in lieu of a rome icon we shall go with the acropolis

[bedlamsbard]

Gladiator is such a gorgeous movie, visually, but the historical inaccuracy kills me every time. (Commodus was actually crazier than he is portrayed in the movie.)

However, it does include one of the most badass scenes in all swords-and-sandals movies, which is the scene where Maximus is taken out into the forest to be murdered, and then fights his way free with the power of awesome, and the calm line, "Sometimes the frost makes the blade stick."

MOST BADASS SCENE EVER. I love it. Then it all kind of goes downhill, but in a really pretty way. I prefer my mental AUs where Maximus and Lucilla take over the empire, and then Lucilla is awesome and Maximus is whipped. Er, not literally whipped, we are talking about ancient Rome here.

Comments

[dogstar]

I really want a like button on Dreamwidth.

[bedlamsbard]

I LIKE THEM WHEN THEY'RE AWESOME.

[lunarwolfik]

Gladiator is one of those movies you just wanna pat on the head and say 'well, at least you tried'. Also, your mental AU sounds so much more awesome. Times five. :D

[bedlamsbard]

It is so very pretty that I can just about forgive it anything. Also, the forest scene makes up for a lot. Also the scene where Maximus announces himself in the arena, but I love that kind of scene in general.

Mmm, if I had written Gladiator, and thrown historical accuracy out the window, I would have to be torn between the AU where Maximus, instead of riding back to Spain, goes back to the army and announces Commodus's treachery and gets the army of the north behind him (which he TOTALLY COULD HAVE DONE, canonically) and then, because he is a pushover, manages to lose Commodus, who flees back to Rome and instead of having Maximus's wife and kid killed, takes them prisoner and holds them hostage in Rome. Maximus's wife and Lucilla become friends, and Lucilla plots, and Maximus lurks on the other side of the Rubicon, trying to figure out what to do. There is more plotting, possibly some skirmishing, Lucius and Maximus's son become friends and wander around Rome by themselves after sneaking away from their guards, and overhear rumors of Commodus's plot, which...I'm not sure what it is, it probably involves assassination. And...then something awesome happens, I don't know.

OR. Maximus, still a gladiator, only when Commodus is trying to stop him, he and Cicero actually manage to get away and make it to Ostia, which is a little awkward for Commodus. Am not really sure what happens from there, but I always end up twitching at this movie and wishing that someone's plotting had actually worked. My Gladiator would have seventy-five percent less whining, fifty percent more plotting, and twenty-five percent more fight scenes. Because I really like fight scenes.