THE REAL ROMAN ARMY vrs. the renactments

[Niedel]

have you seen the new spartacus is that accurate

The costumes in the TV Spartacus are as inaccurate as anything. The soldiers wear segmented (leather!) armour (not in use until the time of Augustus, 70 years later), etc.

The most authentic Roman costumes in film so far IMO are in the Polish version of "Quo Vadis" and in the 1964 production "Fall of the Roman Empire". While the costumes in FOTRE are not totally authentic, in my opinion they convey a good sense of heavier/later part of the 2nd century Roman armour.

As has been said before, apart from the Colloseum, the sets in Gladiator might have been stunning, but were totally inaccurate. Apart from what tlclark noted: the different domes etc. seen in the dawn scenes etc. are purely renaissance/baroque, not ancient Rome. Statues and buildings would have been painted in bright colors. The whole entrance of Commodus into Rome resembles more a Leni Riefenstahl scene (which I think it's supposed to) than anything in ancient Rome (what is that square when Commodus goes up the stairs? St. Peter's Square???).