cut to Maximus, framed over the shoulder of Commodus. This is a standard reverse shot maintaining the rules of continuity filmmaking. The following 14 shots cut back and forth like the previous two with respect to the character positioning, with Maximus always on the right side of the shot in close-up. Commodus tells him "They call for you." The previous chanting is significantly lower in volume, presumably because they are closed off or further from the crowd.	The films draws attention into this key scene by alleviating the burden of the numerous cuts between crowds and faces and setting this dialogue to a rhythm. The previous chanting and music is minimized to keenly focus attention in on the main characters, who each become the principle image in every second shot. This series begins in shot 7, positioning Commodus on the left, and ends with the disruption of this formula in shot 23 when Commodus is crosses to the right side.
Shot 9 2:16:45 10 seconds		Reverse shot of Commodus. He calls Maximus "the general who became a slave, the slave who became a gladiator, the gladiation who defied an emperor; a striking story." The crowd chants are almost completely obscured by the background music and talking.	This script recalls the popular rhetoric of epic cinema. Hyperbole and exaggeration are generally the dominant literary techniques used in epic films. The all-encompassing and glorifying titles and taglines of epics have included The Greatest Story Ever Told, "His passion captivated a woman. His courage inspired a nation. His heart defied a king," and "The splendor and savagery of the world's wickedest empire! Three hours of spectacle you'll remember for a lifetime!" His comment that it makes for a striking story hints at the self-reflexivity presented in Roman epic film, that the gladiatorial combat and political processions are historical analogs of the epic film. The decadence and excitement sustain the "striking story" to draw modern crowds. Not coincidentally, this dialogue was Gladiator's main tagline and featured prominently in trailers and teaser previews.
Shot 10 2:16:55 9 seconds		Reverse shot of Maximus. Commodus continues, saying "...and now the people want to know how the story ends. Only a famous death will do."	Continuing with the assumption from the previous shot, Commodus is negotiating the terrain of the historian and critic. The diegetic referrent is the same as the director's concerns: to create a captivating story within the epic formula. He also echoes the desires of the viewer, who historically recognizes epics in chronicle form (a series of chronological events connected by a common thread [i.e. the hero's life]) and yearns for a decisive conclusion.
Shot 11 2:17:04 3 seconds		Reverse shot of Commodus. He extends his hand towards Maximus's face.
Shot 12 2:17:07 3 seconds		Reverse shot of Maximus. Commodus says "...and what could be more glorious..."
Shot 13 2:17:10 3 seconds		Reverse shot of Commodus. Commodus says "...than to challenge the emperor himself in the great arena."	The dialogue recalls a great many epics in which the protagonist and antagonist battle at the end of the film to settle the narrative stress that accumulates from their coexistence. See, for instance, Ben Hur's chariot race or El Cid's ocean-side battle. Secondly, the motion of this shot calls attention to the ambiguous sexual identity hinted at in some historical epics like Messala in Ben Hur and Hephaistion in Alexander. Concordantly, the previous scene shows Commodus demanding that his own sister provide him with a progeny to control the throne.
Shot 14 2:17:13 6 seconds		Reverse shot of Maximus, who asks "You would fight me?" Commodus replies "Why not?"
Shot 15 2:17:19 3 seconds		Reverse shot of Commodus, who asks "Do you think I'm afraid?"
Shot 16 2:17:22 4 seconds		Reverse shot of Maximus, who responds "I think you've been afraid all your life."
Shot 17 2:17:26 4 seconds		Reverse shot of Commodus, who retorts "Unlike Maximus the invincible, who knows no fear?"	Again, the dialogue is playing off of similar tropes in other epic films. The epic protagonist is generally elevated to mythic or superhuman level through the legend and lore that accompanies their stories. For example, William Wallace and Alexander the Great occupy immense historical positions in the image of Jesus Christ, perhaps the ultimate epic figure due to the connotations his name carries.
Shot 18 2:17:30 13 seconds		Reverse shot of Maximus, who smirks at his remark and replies "I knew a man who once said 'Death smiles at us all; all a man can do is smile back.'"	The film's viewer recalls this dialogue from an early scene of Marcus Aurelius just before his death. That Maximus is smiling when he utters the words is the first of four foreshadowings of his death at the end of the film.
Shot 19 2:17:43 6 seconds		Reverse shot of Commodus, who says "I wonder, did your friend smile at his own death?"
Shot 20 2:17:49 6 seconds		Reverse shot of Maximus, who replies "You must know. He was your father."	At this point, the film's viewer recalls that Commodus was a much different person than his father, thus his inability to understand Maximus's remark.
Shot 21 2:17:55 7 seconds		Reverse shot of Commodus, who grimaces and says "You loved my father, I know. But so did I. That makes us brothers, doesn't it?"	This shot is the exact halfway point of the scene. For the attentive and knowledgeable viewer, it recalls the myth of Rome's founding. Historical legend tells of two brothers who were abandoned at birth and raised by a wolf. Romulus slays his brother Remus to become the first king of Rome. This is the second foreshadowing of Maximus's death.
Shot 22 2:18:08 3 seconds		Reverse shot of Maximus. Commodus reaches forward to embrace him.	Commodus's embrace is the third foreshadowing of Maximus's death. His similar affection to his father early in the film leads to his smothering death. This is the only other time in the film that Commodus is this close to another man. Maximus's relationship with Lucilla threatens Commodus earlier in the film, and this scene is just after he learns of her alliance with him.
Shot 23 2:18:11 2 seconds		Reverse shot of Commodus, who says "Smile for me now, brother."	This shot disrupts the rhythmic harmony that is set up in the previous 16 cuts. The repetitive continuity that places Commodus on the left side of the shot is reversed when he crosses Maximus. This dystopic change in orientation, by intentionally breaking the stringent layout, is the fourth foreshadowing of Maximus's death. The decision to have Commodus come to the right side is a calculated movement that heightens the tension and adds to the disorientation of the next 4 cuts, which are all 1 second apart.
Shot 24 2:18:13 1 second		An extreme close-up shot, Commodus bring his hand around and stabs Maximus in the back. The music continues, with an added effect of deep and loud wind that highlights the stabbing. An exaggerated squishing / metallic sound is audible.	The music and sound mixing serve to heighten the action and the associated dramatic tension. This is commonly used in scenes with very quick pacing, where the viewer might not ordinarily distinguish the actions.
Shot 25 2:18:14 1 second		Cut back to Maximus in close-up, who groans in pain.	In accordance with the schematic tension in shot 23, the original screen layout with Commodus on the left is restored in this shot, and then abruptly reverted in shot 27.
Shot 26 2:18:15 1 second		Cut back to the stab wound. Commodus removes the knife and blood drips from the wound.	The quick-paced montage returns to this previous shot after Maximus groans, to make it clear to the viewer what has happened and why it is important for the forthcoming scenes.
Shot 27 2:18:16 1 second		Cut back to Commodus in close-up. He kisses Maximus on the face.	A knowledgeable viewer might recall Godfather II, in which Michael Corleone kisses his brother after realizing that he was betrayed. This is perhaps an intended allusion considering that Commodus has just confessed that he thinks of him as a brother and then stabs him in the back.
Shot 28 2:18:17 3 seconds		Reverse shot of Commodus in close-up. He turns around to face away from Maximus and looks towards a space that has not yet been identified by the camera and says "Strap on his armor."
Shot 29 2:18:20 2 seconds		Cut to Quintus, who is clearly receiving Commodus's command. Commodus says "Conceal the wound."	This is frequently used as a technique to motivate transition from scene to scene in a film. When Commodus speaks towards an off-screen space that has not been identified to the viewer, he activates a character and a new motivation away from the previous scene.
Shot 30 2:18:22 3 seconds		Cut back to Commodus from behind. The shot is in slow motion, running at approximately 8 frames per second. Commodus turns around and looks at Maximus.	This is the only shot in the scene in which speed is manipulated. The film is slowed down to about 8 frames per second, which heightens the drama of the previous action and allows the viewer time to realize that Commodus's plan was not to kill Maximus, but weaken him so that he would lose the fight in the Colosseum.
Shot 31 2:18:25 3 seconds		Reverse shot of Maximus, who lifts his head to see Commodus.	This is the obligatory reaction shot, during which the viewer sees the protagonist realize the information which they just gathered from the previous dialogue.
Shot 32 2:18:28 5 seconds		Cut back to the external shot, composed with the crowd of fans, apparently still cheering "Maximus," in long shot filling up frame's background. The camera pans left to show Lucilla and Lucius close-up in the foreground.	The camera returns back to the crowd, where the chanting is still carrying on. This shot prepares us for the scene transition, which brings the action simultaneously to the arena un-knowing crowd and the film's viewer.
Shot 33 2:18:33 2 seconds		Cut to a medium shot of the gates from directly below. They open up to the ground-level of the Colosseum. As they open, the sunlight flares the image from dark gray to white.	This is a reversal of the opening shots in the scene that descend from the crowd down through the depths of the arena to show Maximus hanging. We are now presumably facing the opposite direction from Maximus's point of view. The contrast is almost that of a black and white film, since the dark gate obscures the sunlight.
Shot 34 2:18:35 4 seconds		Cut to the platform under the gates in medium shot. The camera remains stationary as the platform rises vertically. Maximus tilts his head down and Commodus gazes upwards. Deep operatic chanting is audible in the music.	The music returns as the dominant aural motivator to the viewer, since the important dialogue has ended. The camera's stillness highlights the platform's motion which raises the characters to their setting. The costume is worthy of note, since the previous shot presented the juxtaposition of color. The epic hero is almost always bathed in light colors, but this commonality is reversed in Gladiator, which clothes the evil emperor in white. Maximus looks down, in contraposition to Commodus, probably because of his injury.
Shot 35 2:18:39 2 seconds		Cut back to the gates from below. Flower petals fall down onto the platform as the gates slide open.
Shot 36 2:18:41 1 second		Cut back to the platform, where Quintus, Maximus, and Commodus stand surrounded by Roman guards. The same slow upward motion is consistent through the end of the scene.	Although there is no action, the camera necessarily focuses on the main characters as they slowly enter the arena. The platform's motion becomes a metaphor for cinematic positioning. In this allegory, the film's viewers are akin to the Colosseum crowd. As in any other epic, where the viewer would be introduced to the settings of war or contest by a sweeping camera that either pulls back or pans out to reveal the protagonist's setting, the platform is analogous to the camera tilt, which positions the important characters in front of the audience by a protracted vertical motion. The camera watches as the platform occupies its function.
Shot 37 2:18:42 2 seconds		Cut to a close-up of Maximus, standing in dark armor and looking down.
Shot 38 2:18:44 2 seconds		Cut to a close-up of Commodus, standing in an ornate white armor and looking up.	Commodus looks up in direct contrast to Maximus. The light clarifies his appearance, while casting shadows on Maximus who faces away from it.
Shot 39 2:18:46 3 seconds		Cut back to the gates, which slide all the way open.
Shot 40 2:18:49 5 seconds		Cut back to the platform in medium shot. The camera zooms out to a long shot of the platform slowly raising.
Shot 41 2:18:54 12 seconds Shot 41 Continued 2:19:05		Cut back to an extreme long shot of the Colosseum crowd. The camera begins on the right side and pans left to the center of the arena, where the platform is just breaking ground level. The guards are in a formation around Quintus, Maximus, and Commodus. The same music continues, but the crowd is no longer cheering anything.	As the platform raises, the camera returns to the origin of the scene and the site of the final battle. The sweeping pan shows a majority of the Colosseum and the shot stops moving as the platform comes into view. The camera moves horizontally until it locks with the vertically-raised platform from the previous shot. These are the cinematic coordinates for Maximus's final fight and the last conflict in the film.

Part Three: Film Clip Analysis

The standard epic film usually operates around several major key scenes, without which it would be very difficult to exceed a two hour running-time. These scenes compose the major elements of the epic struggle (political, religious, social, or some combination therein) and guarantee the protagonist's evolution. It is difficult to imagine Ben Hur without the galley sequence and the chariot race, but even more importantly, this type of film operates in a manner that concentrates narrative progression into a few palatable sequences of heightened imagery and myth. It is important to note, however, that the driving force of the story is not centralized in the grand moments of splendor, but in the creative transitions which bide the viewer's time and whet the audience's expectations with the promise of fulfillment. A close analysis of this scene in Gladiator shows hom the shots prior to the final battle sustain dramatic potential and transition the viewer into the protagonist's success in the Colosseum.

Introduction (Shots 1-2)

The two introductory shots of this sequence set the surroundings and motivate the viewer's focus on the story's remaining hermeneutic enigma, the resolution of his relationship with Commodus. The crowds are set up in parallel with the cinematic viewer, whose spectatorship necessitates the action. Were the Colosseum not filled, or the epic audience not willing, the story could not be enacted.
Main Sequence (Shots 3-31)

The aural cues transition from the mass crowds to the prison chains that hold Maximus and the other prisoners under the arena. Through his dialogue with Commodus, the battle is planned. Through the considerable references to other films and the potential assumptions that can be drawn from these allusions, the viewer is able to anticipate the sword fight that later delivers resolution. Although Gladiator is to a certain degree a re-creation of Mann's The Fall of the Roman Empire, it operates on the same filmic language as some other epic films. The christ allusions, which are made accessible to the viewer by Maximus's positioning, forecast his eventual sacrifice for Rome's future.
Conclusion (Shots 32-41)

Upon creating the terms of the final confrontation in the film, the camera returns to the crowd in advance of the characters. In a modernist consideration, the viewer is positioned with the crowd and the characters are brought into view by a platform beneath the Colosseum. The platform's movement exhibits a function typically reserved for the camera in order for the camera to remain immersed in the decadence and grandeur of the historical setting. The camera pans the crowd in the final preparatory shot, and meets the rising platform at the center of the Colosseum to allign the setting for the remainder of the film.