Ridley Scott’s GLADIATOR was released 25 years ago this week. A sword and sandals classic, and the film that made a megastar of Russell Crowe, the making of story is worthy of the Colosseum… 1/43 - ThreadSky

alltherightmovies.com • 23 days ago

Ridley Scott’s GLADIATOR was released 25 years ago this week. A sword and sandals classic, and the film that made a megastar of Russell Crowe, the making of story is worthy of the Colosseum…

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alltherightmovies.com•23 days ago

In the 1970s, aspiring screenwriter David Franzoni travelled across Europe and the Middle East. Coming across many ancient arenas, he read Daniel P. Mannix’s 1958 book Those About to Die. It was about Roman Gladiators, and Franzoni thought it would make a great movie.

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alltherightmovies.com•23 days ago

25 years later, Franzoni was a Hollywood success. Having written Amistad – a historical drama directed by Steven Spielberg – DreamWorks gave Franzoni a 3-picture writing deal. He pitched his gladiator story idea to Spielberg, who told him “you must write that script.”

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alltherightmovies.com•23 days ago

DreamWorks greenlit Franzoni’s script immediately and wanted Ridley Scott as director, but Scott wasn’t sure. To convince him, they showed him an 1872 painting by Jean Leon Gerome - Pollice Verso – as their inspiration. Scott said the painting played a part in him signing on.

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alltherightmovies.com•23 days ago

Scott’s vision was a huge production. They built a 52-ft tall Colosseum. It took 7 months to build and cost $1m. Ground-breaking digital effects created Rome, pushing effects boundaries of the time.

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alltherightmovies.com•23 days ago

The film starts with the Roman Army battling Germanic tribes. It was filmed in Bourne Woods, England, and the Royal Forestry Commission slated the area for deforestation. Scott heard about it and offered to burn it to the ground, as long as he could film it over 20 days.

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alltherightmovies.com•23 days ago

In the battle, we see Maximus’ pet wolf. He was played by a Tervuren Belgian Shepherd called Kyte. Kyte also played another famous screen dog – he was Robbie Jackson’s dog Wellard in UK soap, Eastenders, for a few years.

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omasec.bsky.social•22 days ago

Russell Crowe was magnificent in this movie. Every time I watch it, this fact is verified.

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