Ridley Scott's GLADIATOR (2000) is both a very incisive look at the corruption and capriciousness of Ancient Rome and it is also a very moving portrayal of one man's struggle to attain justice and freedom for himself, his family and his country. Through this central theme, there are three key scenes which help depict the ideals Ridley Scott exposes throughout the movie.
The first scene that seemed to follow this central them was after the first battle of the movie against the barbarians of Germania, when Maximus and Commodus have their discussions with Marcus Aurelius, the Caesar of Rome. Here we really begin to see the evil arise in young Commodus as he talks to his father, the Caesar. The lighting in this scene is very dark and low, which give Commodus a very malevolent look. The low lighting also helps portray how old and fragile Marcus Aurelius really is. A great lighting shot is that of the statue, where it covers one eye and one eye only, symbolizing that someone is always watching.
When Marcus Aurelius informs Commodus that he will not be next to rule, we can capture his anxiety through his facial expressions and sound. Every sob he makes, every jerk of emotion; is felt/heard quite readily; the quality of his distress is so perfectly portrayed through smooth editing, camera angle, and sound, we can almost justify his actions for murdering his father.
When Maximus converses with Marcus Aurelius, we find his character to be that of a "common man," one who had the virtues of wisdom, justice, fortitude and temperance. Maximus is so perfectly portrayed as a virtuous man, one with an inner struggle to attain justice and freedom for himself, his family and his country, with the aid of superb camera shots, lighting and costuming. When Maximus is talking to Caesar, the camera is focused on Marcus, which in turn makes us feel like we are Maximus himself. Through these camera shots we are able to feel this his emotions, his need to be with his family, his desire to please the Caesar, and his want of personal freedom.
