Most similar to a Game of Thrones-style TV show, Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010-2013) is a gruesome, erotic, cinematographic masterpiece. With hundreds of fight scenes, this Starz production is not for the faint of heart. However, for those who can bear it, Spartacus: Blood and Sand provides an excellent portrayal of the Romans and their culture through non-Roman eyes. This post will focus on Season 1 of the series, providing both a summary and reflection. 

Under the threat of Mithradites invading, Claudius Glaber and the Romans attempt to persuade Spartacus and the Thracians to join their fight. The Thracians tentatively agree under the condition that they defend against the Getae, who have raided Thracian lands for years. An agreement is struck and the fighting ensues. The Thracians occupy the auxiliary, which is defined as support personnel; however, in the context of a Roman legion, an auxiliary army comprised of non-Romans is considered lesser. As such, Spartacus and the Thracians are forced to be on the front lines, given limited rations, and are generally disrespected. Over the course of the battles, the Spartacus and the Thracians grow tired of the Romans’ ulterior agenda to defeat Mithridates and so they disobey Claudius Glaber’s orders so that they can go back to their village and defend their families grom the Getae. Once Spartacus returns, Claudius Glaber tracks him down and kidnaps Spartacus and his wife. And so begins Spartacus’s life as a Slave. 

Glaber sent Spartacus to the Gladiatorial Arena of Capua to be executed and his wife was sold off to a Syrian far away. At the end of the Gladiatorial games in Capua, a Ludus, or school, owner by the name of Batiatus spares Spartacus’s life and recruits him to join his Ludus for training as a gladiator. Spartacus then undergoes rigorous training for some time under the hope that one day he will see his wife, Sura, again. Spartacus meets the raining Champion Crixus as his training progresses. The two have a testy, competitive relationship. They finally meet in battle at Spartacus’s first games. Crixus bests Spartacus and his life is spared; however, he is disgraced and sent to fight in the pits. Spartacus fights his way back out, and in the next games, Crixus and Spartacus must fight together against Theokoles, a legendary gladiator. Crixus is badly hurt and Spartacus was crowned the new Champion of Capua. Spartacus then learns from Batiatus that Sura is on her way to the Ludus; however, once Sura’s caravan driver arrives, it was revealed that they were attacked on the road. Sura, being fatally injured, dies in Spartacus’s arms. 

With newfound bloodlust, Spartacus turns his attention to the next Gladiatorial contest. He continues training hard and winning in the Arena. Throughout this time, Crixus recovers, new recruits are purchased and trained, and we begin to see the devious nature of the Roman citizens. After much time, the shocking truth about Batiatus is revealed. Spartacus finds out that Batiatus had his wife killed so that he could keep Spartacus in his Ludus and focused on winning. Upon finding out, the only thing keeping Spartacus from taking revenge on his master is the retribution that may come to his friends. Thus, Spartacus leads a slave revolt against Batiatus setting all the surviving gladiators free. This marks the beginning of the Third Servile War. 

In reflection, while the portrayal of Spartacus and his journey as a gladiatorial slave is romanticized, I believe that the brutality of life as this specific type of slave may in fact be accurate. Moreover, the corruption and devious nature of the “honorable” Romans like Batiatus and his wife really provides a much-needed perspective on how honorable some Romans were. I would highly recommend watching Spartacus: Blood and Sand. 

Having never seen it before, I decided to watch the 2000 film Gladiator. As I had never seen it, Gladiator seemed like a natural choice. The film follows the protagonist, Maximus, and shows his redemption arc. Though he once started out as one of Rome’s top generals and was a close friend to (and heir apparent of) the emperor Marcus Aurelius, his whole life was turned upside down when Marcus Aurelius’s hotheaded son, Commodus, kills his father and wishes to have Maximus dead too. Maximus escapes, but ends up getting sold into gladiatorialship. Through noble fighting, Maximus works his way back to Rome, eventually taking on Commodus in a fight that he finds himself victorious but mortally wounded in. He does not die in vain, however, and his death (and the killing of the unpopular Commodus) bring about positive political change to Rome. 

The movie is certainly likable. Being a big-budget Hollywood movie, the production is of high quality. The cinematography of Gladiator is excellent, and in contrast to plenty of other movies from this time period, the computer generated imagery still holds its own today. These two aspects of the movie help to give the viewer a feel of ancient Rome. Sure, the ruins of many ancient Roman buildings still exist today (and some are very well preserved), but as a whole it is difficult for the average person to imagine what ancient Rome actually looked like. Gladiator does this well, and though it certainly isn’t a perfect recreation of Rome it’s difficult to not be inspired by the Rome that the movie puts on screen. 

But how does it hold up as a Roman film? A common criticism of many action movies aiming to be historically accurate is that they often sacrifice facts for a stronger storyline. A quick Google search reveals that the movie’s director, Ridley Scott, actually wanted Gladiator to be mostly historically accurate, and Scott even hired historians to help him achieve this goal. That said, Gladiator is still a Hollywood movie, as such, has some ideas that simply wouldn’t have held water if this movie was trying to be truly realistic. 

I’ve seen lists of historically inaccurate movies and noticed Gladiator was on there (this is one of the reasons why I haven’t had much interest in watching it before), but facts aside, perhaps the most glaring is the plotline itself. Most audiences love a good redemption arc, but Maximus’s simply would have been extremely far-fetched. Maximus would likely have been properly killed or exiled early on, and if the latter happened it would have been difficult for him to get back into Rome. The chances of him being sold into gladiatorship would have been slim, and though the idea of him fighting his way back to Rome certainly sounds nice it’s unlikely that this would have happened. If he had managed to stay alive as a gladiator, it’s more likely that he would’ve ended up in the same boat as Proximo and trained future gladiators. And, of course, during Commodus’s death, it’s likely that he would have simply been killed earlier by his guards had they been distasteful in him, rather than refusing to assist him during his fight with Maximus.

At the end of the day, however, Gladiator doesn’t actually need to be historically accurate. It just needs to be interesting, which it definitely is. Similar to other historically inaccurate but engaging action movies (such as Saving Private Ryan, Pirates of the Caribbean, and 300), movies like Gladiator, in having a compelling story, get people interested in historical topics they might otherwise not come into contact with, and for that reason I think Gladiator is an excellent film.

For my second installment of procrastination, I watched the 2014 movie Pompeii from Sony Pictures. In contrast to the always enjoyable experience that is Gladiator, Pompeii was fairly forgettable. It centers around the city of Pompeii (shocking, I know), which, as most of us are familiar, is built right alongside the famed Mount Vesuvius. Having watched gladiator directly before this, I’ll do a bit of a comparison. Gladiator has a simple plot, driven by understandable yet Roman desires and motivations that gives an unrealistic, but still enjoyable depiction of the Roman Empire. Pompeii on the other hand strays away from this. The movie has a forbidden love aspect between a slave-gladiator and a wealthy woman that drives the plot. However, as the plot moves on viewers slowly start to learn of what is coming. By that I mean the movie confirms exactly what every person who has ever heard the name Pompeii already knows: the mountain is going to explode. From there, there is some ok buildup, and honestly a large portion of plot that does not need to be included. In the end, and in truly shocking fashion, Milo and Cassia, our forbidden lovers, embrace as they meet their doom. The ending is as cliche as the movie is really just bland. 

We got a little bit of my favorite aspects of Gladiator in this movie. Some ok fight scenes – not comparable to Gladiator, of course, but still enjoyable, as well as a glimpse into the grandiose nature of the Roman Empire, but definitely on a lower scale. There’s also a different sense of Rome all together. In Gladiator, there is a sense of overall good in the Roman Empire, with the exception of a corrupt emperor. In Pompeii, there seems to be general corruption atop Rome, a notion that I resent as I really have come to appreciate the beauty of the Roman system over the last few months. I’ll finish with this: Am I happy I watched Pompeii instead of something else like Spartacus? Probably not. I think the movie did not do Rome justice nor did it properly scratch the procrastination itch that seems to be insatiable in the closing hours of finals.

I’ll start by saying I really appreciate the ability to sit down and watch a movie during finals week. Having seen gladiator before, the idea of a rewatch was exciting without the added bonus of procrastinating work from other classes. Gladiator is an absolute classic – a movie I consider a must watch at some point in anyone’s lifetime. The storyline is not complex; Maximus, a seemingly legendary Roman general, is chosen to be heir to the throne by emperor Marcus Aurelius. The trouble with this? Maximus is not the son of Marcus Aurelius, a title that belongs to Commodus, who naturally believes himself to be the rightful heir to the throne. Overcome by anger, Commodus attempts to kill both Aurelius and Maximus, however failing to kill Maximus, leaving only his father dead. Maximus barely survives, and is subjected to a life in slavery. As a slave, he shows great promise in the realm of gladiators, building a reputation as ‘the spaniard’. Eventually, his great success earns him a trip to the city of Rome where he is to fight in the grand coliseum. At the coliseum, after a fantastic performance, he reveals to Commodus, now the emperor, his true identity. Horrified that Maximus is not dead, Commodus challenges Maximus to finish the job. When it comes time to fight, Commodus inflict a wound that would prove to be fatal unto Maximus before their fight, only to be bested by our protagonist regardless. Maximus kills Commodus in front of all of Rome, before dying himself from the wounds previously inflicted. 

I think this movie is fantastic. There’s this really satisfying sense of vengeance that leaves the viewer happy with the outcome. Additionally, I think anyone who enjoys movies that include fighting will enjoy this movie, as the fight scenes are grand, even if they are incredibly gruesome – the movie is certainly not for the faint of heart. That said, this is definitely not the last time I watch the movie. I have seen it a few times now, and every time I have found it entertaining on multiple levels. On the most basic level, the movie is a cool display of a simple story of a man chasing a life that was taken away from him. On another level though, the movie is really a good demonstration of the grandeur of the Roman Empire. A viewer gets a phenomenal look into how glorious the games and the city were, which is a really cool aspect of the movie. 

All in all, definitely a high quality movie and a good recommendation for a friend.

Being able to watch a movie as an assignment during finals week was a nice change of pace and I don’t think I could have found a better movie to watch than Gladiator. Gladiator is a film about an extremely successful Roman general, Maximus, who is sold into slavery and eventually becomes probably the most successful gladiator of all time. This all happens because Marcus Aurelius chooses Maximus as his heir over his own son, Commodus. Commodus does not like this when he finds out, and kills his father before it can officially occur, then tries to kill Maximus, along with his family. However, Maximus is able to survive, and he becomes such a fantastic gladiator that he even overshadows Commodus, the new emperor, upon his return to Rome.

I really enjoyed this movie for many reasons. First, I think the plot was excellent and although the movie was long, I never felt bored and was engaged the entire time. Another big thing that made this movie really enjoyable was the acting, specifically Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus and Russell Crowe as Maximus. I also thought the scenery was really cool throughout and liked how the lighting of scenes was used to symbolize certain things. One example of this is at the beginning of the movie when Maximus says he wants to go back home, Marcus Aurelius warns him that Rome is no longer “the light,” and actually somewhat corrupt. After this, the first scene we see in Rome has significantly dimmer lighting than the previous scene, which set somewhat of a gloomy mood and I think may have reflected the state of the capital. This can also be seen at the end of the movie in the scenes where Maximus enters the afterlife.

I found a few things in this movie consistent with what we learned in class. The main consistency was Romans being in touch with their ancestors and respecting Roman traditions. In the movie, Maximus mentions his ancestors in one of his prayers. Later, Commodus’s sister warns Commodus about breaking traditions when he suggests getting rid of the senate after he becomes emperor. I feel like this was consistent with mos maiorum which we talked about in class.

There were also a few things that occurred in this movie that we didn’t really talk about in class so I wonder how historically accurate they were. The main thing I am talking about is the idea that a father would give up the throne to a non-family member. I feel like based on what we discussed about families and the role of a father in Roman times, it is unlikely that they would just give up familial ties to the throne. Another thing that I found interesting was the relationship between Commodus and his sister. This was an extremely intimate sibling relationship and made me wonder if that was accurate to Roman times.

For this actum, I watched the 1966 film A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The movie is set in Rome during the time of Emperor Nero. One of the main characters, Hero, falls in love with a girl (Philia) that lives in a house of prostitutes run by Marcus Lycus. At the same time, a slave named Pseuolus wants to buy his freedom from his owners, Senex and his wife Domina (Hero’s parents). Hero and Pseudolus reach an agreement: If Pseudolus can help Hero get Philia, then Hero will give Pseudolus his freedom. 

They find out that Philia has been sold to a powerful Roman soldier named Miles Gloriosus, who is about to arrive. After much shenanigans, Miles arrives and asks for his bride, threatening to burn the city and kill the main characters if he cannot have her. Pseudolus, wanting to preserve his ticket to freedom, dresses Senex’s male servant Hysterium as Philia and pronounces her dead. Miles is fooled initially, but eventually discovers the trick and captures all of the conspirators.

It eventually comes out that the real Philia and Miles are siblings, meaning they cannot marry. Hero and Philia are then allowed to be together. Miles instead takes a pair of Lycus’ other prostitutes, Pseudolus gets his freedom, and the movie ends happily ever after.

I thought this movie was a good reminder of the sophistication of Roman slaves, relative to slaves from other areas of humanity. As we learned in class, there existed a wide variety of slave/master relationships, including those in which the slave could be treated like family. Pseudolus, despite his status as a slave, is socially competent and has normal interactions with free citizens. He also had great rhetorical and persuasive skills, which a commonly defined slave wouldn’t have.

The Roman concept of friendship also appears in this film. Pseudolus and Marcus Lycus agree to impersonate each other, a plan that benefits both parties. Lycus then remarks that he and Pseudolus are “true friends.” In this context, friendship refers to the relationship between patron and client as opposed to the modern definition.

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Gladiator followed the strife between Maximus and Commodus. Commodus’s father was emperor but felt that his son was too immoral to be the next one so he tells his friend Maximus that he is next. Well, Commodus does not like this very much and kills his father and then kills Maximus’s entire family. After the death of his father, he meets with the Senate where it is made utterly clear that he only cares about power, not the people of Rome. While Commodus holds power he throws a series of special gladiatorial games to honor his father where Maximus comes disguised and does incredibly well. However, Commodus discovers who he actually is well, not pleased, but Maximus had already won the favor of the crowd so it’s not like Commodus could kill him, or at least not yet. It is here that Maximus declares that he intends to get revenge on Commodus. After this Commodus’s sister visits him bc she has suspicions about her brother but Maximus does trust her due to her relations with Commodus. However, it’s not long until they’re hooking up and plotting to overthrow Commodus along with some other accomplices. At that point though Commodus has made it very clear that he is in fact evil. After a lot of scheming on both sides Commodus and Maximus end up battling each other where Maximus technically wins but they both die, but it’s okay because the republic is saved which ultimately was the goal. This is the film where the famous “are you not entertained?” scene comes from but I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t very entertained. Parts were hard to follow for me and I found the romance plot cheesy and very American rather than Roman. But I guess that’s Hollywood for you. I wish it was either more Roman and accurate or leaned into the cheesy Hollywood more, I just didn’t feel like the two mixed well. I would rate it a 5/10, I know it’s controversial but I don’t get the hype. I much preferred Netflix’s “Roman Empire.”

Gladiator is the story of Maximus, a Roman general turned gladiator. The film begins with Maximus having led the Romans to victory. After returning home, the emperor informs Maximus that he feels his own son, Commodus, is unfit to rule, and he would like Maximus to succeed him in his place. Commodus, in reaction to this news, kills his father and seizes power. After refusing to follow the new emperor, Maximus is arrested and his family is killed. Maximus fights his way to freedom only to be taken by slavers and sold to a gladiator trainer. Maximus excels in his matches and starts to gain popularity. Through the advice of his trainer, Maximus attempts to win his freedom through combat.

During a series of games held by Commodus to honor his father’s passing, Maximus disguises himself and leads his side to victory. After winning, Maximus is forced to reveal his identity. Upon revealing his identity, Maximus declares that he will have vengeance on Commodus. Maximus’ life is only spared through the persuasion of the crowd. Maximus continues to win battles, even gaining the title “Maximus the Merciful” for the clementia he demonstrated in sparing an opponents’ life. 

Maximus attempts to use the power of his old legions to overthrow Commodus. These plans fall short, however, once Commodus discovers this plot against him. Maximus is captured once more and Cicero, with whom he was plotting, is killed. 

In a last attempt to win back the favor of the people, Commodus duels with Maximus in the Colosseum. Despite his usage of unfair tactics, Commodus is still overpowered by Maximus and ultimately killed. However, in the end Maximus also dies succumbing to the wounds inflicted upon him. He makes a number of dying requests for changes within Roman politics, and to free the other gladiators.

This movie was very entertaining, albeit maybe not very historically accurate. From the outside research I did, it seems that Gladiator was loosely based on actual historical events but it certainly took some liberties. That being said, it also seems that Ridley Scott took care to make sure that Roman culture was represented with historical accuracy. So while the plot might not be entirely true to history, there is an impressive dedication to showing how Roman culture actually looked. I think that the movie definitely does a good job of showing the audience just how cruel Rome in its traditions and politics could really be.