02-07-2006, 10:54 PM
Quote:I didn't have a problem with the historical accuracy of "Gladiator" - it was so well done and such a great story that it represented the Ancient world admirably and was entertaining at the same time. The key to the movie was that it was an ORIGINAL story, with no distinct historical parallel.
Troy and Thermopylae (using "Gates of Fire"), on the other hand, are well documented tales that already contain loads of material to create thoroughly entertaining movies. With Troy, Hollywood chose to follow their own ridiculous agenda and the result was an insult to the "real" story of the Trojan War. Now they've chosen "300" for Thermopylae, and I don't think its comic book surreality does justice to the heroic deeds of Leonidas and his men.
I agree with all of your second paragraph, Quinton, but I have to challenge the notion that the plot of "Gladiator" was original. To an enormous degree, it was a rip-off of "The fall of the Roman Empire" starring Sophia Loren, Jeff Chandler and (I think - it's a long time ago) Laurence Harvey as the Commodus character. Alec Guinness played Commodus' father, Anthony Quayle his real father and James Mason a Greek philosopher. "Gladiator" wasn't bad entertainment, but it was spoilt for me by the fact that they had done a remake and refused to admit it.