Swaim (2007) takes a satirical perspective on director Scott's choices in the film, even suggesting that the film was 'saved' by its inaccuracies. According to Swaim, Commodus, the Roman Emperor "who lusted after his sister in the film, was in real life held in high esteem by the senate and ruled for a successful 13 years (rather than the ineffectual few months depicted in the film). Also, though the Emperor did, in fact, have an enthusiasm for gladiatorial combat (he did so incognito), he didn't get his ticket punched in the arena. He was killed in the bath by a wrestler named Narcissus to prevent him taking office as consul." (Swaim, 1)
To Swaim's view, and to the view of this account, the filmmakers were a great deal more concerned with the expediency provided by certain plot devices than they were with the accuracy of the work as a period piece. To Swaim, this was because mass audiences were considerably less likely to sense the intrigue of the plot absent a villainous persona. The treachery and underhanded of Commodus was simultaneously a disservice to history and a mode to creating the film's most emotionally evocative point of conflict. It would also appeal to the interests of convenience in its pacing of events that in actual history are known to have taken more than a decade as opposed to the months which occupied the film.
To this point, "one could say that the scriptwriters needed...
I have found no attested parallel to the war dog of the Roman commander Maximus, the movie's hero, and if there were one, it would not have been a German shepherd, a breed that did not exist in Antiquity." (Ward, 1) This anachronism is joined by the use of armors that did not yet exist, by the placement of catapults on battlefields in a way that was highly unlikely at this time and by the chaotic presentation of gladiator sports. Ward reports that in actuality, these were highly organized events in which two men usually faced off under a set of clearly declared and enforced rules.
These seemingly small but ultimately very revealing inaccuracies expose a clear decision on the part of the filmmakers, who viewed the actual story and moment in history as a source rather than a blueprint. For modern audiences, historical discrepancy is not a great concern, particularly as this compares to the sense of enjoyment gained from a fast-paced, fists-full-of-popcorn action drama.
Works Cited:
Neelin, D. (2003). Gladiator: The Real Story. Exovedate.com.
Swaim, M. (2007). 11 Movies Saved by Historical Inaccuracy. Cracked.com.
Ward, a. (2001). The Movie 'Gladiator' in Historical Perspective. Classics Technology Center.
