Top 5 things wrong in Gladiator

[Hans Friedman]

1. The opening scene shows the Romans fighting Germanic tribes in a forest made up of a single type of tree. Managed forests of this kind were not introduced until the 1500's. Plus catapults and ballistae wouldn't have been used in a wooded environment like this - they were siege weapons.



2. Most Roman buildings would not have been white and certainly wouldn't have looked as ancient and weather-beaten as they do in the movie. In fact, many would have been new and freshly painted in a variety of colors, as would the statues and carvings that appear in the buildings and streets.





3. Rome wasn't founded as a republic. In fact, the Eternal City started life as a monarchical state ruled by the Alban kings, before becoming a republic in 509 BCE and an empire in 27 BCE. Emperor Marcus Aurelius never intended to return it to a republican state as that would have weakened it.



4. Even under the most tyrannical of imperial machinations Maximus couldn't have simply disappeared to be exiled and enslaved. His banishment would have been legally recorded and as a result his master, Proximus, wouldn't have been able to take him to Rome to compete in the Colosseum.



5. Emperor Marcus Aurelius wasn't murdered by his son Commodus. He actually died in Vindobona (modern-day Vienna). He didn't ban gladiator combat either.

[The True Roman]

Has nothing to do with Rome 2

[Cat-astrophic]

Interesting

[Aelita]

In b4 the lock

[Wothan]

A film making dramatic additions to make it more enjoyable/relatable/hollywoodish?
Im shocked

[DavidtheDuke]

This should be moved to the historical forum

[Post Hoc]

Shocking!!!!!

[TomR199]

The depiction of the roman imperial army is the most accurate in a motion picture. The tactics of softening their enemy with seigeworks was a tactic used in some situatoons particularily in britian during claudius reign it was perfected. So while a non-seige forst battle wouldn't be a battle where artillery was used, the overall style of combat was used and depicted it well. The ro.ans did not throw their pila which was defianly innacurate when the germans charged.

[Marcus Aemilius Lepidus]

The number of wrong things is endless, but i didn't see the film as a historical movie. I like on the movie the classic structure in acts if you like it and it is very Aristoteles like

The depiction of the roman imperial army is the most accurate in a motion picture. The tactics of softening their enemy with seigeworks was a tactic used in some situatoons particularily in britian during claudius reign it was perfected. So while a non-seige forst battle wouldn't be a battle where artillery was used, the overall style of combat was used and depicted it well. The ro.ans did not throw their pila which was defianly innacurate when the germans charged.

No it is totally not. You find it in every list about Gladiator in the top mistakes. The scene is influences by Apocalypse Now which Scott told himself and the giant napalm catapults are only in because of that.

[TheDarkKnight]

Moved, as the topic at hand has nothing to do with the discussion of Rome II.

[Smiling Hetairoi]

Isn't the armor the Romans use completely wrong in the movie?

[Manuel I Komnenos]

Isn't the armor the Romans use completely wrong in the movie?

Actually I read in Frank McLynn's Aurelius: A Life that during his campaigns, it was the last time the Roman army fought with this type of equipment (the armor and the shield).

[ForVictory]

About fact 4, in the movie Maximus isn't sent to be enslaved but to be executed but he managed to kill the guards and escape.
And about fact 5, Emperor Marcus Aurelius died under mysterious circumstances suddenly, it could well have been done by his son, but we can never be sure.

[Razor]

Just a top 5? Geesh. Wikipedia lists quite a few of them already. Better start a thread with the top 5 of things that are actually right...

[Slydessertfox]

About fact 4, in the movie Maximus isn't sent to be enslaved but to be executed but he managed to kill the guards and escape.
And about fact 5, Emperor Marcus Aurelius died under mysterious circumstances suddenly, it could well have been done by his son, but we can never be sure.

Or, more likely, he was killed by the plague that was ravaging the empire. Which incidentally, killed Commodus' twin brother Titus IIRC.

Though I always liked to think of the movie more of a what if (if a rather very innacurate and nigh impossible what if) more than an actual narration of the story. The general theme would make a good (again probably not possible) What if: What if Commodus assassinated Marcus Aurelius, and tried to purge the ranks of his loyal followers whom he distrusted, one of them being a general named Decimus Meridius Maximus (as his name would actually be, since Maximus was not a first name) who escapes execution. He somehow gets into slavery (I don't know how the hell he ended up in North Africa...) and becomes a gladiator, eventually fighting in the Collosseum. Such a good fighter is he, that the emperor who has a passsion for gladiatorial combat, takes notice of him.

At some mpoint Commodus decides to fight him, but of course it's not on even grounds, with the Maximus using a wooden sword (or some other handicap). Yet Maximus is such a good fighter, he is able to knock out of his hand, and retrieve, Commodus' sword, eventually killing him in combat and (assuming his identity becomes known, or was known, or there was a conspiracy or what have you), becomes emperor (since restoring the republic was obviously never seriously considered).


Like I said, very improbable, but it gave me a good excuse to continue justifying my watching it.

[LeicsFox]

good points, but Gladiator still the most accurate Roman film to date, and best film of all time

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

6. If Juba is Numidian then why is he a black guy?

[redxavier]

Gladiator is as accurate a representation of the time of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus as the film's portrayal of the Battle of Zama.

[Anon052]

If they at least would have gotten the gladiators right......

[Pinarius]

I could forget about made up things like Commodus killing his father, if they had at least given the Roman soldiers the right equipment. It's almost as if Ridley Scott has an aversion against correct kit (he even gave King Baldwin's horse in "Kingdom of Heaven" the same champron as the one of Maximus' charger).