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the earlier film notably rejects Spartacus’ overtures of friendship and his
attempts to build a community among the slaves in the gladiatorial school.
Gladiator employs this cinematic echo in the sword-hurling scene to emphasize
Maximus’ rising disaffection from the concept of Roman authority,
as well as his closeness to his own death.
The story of Maximus’ alienation from the idea of a degenerate Rome
and his deep-seated reluctance about his role in restoring Roman government
to the people offers a parallel to post-Cold War America. When
Maximus first lays eyes on Rome as a slave, he feels nothing but revulsion
for and disconnection from the corrupt image he sees. He tells Proximo
before the games: “I am required to kill, so I kill. That is enough.” But
Proximo corrects him: “That is enough for the provinces, but not enough
for Rome.” As Maximus demonstrates his killing proficiency and leadership
in the Roman Colosseum, he discovers there is power to be won in
the pretend wars staged by Commodus. “Today I saw a slave become
more powerful than the emperor of Rome,” Lucilla tells him, as he realizes
the truth of her words: “The mob is Rome.” So the disillusioned general
turned free-agent hero is driven by his anger and isolation to reenvision
his own ideal of Rome from within the arena.
The transformation of the general’s military skill into gladiatorial entertainment
also suggests an analogy in the sheer prominence of professional
athletics in American society and the cult of the celebrity athlete (Cyrino,
137–40). As Proximo promises Maximus: “Win the crowd and you will
win your freedom.” Most American superstar athletes are no longer associated
mainly with teams, but celebrated in the media for their own specialized
endeavors and achievements. These true “free-agent” athletes are
idolized by their fans as individual icons, separate from any team, further
evidence of the current American cultural trend towards alienation from
group or corporate identities. Celebrity athletes make millions of dollars a
year performing their physical feats in front of hordes of adoring fans, and
are among the most powerful figures in modern American society, capable
of influencing people in what they buy, eat, and wear on the strength
of their commercial endorsements. Famous Roman gladiators also attained
celebrity status through specialized types of fighting, and were known to
endorse products; some of these endorsements survive in painted frescoes
and wall graffiti. Ironically, the creators of Gladiator decided to downplay
this historical angle, on the assumption modern audiences would not
believe such a strange-but-true cultural correspondence.
Gladiator evokes the great influence of the superstar athlete in contemporary
America when young Lucius, Lucilla’s son, approaches Maximus,
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