Gladiator 2 repeats a historic mistake from the original by copying an iconic moment!
Tl;dr
- Gladiator 2 maintains the historical inaccuracies of its predecessor.
- Director Ridley Scott prefers to focus on an impressive cast.
- The film incorrectly reproduces the signal system of Roman gladiators.
A long-awaited sequel
Gladiator 2the highly anticipated next film, follows its predecessor, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, more than twenty years later. Although the film has already been criticized for its numerous historical inaccuracies, this does not prevent director Ridley Scott from showing some consistency with the first film, which was also not known for its historical accuracy Roman.
Ridley Scott, the intrepid director
Ridley Scott, the director of this highly anticipated film, has made it clear that he doesn't care much about historical accuracy. After telling historians to “ find a life » when they fact-checked his film Napoleon of 2023, he has assembled an impressive cast for Gladiator 2. However, one particular scene in the Gladiator 2 trailer has drawn attention for its historical inaccuracy.
An emblematic gesture, poorly reproduced
In the original film, we remember the scene where Maximus (Russell Crowe) wins the hearts of the Roman people in the Colosseum, forcing Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) to spare his life. In Gladiator 2Emperor Geta, played by Joseph Quinn, is seen using the same thumbs-down gesture, signifying that he is going to have a gladiator executed. However, this gesture is misinterpreted. In reality, the thumbs up sign meant the death of the gladiator, while the sign to spare the gladiator was a closed fist.
A repetition of mistakes
Gladiator 2 seems to repeat a mistake from the first film. Ridley Scott chose to keep this gesture despite his knowledge of this factual error, preferring to use more obvious symbolism to avoid confusion.
What do we think?
Ridley Scott's approach to Gladiator 2 highlights the dilemma between respecting historical accuracy and creating a compelling film for modern audiences. Ultimately, the film's success will depend less on its historical accuracy and more on its ability to entertain and move its audience.
