Last night I watched Spartacus with a friend (see post picture). We enjoyed watching the inspiring tale of a slave revolt led by a man portrayed as loving freedom and fighting honorably for its acquisition.

Spartacus begins with an introduction to the main character, Spartacus, who is a Thracian slave. After biting the ankle of one of his superiors, he is left out to starve as an example to the other slaves. He is saved, however, when a gladiator trainer comes and purchases him. He is brought off to gladiator school, where he and the other gladiators are trained. This is where he meets his love interest and future wife, Varinia. When they first meet, however, it is because the gladiator school gives women to the gladiators they like the best as a reward. Spartacus decides not to treat Varinia as a piece of sexual meat when she is given to them because his captors are watching and want to see him act like an animal (which he refuses to do). They then take Varinia away and torment him by keeping her from him, but their love grows after this. 

Eventually, Crassus comes with Glabrus and some women who want to see a private gladiator fight to the death (which the gladiator trainer never does because it’s bad for morale). A steep price is offered, however, and the gladiator trainer consents. Spartacus is chosen to be one of the gladiators to fight, but even though his opponent bests him, his life is spared when said opponent then turns and attacks the spectators. For this, he is strung up dead to rot in the slaves’ barracks as a warning to the others. This makes all the gladiators uneasy, and a revolt subsequently breaks out during a meal. Spartacus and his fellow gladiators overrun their captors and begin pillaging. When Spartacus sees the others treating Romans the way they had previously been treated, he stops them, calls them to be the bigger men, and releases the Romans who were being forced to fight to the death. He then leads his people on their revolt, setting slaves free and building an army of freed slaves. Glabrus, having been given command of Rome’s garrison, takes six cohorts to go squash the slave rebellion. Because he seems them as mere slaves, he is careless and doesn’t build a moat and blockade. He is therefore easily overrun, and returns to Rome in shame. Crassus eventually takes control of the army and goes to crush the revolt, making deals to ruin their plans to escape by sea on pirate ships. The two armies face off, and Spartacus’ army is defeated. He is later crucified along the road to Rome with all the other survivors.

I enjoyed this movie and found it very moving. My friends and I got a good chuckle out of the outdated effects used to make it look like a man’s arm was cut off. I also found it interesting to hear the conversation between Glabrus and Crassus about how Crassus refused to march on Rome. He said he wanted to save Rome and its traditions, and not violate Rome in the process. In this conversation, Glabrus brings up Sulla, and Crassus denounces Sulla’s actions as bringing infamy to Sulla’s name. This demonstrates the Roman conception of infamia.

I watched Gladiator on Wednesday, April 20 with some friends (some of whom are in Roman Revolutions and some that are not. Three of us are shown in the post picture). The movie begins with Maximus leading as a general in the north fighting off barbarians in a brutal battle scene. I was surprised at how gruesome it was, especially considering it was the opening scene. It definitely set the tone for the nearly three hours of backstabbing (both literally and figuratively) that was to come. 

After the battle, Commodus, the ambitious and loathsome son of the benevolent current emperor Marcus Aeralius, and his sister arrive at the front. Commodus expects he is being called out to the front so that he can be named the next emperor of Rome, but comes to find that his father favors Maximus instead. Marcus Aeralius offers Maximus the position of emperor because he knows Maximus doesn’t want it and would give the senate back its power, but Maximus just wants to go home to his wife and son. While Maximus is contemplating what to do, Marcus Aeralius tells Commodus of his intentions to make Maximus emperor, which (put simply) royally pisses Commodus off. Commodus feels like his father loves Maximus as the son he never had, the son who displays the virtues on his father’s list, while he, Commodus, was never good enough. He decides to give his father a killer hug (quite literally) and has Maximus taken off to be executed. 

Maximus, however, escapes and rides home to his family. As he approaches, he sees that his farm has been ransacked by the Roman army, his home is burned, and his wife and son have been crucified in the fire. He passes out, is found by slave traders, and ends up becoming a gladiator. At first he won’t fight, but then he learns he can earn his freedom, so he absolutely demolishes all the competition. He is brought to Rome to fight in the colosseum,  where, after a shocking victory, Commodus the emperor comes down to meet him. Maximus reveals himself and Commodus wants to kill him, but he has “won the people” and is thus untouchable. Through many more battles, Maximus continues to defy Commodus and comes to be known as the hero of Rome. Tensions rise in the senate as Commodus plans to dissolve them, and Lucilla, Commodus’ sister, goes to Maximus as a last hope to save Rome. At first he denies, but he later sees one of his former soldiers who is still loyal to him and has him tell Lucilla he will do it. However, Commodus learns of the plan, and on the night when Maximus plans to escape and retrieve his army to march on Rome, Commodus sends an ambush.

With Lucilla, her son, and all the rest of Rome under his finger, Commodus sets up a duel with Maximus so he can finally kill him and remove any threat to his power. Commodus, knowing Maximus is an absolute beast, gives himself an advantage by stabbing Maximus and hiding the wound under armor. Maximus is still an absolute beast, however, and still kills Commodus. The senate is restored and Rome is saved. Maximus enters the afterlife to see his family smiling at him.

My friends and I were all surprised by how graphic and gory the movie was. The amount of brutally depicted death was immense, but it was also heart-wrenching to see the pain it caused Maximus to see so many of his friends and family killed. Overall, I enjoyed the movie and was moved by its display of fortitudo. I also found it interesting how they incorporated other Roman virtues like fides (when the senator had to simply trust that Maximus would keep his word and go home after marching on Rome), clementia (when the crowd loved Maximus for being merciful), and dignitas (when they talked about the dignity of the government).