I’ve joined in for the A to Z challenge this year which runs from April 1st to the 30th. My choice of theme is Music from Favorite Films. I’ll be sharing the songs in order of film title and will write a little about my thoughts on the movie as well.

Gladiator is a movie I watched multiple times in the theater during the month of its showing in 2000. I wanted to take everyone I knew to see this movie. It instantly became a favorite, and nineteen years later remains in my top ten favorite movies of all time.

The story takes place in AD 180 with General Maximus (Russell Crowe) leading the Roman army to battle against Germanic tribes–a final battle needed to finally obtain peace. After the victory, Maximus intends to return home to his wife and son, but it is requested by the aging Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) that Maximus become the protector of Rome after he dies. Maximus is reluctant to take on the position, he hasn’t been home in over two years, but understands that Marcus has a vision for Rome and wants it fulfilled so that his legacy can continue. He also understands that Marcus’ son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) isn’t fit to be emperor because he isn’t a moral man.

When Marcus gives his son Commodus the news of his decision, Commodus is offended, hurt, and not accepting of it. After an emotional break down, he murders his father and makes it look like natural causes. Commodus announces himself emperor, and when General Maximus refuses him, he orders the murder of Maximus and his family.

I’m not going to share more of the plot because it’ll spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it. Overall, Gladiator is visually captivating and full of action, but this is another film that’s not for everyone as it contains tons of violence and gore. There’s also one particularly uncomfortable scene between Commodus and his sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen).

A few spoilers below…

We watched the movie just last week because my oldest son hadn’t seen it from beginning to end yet. Unfortunately, he ended up hating the movie. I think it was more that he was mad about Maximus dying in the end. I’ll admit, it’s hard to accept at first. To me, the ending was perfect because Maximus and all of Rome end up in better positions: Maximus in Elysium with his family, Rome to return to the republic it once was, and Commodus finally removed. Not only that, his fellow gladiators are to be set free.

I was astonished watching Maximus rise again from a position as low as an enslaved gladiator. The revenge always pulls me in of course, but Maximus is extremely likeable– gaining respect from everyone he meets. Had he not been inflicted with an injury prior to the final battle with Commodus, he would’ve been emperor of Rome. I love this character.

“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”

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My song choice is Lisa Gerrard singing “Now We Are Free” from the original motion picture soundtrack. This song is so beautiful and the language used is indioglossia. If you haven’t seen the movie, there are some spoilers in the video.

I’ve included the lyrics for the English translation at the bottom. This video may not work in WordPress reader, but should play fine if you open up the site page. If not, you can click here.

Thanks for checking out the A-Z challenge. Do you like this movie? Are you doing the challenge this year? Share your links in the comment section below if you’d like. Have a great week!

❤ Mischenko