Ridley Scott’s widely acclaimed sword-and-sandal epic Gladiator turned 20 years old this past May. In addition to grossing nearly half a billion dollars internationally and ranking #42 on IMDB’s Top 250, the film won a total of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Leading Actor, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Special/Visual Effects.
Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Richard Harris, Djimon Hounsou, and more, the film follows Roman General Maximus (Crowe) as he sets out to avenge Emperor Commodus (Phoenix) following the death of his family.
10 Casting Maximus
Although General Maximus is a fictional character, he is a composite of several real-life historical Roman figures. Among them include Commodus’ real-life killer Narcissus, slave revolter Spartacus, farmer-turned-dictator Cincinnatus, and General Marcus Nonius.
Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas, and Hugh Jackman were all considered for the role of Maximus. Gibson declined the role, claiming he was too old. Ridley Scott wanted a fresh-faced actor for the role anyway and cast Russell Crowe as a result.
9 Script & Ad-Libs
Upon being cast as Maximus, Russell Crowe took serious umbrage with the screenplay, even going so far as to call writer William Nicholson’s dialogue garbage. The script underwent at least a dozen rewrites, many of which were done while filming. In the end, David Franzioni’s original 130-page script bore little resemblance to the finished film.
As such, several ad-libs and improvised lines made it into the film. Maximus’ sensorial description of his home was ad-libbed by Crowe. Likewise, Commodus’ iconic line “Am I not merciful” was improvised by Joaquin Phoenix.
8 Roman Colosseum Set
To recreate the size and scale of the Roman Colosseum, approximately one-third of the epic landmark was built in Malta out of plywood and all of the plaster located on the island.
The structure was built 52-feet high, with the remainder of the Colosseum created digitally via CGI. The process took several months and a cost of roughly $1 million to complete. For the large crowd of spectators inside the arena, real people populate the bottom two decks while the remaining thousands of onlookers are comprised of computer animation and roughly 400 cardboard cutouts. (Source)
7 Opening Battle Scene
The spectacular large-scale battle scene that open Gladiator in the forests of Germania was filmed in rural Bourne Woods Surrey, England. The sequence took three weeks to complete.
When Ridley Scott learned that the Royal Forestry Commission had sanctioned the area for deforestation, the director convinced the Commission to allow him to complete the battle sequence. In gratitude, Scott quickly offered the Commission to use his film equipment and resources to burn down the forest. The Commission eagerly accepted. (Source).
6 Oliver Reed’s Death
Famed British actor Oliver Reed passed away roughly three weeks prior to the completion of principal photography on Gladiator. His scenes as Proximo were unfinished, prompting major rewrites to the script. For example, Maximus was originally set to battle Proximo in the arena but was changed due to Reed’s untimely death.
Because Proximo was deemed a central character, an insurance policy afforded Scott the option of reshooting Reed’s scenes with a different actor for free. However, Scott did not want to excise Reed from the film, and the production was so exhausted by this time that Scott opted to rewrite the script and use a body-double to complete Reed’s scenes.
5 Tiger Showdown
For the epic showdown between Maximus and Tigris the Gaul inside the Colosseum, five different tigers were used for the scene. In Franzioni’s original script, Maximus was to face off with a rhinoceros, which proved far too difficult to achieve both practically and digitally.
During the filming of the sequence, Crowe was prompted to remain at least 15 feet away from the tigers at all times. Just in case, a trained veterinarian equipped with tranquilizer darts remained off-screen.
4 Multiple Cameras & Frame Rates
Ridley Scott employed a number of filmmaking techniques while shooting Gladiator. In addition to using multiple cameras to capture as much simultaneous footage as possible, Scott and cinematographer John Mathieson shot the film at various frame rates.
Scott and Mathieson often shot at different frame rates while using a 45-degree camera shutter, which created an animated stop-motion effect. The technique was also employed by Steven Spielberg for several battle scenes in Saving Private Ryan.
3 Blurry Battle Effect
During the battle sequence in which Maximus and his men take on the Germanic armies, the film stock becomes blurry halfway through the skirmish. This was an unintended shot created in postproduction resulting from the loss of light on location.
The initial battle sequence as filmed during the early evening, but lost natural light when going overschedule. Rather than waste time and money by reshooting the scene on another day, DP Mathieson finished the scene by filming at a vastly reduced frame-rate. Mathieson subsequently duplicated all of the lost frames in postproduction, creating a slightly blurred effect halfway through the fight. (Source)
2 Joaquin Phoenix’s Anxiety
Joaquin Phoenix was so nervous and anxious to do a good job as Commodus in Gladiator that he would often demand Russell Crowe physically abuse him before takes as a way to get him in the mood. When Crowe told his friend Richard Harris about it, the veteran actor urged Crowe to get Phoenix drunk as a way to loosen him up.
A few hours and several pints of Guinness later, Phoenix quelled his nerves. Still, for the scene in which Commodus murders his father, Phoenix was so keyed-up that he fainted after filming it.
1 Russell Crowe’s Injuries
Russell Crowe suffered several injuries while filming the gladiatorial battles. The scar on his face seen after the opening battle was not fake, but a real wound Crowe suffered after his horse abruptly backed him several tree branches. The wound required stitches.
In addition, Crowe lost all feeling in his right index finger for roughly two years after injuring it in a swordfight. Crowe also ruptured his Achilles tendon, cracked a bone in his foot, broke a hip bone, and ripped multiple bicep tendons out of their socket.
