The 33 best Gladiator phrases

Gladiator (2000) is an American epic genre film valued as one of the best in history. It was directed by Ridley Scott and co-produced by DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures. It is inspired by the 1958 book Those about to die by Daniel P. Mannix. Today we bring together the best phrases of Gladiator to remember some of its scenes.

The film has a rating of 8.5/10 on IMDb. It was the second highest-grossing film of 2000, only behind Mission Impossible 2. It earned more than 450 million dollars at the box office under a budget of 103 millionwhich consolidated it as a financial success.

Gladiator reflections and phrases

At the time the film won five Academy Awards: best film, best actor, best sound, best visual effects and best costume designs. As a consequence, there was a boom in interest in series and films inspired by the Greek and Roman civilizations. We leave you with some of the best phrases of Gladiator.

1. “When a man sees his end he wants to know that there was some purpose in his life.”

The film was acclaimed for the performances of Russell Crowe, in the role of Maximus Decimus Meridius, and Joaquin Phoenix, in the role of Commodus.

2. “Whatever comes out of these doors, we have a better chance of living if we work together. Do you understand? If we stay together we will survive.”

Gladiator It was recorded in three main locations: England, Morocco and Malta. In the latter, a plaster replica of the Colosseum in Rome was built with a height of 15 meters.

3. “What we do in life resonates in eternity.”

The plot of the story is partially inspired by real events. It had the participation of historians and advisors, although some licenses were taken to make the story more attractive or practical when recording.

4. “Death smiles on us all. All a man can do is smile back.”

The scriptwriters were also inspired by classic historical epic films such as The fall of the Roman Empire (1964) and Spartacus (1960).

5. “Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time I do what I have to do.”

The soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer, one of the greatest experts in this field. It also featured the collaboration of Lisa Gerrard and Gavin Greenaway.

6. “The time to honor yourself will soon come to an end.”

Real animals were used in the scenes recreated in the Colosseum. Many actors were injured while filming the scenes, especially Ridley Scott.

7. “Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Isn’t this why you’re here?”

In the beginning, the main role was offered to Mel Gibson, who rejected considering that his age did not correspond to the development of the character.

8. “I don’t pretend to be a man of the people. But I try to be a man for the people.”

Due to a heart attack, actor Oliver Reed died before finishing filming his scenes. Special effects were used to complete the plot without their absence affecting the development of the story. The film was one of the pioneers in this sense.

10. “Father, I would have slaughtered the entire world if you only loved me.”

Aside from the historical alterations (most of them voluntary), there are two scenes in which errors were leaked during filming: in the forest when a pair of jeans is seen in the background and in the Colosseum when a gas cylinder is seen. under a chariot.

11. “Nothing happens to anyone that they are not able to endure by nature.”

Maximus was originally going to be called Narcissus, just like Commodo’s real killer. It is a fictional creation that was built on the basis of the latter, as well as Spartacus and Cincinnatus.

12. “Fear and wonder, a powerful combination.”

There are many improvised scenes in the film. The character Maximus’s description of the home and Commodo’s shout to Lucilla are just two of several.

13. “Learn from me. I wasn’t the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. “Win the crowd and you will win your freedom.”

Connie Nielsen, who stars as Lucilla, is passionate about the history of the Roman Empire. She collaborated on some scenes to achieve historical accuracy (regardless of licenses).

14. “Today I saw a slave become more powerful than the emperor of Rome.”

The wounds we see on Maximus’s face are totally real. In a couple of scenes, Crowe’s horse was startled and rode into some bushes, causing a series of scratches on his face.

15. “Your flaws as a son are my failures as a father.”

To continue with the actor’s injuries, he lost feeling in his index finger for two years due to a sword fight, broke a bone in his foot, fractured his hip bone, and injured several tendons.

16. “I’m tired of being strong.”

The mythical scene in which Maximus caresses the ears of wheat are not actually the hands of the actor, but those of his double.

17. “I have felt alone my whole life, except with you.”

It is believed that the original script established the fight in the Colosseum in front of a rhinoceros, although it was ultimately removed for practical purposes.

18. “The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the senate.”

Some of the film’s sets were also used in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Salmon fishing in Yemen (2011) and games of thrones (2011-2019).

19. “He enters Rome as a conquering hero, but what has he conquered?”

On Maximus’s shoulder we see a tattoo with the initials SPQR. They correspond with Senatus Populusque Romanus, that is to say, The Senate and the Roman people.

20. “We mortals are nothing more than shadows and dust. Shadows and dust, Maximus!”

The costume design was carried out by Janty Yates who together with his team had to make more than 10,000 costumes and 27,000 pieces of armor in a period of three months.

21. “People should know when they are conquered.”

Maximus’s armor was actually not designed exclusively for him, as some of it was used in The invaders (1964), The last temptation of Christ (1988) and some time later in Vikings (2013).

22. “You have a great name. He must kill your name before he kills you.”

24 carriages were built for the film, of which only 6 were used.

23. “At my signal unleash hell.”

The Germania scenes involved real soldiers from the Rotal Horse Artillery, as ceremonial cannons were used that required specialized equipment to control them.

24. “I am obliged to kill, so I kill. It’s enough”.

The film received a total of 119 nominations for prestigious awards, of which it won a total of 48.

25. “Are you in danger of becoming a good man, Proximo?”

Most of the computer generated effects were under the responsibility of The Mill. This of course included the recreation of the scenes after the death of Oliver Reed.

26. “How will the world pronounce my name in the years to come? Will I be known as the philosopher? The warrior? The tyrant? Or will I be the emperor who returned Rome to its true self?”

Apart from increasing interest in films and series set in Greece and Rome, there was also an increase in fiction and historical books about these civilizations.

27. “Once upon a time there was a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper faded away, it was so fragile. And I’m afraid it won’t survive the winter.”

Gladiator’s lines, apart from improvisations, were written by screenwriters David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson.

28. “He will bring them death and they will love him for it.”

The white breastplate that Commodo adorns at the end of the film is an exact reproduction of the breastplate of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome.

29. “The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. “The gladiator who challenged an emperor.”

Luciano Pavarotti refused to work on the film’s soundtrack, something that he would later confess he would regret.

30. “He sleeps so well because he is loved.”

Maximus’ pet wolf is not a real wolf, he was a Belgian Tervuren shepherd. Because those scenes were filmed in England, laws did not allow the use of wolves in these contexts.

31. “This is a nice fiction, isn’t it?”

Although there are of course one or two scenes that were recorded offline, Much of the film was shot chronologically..

32. “You’re lying. “I always knew when you were lying because you were never good at it.”

Joaquin Phoenix is ​​vegan, so he only used synthetic leather in his character’s wardrobe.

33. “Is Rome worth the life of a good man? We believed it once. Make us believe ourselves again. He was a soldier of Rome. Honor him.”

We finish this selection of phrases from Gladiator with these words that every fan of the film must remember.

At the end of 2021, it was announced that the script for the second installment of the film is ready and that production will begin. We hope that these short phrases of Gladiator They are useful to connect again with the film and thus prepare you to see its sequel in the coming years on the big screen.

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